Itâs a flashback tale for the Squadron Supreme, as the Heroes Reborn universe explores a fateful night for Nighthawk and the Falcon. Heroes Reborn: Double Action #1 is written by Tim Seeley, drawn by Dan Jurgens, inked by Scott Hanna, colored by Chris Sotomayor, and lettered by Cory Petit.
Presented as a âreprintâ of one of Nighthawkâs most âfamousâ stories, Heroes Reborn: Marvel Double Action #1 hopes to transport readers back to the wooly, but highly readable days of 1970s Marvel. The only trouble is, the way it does so is either going to come across as immensely charming or deeply grating. There is absolutely no in-between.
Starting with what Marvel Double Action does well, no Heroes Reborn tie-in issue yet has committed to the âfake issue of a fake seriesâ bit as hard as this. Though this concept has been all over Heroes Reborn since the start, writer Tim Seeley and company really go for it here.
The sly âEditorâs Notesâ are back, but we also get another full on letters page, teases of incoming titles in the page margins (which is hilariously dominated by Nighthawk, as heâs obviously the Batman of this world), and all sorts of pie-eyed posing and dialogue, all perfectly in tone with the pathos of Marvel superhero comics from the era when the issue is set.
The neat, era-specific details about the Heroes Reborn universe it dishes out are also pretty solid. Seeley and company walk us through a purposefully ham-fisted âNighthawk adventureâ, delving deeply into this version of the universe as well as Nighthawk and Falconâs civilian lives on Capitol Hill. It is the first real look at how they operate in government power structures so far in this event.
Also interesting is the cast of famous co-stars the title has subsumed from An Iconic Marvel Title. One look at the cover and you can guess which one, but it is neat to see these characters completely re-contextualized for this time and place in the Heroes Reborn âcanonâ.
But unfortunately, the adherence to the slightly hokey production values of â70âs Marvel is also its downfall. The constant âEyes Front, True Believer!â-ness of the issue does genuinely distract after a while, even if some of the jokes ultimately land. It doesnât exactly help matters that Dan Jurgensâ art style comes across slightly wooden and static. Inker Scott Hanna and colorist Chris Sotomayor definitely add a fun spinner rack vibe I enjoyed, but no amount of good inks and colors are going to spruce up boring layouts.
The overall riff on âThe Night Gwen Stacy Diedâ also falls flat. A story built around what turns out to be some brutal treatment of an iconic Black character is always going to make me blanche.Heroes Reborn: Marvel Double Action #1 isnât going to be everybodyâs favorite. Nor will it do anything to win new readers to comics. I can admit that I liked it, however. It has problems, but I think the one thing we can all agree on is that big swings are always appreciated. Even if said big swing results in a foul ball.
Zachary Jenkins co-hosts the podcast Battle of the Atom and is the former editor-in-chief of ComicsXF. Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside all this.
