Mystery Men issue one
If you are a huge fan of superheroes and thirties noir, i highly encourage you to check this issue out. To start off i want to state that the approach taken by David Liss in regards to setting and continuity is very well done. I went into this issue not knowing what to expect, however after this issue i feel that this may be one of the hidden gems of comics, much like Scott Snyder's American Vampire was when it first begun. Now in regards to the concept of superheroes set in the golden age from a post-post modern perspective, i felt that this issue has done the best job in regards to establishing such characters into that universe. It is also interesting that David Liss made the decision to set his story within A Marvel Universe, because there is a direct reference to the Daily Bugle; how this pans out for the future only time will tell, however i think it would be best to go into the series viewing the story as its own separate individual masterpiece. That said what made this story captivating was that the flow and pacing was very well done. We start off with being introduced to "The Operative" who is more or less a robin hood like figure, stealing from the rich to help American citizens scrape through the Great Depression. It is later revealed that The Operative aka Dennis Piper is actually the son of a very wealthy figure. Tragedy strikes as Piper's sweetheart Alice Starr, an aspiring actress is brutally murdered by a monstrous and inhuman General. Thus the stage is set and we can only watch what happens next. In terms of the art, this issue absolutely shines, Patrick Zircher does a wonderful job on pencils creating a realistic nostalgic atmosphere of the nineteen thirties, likewise credit should also be given to the inker Tim Bradstreet, whom on several occasions within the panels helps that pulpy noir edge to this issue. All I can say is that David Liss and co. have started something wonderful, and I highly recommend it to be checked out.
5/5