The Good
Where did Morbius go after he escaped the Raft? What was Morbius' origin? Find out in this new series as Morbius tries to maintain a low profile, which can be extremely hard when you have super-human abilities.
MORBIUS, as a story, is incredibly fun. It's not a funny book by any means, nor is it trying to be that, but it does have a great sense of enjoyment to it thanks to the writing of Joe Keatinge. While I may have some problems with how this character isn't like the character in previous ASM issues, I do like this version of Morbious. I like the fact he just wants to hide and stay away from everyone.
One of my favorite aspects of this issue is that Morbius lets the reader know what it's like to be Vampire-ish, since he's technically not a full-vamp. We get to see how Morbius differs from other vampires as well as the vampire mythology that many people are familiar with.
For a brand new reader, this is a great place to start. You'll get a quick origin of the the character, a sense of who he is, and what he's going to be up against. Because you don't really need to read the events of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (although it helps), this is the perfect jump-on point for anyone interested in this character.
The Bad
This doesn't feel like the same Morbius from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Sure, he's escaped the Raft and he's trying to keep a low profile, but there's a lot different about this character from ASM, including 699.1, which writer Joe Keatinge also wrote. That sense of intelligence Morbius had previously is gone, as well as the arrogance, which drew me to the character during the ASM run in the first place.
As first issues go, this one really didn't grab me. I love the fact Morbius has his own series, and I can't wait to see how this book turns out as an on-going, but I felt like this wasn't the best introduction to a new series. A part of it has to do with the fact that as an ASM reader, I just read 699.1, which is the retelling of Morbius' back story, which we get a shortened version of again in this issue.
The Verdict
Not the best start for a new series, but a pretty good issue none-the-less. The writing is extremely solid and fun, and the art does it justice. I like this version of Morbius, but I don't like the fact the arrogant part of him has disappeared. This is a great jump-on point for new readers and not just because it's the start of a new series. This issue gives a quick recap of the character's origin and history. My biggest complaint is that the first issue didn't really grab me, but regardless, this issue is on my pull list now, and I am excited to see this series progress.
Overall, I mildly recommend this issue.