Potentially hidden Gem.
Okay so lets get into the nitty gritty. Merry Christmas to you all, Its the end of hanukkah for others; and Its NEW COMIC DAY for all the important people. Comic book readers. Okay so ALOT of titles came spilling out this week. Here I am to go into the first issue of He-man: Eternity War. Which there is ALOT of good about this. despite the star review you may want to stay tuned into reading this and how I came to this conclusion.
The Good:
1. The good is the story. Intense is the word I have to say, even though this was a setup they decided to throw everything at you at once. Those who are familiar with the series would be crapping their pants at Hordak and what he is up to in this first issue. Its alot to take in. Trust me. For non fans of the series. This is a great setup in terms to the overall what this series is going to be about. I have some problems with this but Ill discuss this in the next section. I love Dan Abnetts story telling. I should not be surprised as he is the man who gave us one of THE BEST guardians of the galaxy stories we have ever read. I will admit I was skeptical about how he would handle this series. BUT; he has proven me to be paranoid and a fool. He has an amazing blend of Narrative and Dialogue. Which makes me think you could eventually turn this story into an actual novel. he brings flesh to the world that was cartoony and campy.
2. Art is delicious. If it was a food id eat it all up. I am loving the blend of colors and serious art style of the characters. much like IDW's Ninja Turtles series (Which is another great title); Pop Mhan has done amazing at blending what was normally a cartoon universe series and game them more of a serious tone but kept the almost cartoon like feel to this. Despite a series which id only recommend to 14 and up. Mhan excels at the fights. Which does not surprise me from his days of World of Warcraft comics he can really bring a fantasy world like He-man and WoW to life and suck me into this world that him and Dan Abnett are really forging.
3. RETURN OF SHE-RA! those who have not read the previous He-man ongoing series missed out on She-ra's brand new origin. She is back and much more of a three-dimensional character than He-man. Which in her own way has been a far superior character story wise. Which though being mostly a He-man fan, I really relish her being back and being made much more bad ass than that silly 80's cartoon. This is not just a treat for fans of the series but also 80's kids out there who have not had ANYTHING She-ra since the 80's. And I know there are thousands if not millions of fans of She-ra out there.
The Bad:
1. As mentioned before I had a tiny problem with the story, but not so much of problem as a whole. but the problem what it was missing. Going through this issue I could get the sense of the severity of this entire thing. BUT; the intensity of it all threw me off because I knew what was going on. For new readers who are jumping into the series; which im trying to keep basic. But this issue left me with a couple of questions. Its details like that makes me feel like more could have been done with this which brings me to point 2.
2. RUSHED! This is supposed to have been the start of a new series. Though I wish they kept it under its old numbering system. It would have been handy in the first place to take a month or two just to really clean things up in terms of the pace you want to set with this story. ESPECIALLY so when it comes to a first issue you want people to read. after reading what I have read. I would have paid $2 to $5 more just for 25 to 75 more pages added on just for the first issue. The pace was fast and really tried to convey the danger of this entire story or event. not quite sure what this was. But still the issue was short and rushed out so they could keep it on their monthly title list.
Overall
Don't get me wrong I loved the issue. As a fan im just oozing with fandom glee out the pours. But I need to take a neutral stance at how I view this series. Its issue number 1 and its the most important thing in all of this. its what keeps the readers and what drives them away. So I gave it a 3 out of 5. because its a good issue. its an intense story for the fans. For new people you might be confused with the past events, but in terms of Dan Abnetts story telling you will be entertained at the oncoming horror that will be the Eternity War and how it will essentially rock not just Eternia but all of the universe potentially. I mean they were not lying in the solicitation. This whole thing is for all the beans. which makes me think. could this be the end of the series once the war is over?
Though with my own disappointments in this issue, I would give this a 5 out of 5, it has the potential to be an instant comic classic. that could go by unknown to the general public.