Steed and Mrs. Peel #4

I can hardly believe this is issue number 4 of this series. Seemed like this just began...

The Bad: formatting

This series was originally published back in the 1990s by Eclipse publications. This actually is an edited reprint of that original series which was reformatted to be 6 issues instead of merely 3. I love that I can read this series. It was on my wishlist when I first joined CV because I love the Avengers (the British ones not the team that has a green guy), so I jumped at the chance to read this series when Boom! Studios said they were going to be republishing it (I thought it was an error when I by chance saw the first issue among the "coming soon" section until they added info to the issue).

My biggest complaint about this reprint series is not the story itself, but the formatting Boom! used. I understand they wanted to expand the number of issues so each issue would fit the average page count for Boom publications, but this format has a few bugs. For example, last issue I pointed out that the main cover of #3 refereed to events not shown in that particular issue. It only makes sense AFTER you read this issue. Its sort a spoiler to use that particular cover. i realize they wanted to use the original covers before they started stealing from the interior splash pages, but it just didn't make sense from my point of view.

The above solicitation for this issue also bugs me. I realize the people who write those summaries are not infallible, but this is more than the usual misspelling. it doesn't even refer to what happens here. It would fit next issue's plot (btw I will review that soon).

The Good: Explosive Story and Art

OK. I'm done bashing the boom editors. Now, lets examine the actual story. I must say this was a great ending to this story arc. I'm going to come out and say it: I like this Grant Morrison story better than any of the other stuff I have read recently by him. It's a playful tale which does not contain any cliches you usually see in stories by Mr. Morrison's work. It is really similar to the actual show, which is wonderful. However, unlike some writers who adapted television series into comics (see Warehouse 13), Mr. Morrison actually dares to do things which are not possible for a television series to do either because of the budget or the special effects at the time of shooting. So, this does not feel like an episode of The Avengers, but rather a comic about The Avengers (and in my book that is a very good thing).

The art is also very amazing. it has the same whimsical tone as the show with all its wacky designs and vibrant colors while also being very unique on its own. John Steed in this comic actually really looks like Patrick MacNee who played the character on the show and the other characters also share similarities with their original actors. The art in general is great; even the parts where Ian Gibson does outlines is impressive. Its a very distinct style which fits this series perfectly.

Conclusion

This is a great series and I look forward to reading more of it. I would recommend this issue to people who enjoyed the show or to people who just like comedy and adventure. This series does have its faults, but as they are minimal one can overlook them.