Marines are made, wars are waged, and Chaos takes hold – so the cycle goes, in Warhammer 40K: Marneus Calgar #1 by Kieron Gillen, Jacen Burrows, Java Tartaglia, and Clayton Cowles.
Justin Partridge: In the Grim Far Future of the 41st Millennium, there is only…FUN! EXCESSIVE VIOLENCE! And brand new NUMBER ONE ISSUES!
Welcome to Letters from the Front Line, Xavier Filesâ first sortie into the over-the-top and massively fun Warhammer 40K franchise. We do so taking a look at Marvel Comicsâ first effort with the newly acquired license, Warhammer 40k: Marneus Calgar #1, written by fan-fave and 40k Obsessive himself Kieron Gillen with artwork by the bone-crunching Jacen Burrows.
I have to admit a certain neophyte-ness to 40k, having just jumped into it fully myself, but thatâs okay because I have my OWN Chapter Master to help me, my Goop Troupe Battle-Brother, Forrest Hollingsworth! Forrest is SUPER into 40k and has actually helped me anoint my own mind and soul for the travels into the Warp, havenât you, Forrest?
Forrest Hollingsworth: [Czrrrzzzk – Your introduction and reference to this one is noted, fellow Imperial citizen. May the Omnissiah himself be with us on this first journey into a grim, dark future.]
There Is Only War
JP: So if you know ONE thing about Warhammer 40k, its that its bloody as fuck all and Marneus Calgar #1 does NOT disappoint in that regard. Jacen Burrows and colorist Java Targalia really, REALLY thrive in the grimdark nuttiness of this title, diving deeply into the dark delights of the battle sequences, but also putting real effort and detailing into the Space Marine company, their towering Chapter Master, and his new twitchy, cybernetic Adept second.
But even beyond the surface level red-spreading of this title, I think itâs a pretty cognizant and user-friendly opening, wouldnât you say, Forrest? Gillen talked about how he really wanted to give us a âYear Oneâ experience for 40k and I would say (even with my intermediate contact with the franchise) that heâs kinda nailed it? We are given some real deal context as to the function of the Space Marines, the holy hierarchy and hilariously bureaucratic nature of the Imperium of Man, and itâs all topped off with the first official canon origin surrounding one of the franchiseâs âiconsâ, Marneus Calgar.
All and all, a pleasing exaltation of the Emperor and His holy weapons, is it not?
FH: It definitely is! I think it should be noted, too, that this comic itself is no small thing. The first product of Marvel and Games Workshopâs new deal for the property, and one focused on telling the heretofore unexplored origin story of one of its most important characters. When people think 40k, thereâs a good chance theyâre picturing Ultramarines, and Marneus Calgar as their Chapter Master and our main character is a very central part of that story, as are the Adeptus Mechanicus, the cybernetic glue of the God-Emperorâs Imperium of Man.
Gillen introduces us to his take on the 40k universe with a real reverence for and awareness of its foundations, its iconography, and its narrative conceits. You can tell that the creative team very much cares about creating an accessible entry point for new fans, and that they have also constructed a worthwhile story to tell in its own right. What you learn about the universe here in the first few pages is important: a close up on a massive armored fist spewing magazined hellfire, rockets streaking hot into explosions of gore — âWe repeatâ, a kind of grotesque mantra. The universe is war and has been for over 10,000 years, its daily battles and horrors inducing an almost meditative state.
Marneus lords over this world stalwartly, seen here mowing down rows of what the Imperium calls âHereticsâ – fallen and corrupted soldiers and fellow marines now sworn to serve the Gods of Chaos. Notably, these Gods and their domains are Khorne (Warfare and violence), Nurgle (Disease), Tzeentch (Change and sorcery) and Slaanesh (Pleasure and pain..if you know what I mean). They rule and guide the Chaos Marine legions from The Warp, a kind of shared subconscious and liminal space between realities that is shaped by âreal worldâ ripples of ill thought and sin. The larger 40k universe created these beings mostly accidentally, but they are now very real and a shared problem for Man and Xeno.
Itâs a whole thing, but just imagine it as if your frat bro roommateâs dedication to beer pong eventually and accidentally created an immortal, unspeakable evil that he had to serve for all of eternity. Kind of a bummer, and also putting you at odds âcause hey man, your name is on the security deposit, too.
JP: I couldnât have put it better myself, Forrest. But you are absolutely right. These opening pages and the feeling of the constant push and retreat of this forever war is fully established in these opening pages, given a further honed feeling by Gillenâs cheeky pen and Burrows and Tartagliaâs highly bloody artwork.
And Iâm glad you got a bit into the context behind the Chaos Gods or as they are also known, the Ruinous Powers.
Chaos, I think, gives the overall franchise a neat edge away from usual TTRPGs and their lore/religion sets in that 1. Like you said, the constant grinding engines of this universeâs conflicts throughout history directly contributed to their creations and 2. Chaos…kinda actively hates its worshippers and acolytes. So MUCH so in fact that on table, should it please them or contribute to their OWN PERSONAL GOALS (usually unknown to the players on table), they will readily and expediently fuck over their cultists and creatures. Usually in the form of a rip in the Warp, spilling horrors anew into the battle scenario, or just outright blasting them apart and leaving the opposing forces (Like Editor Charlieâs awe-inspiring Tyranid horde) to route their former wards, adding more blood and souls to their âGreat Gameâ against one another in the immeteria of the Warp.
This stuff really adds a wonderful ruthlessness to the franchiseâs religions and further sells the Machiavellian and darkly funny tone of 40k overall. Which this first issue ALSO does. Just by laser focusing on Calgar and his precise purpose in his own greater games and deeds in service of the Imperium of Man.
Gillen REALLY doesnât waste much time getting to this stuff either, does he Forrest?
FH: I have to say I love how quickly and effectively Gillen establishes stakes for our characters. This is Marneusâ homeworld – he has defended it before seemingly against Tyranids, [Ed. Note: The HIVE will subsum all. Oh uh..Tyranids are 40kâs lizard space insects] and he will again out of a sense of duty all Space Marines have to the Emperor, but also out of a sense of personal honor. Similarly, Heximar, our Adeptus tactician and logistical âweaponâ (a nice touch to note that Marines are good in all types of battle, including logistical and philosophical), is honored by Marneusâ awareness of his work, and feels a certain kind of responsibility to ensure the Ultramarines see this through smoothly. On as grand a scale as 40k operates, itâs important for things to be relatable and personable – this is the way.
JP: BIG, BIG time and something Iâm running into more and more in my OWN readings and explorations of 40k are these kind of micro moments of heroism and personal poetry. They kinda act as the secret digitized knife that this franchise uses to pluck at your heartstrings.
Though Gillen here really threads through some major worldbuilding and set dressing as to these bigger elements of 40k and the tone found therein, he never loses sight of other little moments of characterization like the above mentioned moment between Calgar and Heximar or even Calgarâs grim factual attitude toward fighting and killing.
Again, I am sure people have this notion of 40k as this crazy, ultra-violent, and super dense thing, but I think Gillen here, smartly, also establishes that, yes, all that stuff IS true about the narratives, but they are also populated with interesting characters with their own quirks and charms that further slot them into this world (which is also I feel a great strength of some of the main Black Library novels, which are also similarly focused on either one main lead or a fuller ensemble).
I also feel like Gillen especially isnât a creative that is going to be taking this series and the franchise at face value either. Meaning he is absolutely aware of what he is writing and how he is depicting things, in service to 40kâs overall satirical and blackly comic tone it takes, which Forrest will speak a bit more on presently.
FH: The last thing I feel of note here in our introductory section of sorts is that I wouldnât say the book itself is justifying or lionizing the 40k universeâs near complete obsession with guns, violence, and death so much as it is aware of the importance of those things to characters in fiction. There is a certain kind of 40k fan who most certainly revels in the facistic imagery, entirely missing the palpable satire, but Gillen is absolutely not one, and thereâs nothing here that leads me to believe the book will head in that direction. This issue is also reasonably divorced from the tabletop war game, sharing more DNA with the Black Libraryâs veritable mountain of prose of all types set within the universe. This is a very, very accessible entry point for new fans (who will inevitably fall down the same Wikipedia rabbit holes that you and I have spent countless nights on, Justin – welcome!)
JP: They are good books, yâall. I truly promise. And like Forrest said, there is an intention, comment, and methodology at work here in the material that I think a lot of âhardcoreâ fans…really miss. Or maybe actively ignore rather, as you would kind of HAVE to in order to see the Imperium or Chaos Marines as âaspirationalâ or âheroicâ in a conventional sense.
Itâs basically that meme of the dolt staring at some power armor and going âWah! Cool Armor!â while the other cooler stuff like âCriticisms of State-Mandated Religionâ, âComments on the Futility of Violenceâ, and âExplorations on the Fallacy of a Just Warâ go whizzing over their dumb dunder heads.
But we digress.
Making a Marine
JP: So as Gillen is walking us through the day-to-day operations of Calgar and newly assigned Heximus, he is also scaffolding the action with some flashbacks to Calgarâs first rounds of training in order to ascend to the holy ranks of the Space Marines.
Honestly, I think this stuff is slightly weaker than the âpresent dayâ action, as those scenes have a real drive and a lot of these flashbacks are nakedly expository. But I will say I think it gives a nice texture to Calgarâs voice and temperament. As well as taking readers through the truly hellish nature and effort it takes to really do ANYTHING in the 40k universe.
What did you think, Forrest?
FH: After the kind of bog-standard 40k stakes introductory segment, we get into the parts where this creative team is going to flex more of their narrative control, it seems. The Space Marine selection process is oft-mentioned, but rarely explored in other lore, a great avenue for Gillen to tell a ânewâ feeling story. The gist of it, with variations for all of the multitudinous Marine chapters, is that Marines will monitor planets within a given sector of space — occasionally intervening or not — and select their strongest natural warriors for elevation into becoming the Emperorâs finest. Itâs a venerated and important part of the various chaptersâ history, and as per the âdataâ page indicating the mortality rates related to this process, an often fatal one as well.
Here weâre learning more about the Ultramarinesâ process. Notably, that average citizens are generally aware of the Space Marines and their selective enlistment. A young Marneus (if everything in this flashback is to be believed – Iâm expecting a Don Draper stolen identity situation to some degree) aspires to it despite mockery from the supporting cast and to the degree of willingly being chased across desolate moons by space Umber Hulks, even.
JP: I didnât even catch the possibility of a Drapering! Thatâs actually really exciting.
But you are totally right. This whole series was sold on the promise of revealing some of the âtruthâ around Calgar, which even as a newish fan is pretty exciting. I also think these scenes do a lot to sell the sort of âmythicâ feeling and mystique (not that one) that a lot of 40k deep lore has attached to it.
One of the neater things about this world and universe is that even the âofficialâ accounts of some of the galaxyâs most defining moments and far-reaching histories are steeped in apocryphal embellishments and obscured real facts, so most of it stands as a tenuous acceptance of legends as âhistoryâ. This allows a lot of writers to have fun with their own continuities in order to reveal the âtrue accountsâ in on-the-ground experiences while blowing it up to something crazy big and largely anecdotal in other books down the road. So knowing that itâs neat seeing Gillen getting a chance to put his stamp into a real deal 40k âfactâ in this series.
FH: Itâs also an important reminder that Warhammerâs narratives are, at times, almost entirely driven by interpersonal conflict and politics. It appears that Nova Thulium is one of the many feudally structured planets in the Imperium, and that Marneus is of an elevated status compared to his Helot (a feudal serf), Tacitan. There is, of course, a nobility in treating others equally as Tacitanâs and Marneusâ relationship exemplifies, and a kind of ignobility becoming of Chaos in how the others like Severan treat them. Hmmm.
JP: I DID catch this and itâs absolutely worth getting into deeper.
Because you see, one of the great powers and boons of Chaos is the ability to somewhat obscure itself from âauthorityâ or allow itself to look less of a threat to those in power in order to fully supplant itself into the hearts and minds of others for a deeper, more activated attack at a later time. The main plot of the first Ultramarines novel, Nightbringer, is an excellent example of this as Chaosâ agents are openly working on an Imperium planet, but are somewhat ignored as the ruling cartel of the planet refuses to think it could happen on âTHEIRâ world.
Meaning the more âdevoutâ forces of the Imperium are usually more ardent about their views on Chaos while more susceptible arms are likely to underestimate the power of Chaos or think of it more of a tool to be used in aim of furthering their own goals. Itâs a tricky thing to pull off narratively, but Gillen, being the steady hand at the slower knives of serialized comics, is already showing how Chaos can be a sort of slippery slope for those that donât take it, or their own personal moralities, as seriously as Calgar clearly does even at such a young age.
FH: I want to say, too, that I think the flashback structure which is admittedly, overused in comics works to greater effect than most here. Warhammer is a universe that operates on an incalculably massive scale: Hundreds of thousands of Space Marines and their Xeno enemies die every single day on an infinite number of worlds and more yet are lost in the pulsating violence of The Warp.
Thereâs a narrative importance to Marneus lasting as long as he has, nuance in a battle of inches between himself and brothers fallen to Chaos that has persisted for decades or centuries longer than the average humanâs lifespan. Sure, Space Marines are effectively immortal with genetic implants that prevent them from dying of old age or illness in most cases (though not Perpetual, as the Emperor and his Primarchs are, thereâs a distinction) but amongst them all Marneus is persistent, indomitable. That’s important to remember, especially as Iâm certain the next few issues will expose his flaws or failures.
The Universe Is Chaos
JP: But while some agents of the Ruinous Powers operate in the shadows, others flaunt their heresy openly as we see in the issueâs cliffhanger, which sets up the bright, heretical opposite of the unbending blue will of the Ultramarines.
Enter the CHAOS MARINES, which Forrest will give you a bit more detailed background on.
FH: In a universe of bad guys, enter the real bad guys. These appear to be Black Legion Chaos Marines, currently sworn to Abaddon the Despoiler, a kind of demi-God, and historically sworn to Horus, the first traitor son of the Emperor. It could be another Legion, given that quite a few armies in Warhammer use black and gold (surprised?) but the most notorious and well known of them all seems like a good pick for an entry level book. I love their look inherently and Jacen and Java do a great job of establishing how much of a threat they are with just a few panels, towering over the Adeptus.
JP: Absolutely, and I think thatâs another thing this issue sells really well; the sheer scale of 40k as a franchise.
I feel like I heard Gillen say in an interview about this that 40k is about doing The Most Always in the Biggest Possible Way and even though this first issue is relatively tame compared to some tie-in materials or Black Library efforts, Gillen is absolutely sticking to that tenant.
We have the imposing frame of the Space Marines. The full display of the Warpâs scar across the universe as well as the full breadth of the Imperiumâs collection of worlds. And then for good measure we have a liberal splash of ultra-violence, setting the bar for the rest of the set pieces further down the issue order. I am genuinely gleeful about how good of an intro this is into the more fussy and character driven details of the property.
FH: All-in-all a very worthwhile and effective first entry to Marneusâ story and the larger 40k tapestry, I would say! We have inklings of where the story might go from here, but I fully expect and am excited for the creative team here to subvert them. Chaos is as chaos does, after all.
Vox Squawks
- FH: One important thing to note: The Adeptus Mechanicusâ frequently mentioned God: The Omnissiah or Machine God, is technically different from the God-Emperor of man. Because heresy against the Emperor is forbidden, however, the Adeptus acknowledge that the Emperor can be a flesh representation of the Machine God, a kind of necessary orthodoxical paradox for both Marines and the Adeptus to succeed together.
- FH: The lettering choice for Chaos Marines appears to be Knullâs âspecial sauceâ which is a bold choice. Nevertheless, Slaanesh would approve.
- JP: Cummies for the Cummie God. But Forrest is right, itâs a neat bit of character building and sets the forces of the Ruinous Powers aside from the Imperium forces with a nice and simple bit of grossness in their dialogue. I am sure we will see this visually articulated on the page soon as Forrest said, a big part of the whole deal is how you design and color your figures, which then extends into narrative stuff as well (Chaos is usually red painted while Imperium forces are largely blue and then it branches into variations based on your faction and alignment) so itâs nice seeing that at least start to be displayed here in the opening.
- JP: We also see the influence of Dawn of X on the larger Marvel efforts with some DATA PAGES! Kieron teased their inclusion in the press for this series, but they add a fun, super dorky âinfomaticâ energy to the title which cuts the violence and dark comedy well.
- FH: On the âdataâ front – donât forget that 40k is uniquely British! Sometimes words may seem like theyâre in-fiction proper nouns or slag to those unfamiliar, but are in fact just more commonly used in British English. If you donât know a word (and this happens to me many, many times reading the novels) just look it up!
- FH: Speaking of looking things up: 40k is a massive property influenced by many, many writers and players and as such is very referential. If you think something (the Tyriands being a Xenomorph stand-in) is referencing another property, it probably is! Finding those is part of the fun. Is Severanâs name a reference to the torturer Severian from Gene Wolfeâs novels? Itâs probably just the Roman dynasty of sorts, but still –Â more likely than you might think!
- JP: Youâll also find that this type of stuff ALSO extends to stuff established within their OWN Black Library canon which is a fun bit of continuity Iâve been enjoying. Stuff like their ships which can only ever just be repaired will be used for so long that vessels will be thousands of years old before they are decommissioned. So you can conceivably âseeâ or meet someone at an earlier age and then meet them again thousands of years laters, but carrying a few new scars. I really pop for this kinda stuff.
- FH: An alternative column title? Big Meaty Men Slappin MeatÂ
- ED. Note: Remember kids. While the Warhammer 40K comics may be fun, the tabletop game is strictly about rules and winning.Â
Forrest is an experimental AI that writes and podcasts about comic books and wrestling coming to your area soon.
Justin Partridge has loved comics all his life. He hasn't quite gotten them to love him back just yet. But that hasn't stopped him from trying as he has been writing about them now for a little over a decade. With bylines at Newsarama, Shelfdust, PanelXPanel, and more, Justin has been doing the work and putting in the time! Comics have yet to return his calls. Usually he can be found on Twitter screaming about Doctor Who.
