Would You Be Willing To Buy an Infinite Vacation?
Who's feeling silly for not reading the first issue the week it came out? That would be me. The idea of parallel worlds is nothing new but being able to buy the opportunity to vacation in them is brilliant.
The Good
I actually had a little treat when reading the first two issues. I had missed picking up the first issue when it came out but tracked down a copy the next week after it was recommended to me. With all the new comics that come out each week, the issue got buried in my stack of comics to read. It wasn't until I realized that issue #2 was coming out that I dug out my copy of the first. That means I got to read both issues back to back.
The idea of an infinite number of parallel worlds where the slightest change in a decision could create a completely new direction for a person isn't exactly a new one. What makes this such a brilliant comic is the idea of buying the chance to live or vacation in one of those worlds through an app in your smartphone. It might sound kind of funny but the way Nick Spencer executes it makes it work completely. Of course there would have to be repercussions in doing this, right? And what happens when the main character, Mark, discovers that several of his other selves seem to be dying more than what the odds say should be happening? That's where an extra twist is added to an already great idea. Mystery, action, adventure and humor is all combined into one issue.
What about character development? Just hearing the story of one of the characters here delivers more insight than you see in twelve issues of most other comics. And let's not forgot the art and color. Man oh man, is it a feast for your eyes.
The Bad
Nothing to complain about. It's a refreshing change of pace for a comic. Although the 'infomercial' scenes with real people is still a little weird.
The Verdict
I love superhero comics but that's not all I enjoy reading. You would think that with the vast number of stories that have been told, trying to come up with a new angle would be difficult. Nick Spencer takes the idea of infinite parallel worlds and adds a twist that I hadn't seen before. It's a great feeling being able to read a comic where you can't necessarily predict how things will end. The good guys may not always win here. What you get here is a great story with art that speaks for itself along with a color palette that will knock the socks off your eyeballs...not that you should have socks on your eyes when reading this. Do yourself a favor and track down the first issue if you missed out on it and read both issues.
