Gaiman Takes the Marvel Universe Back to the Future

Neil Gaiman probably didn’t need to write “1602” to solidify his legacy in comic book history, but it certainly didn’t tarnish it either. Combining Gaiman’s knack for story-telling with an original concept and amazing art design, “1602” will go down as one of the best mini-series in Marvel history.

You’d think that by turning back the clock over 400 years Marvel’s finest would lose some luster, but instead, each character’s best qualities come out that much more.

For instance, Daredevil is still “The Man Without Fear,” and is still horrible with women and Doctor Doom is just as evil a bastard as he always was. The same thing goes for “Mr. Boy Scout,” Scott Summers and the always uber-cool and methodical Magneto.

This makes for an instantly recognizable bunch of characters and fuels a story that works for a myriad of reasons.

For one, “1602” doesn’t read like a comic book or graphic novel in the fact that Gaiman’s pacing and language slow things down a bit more than some comic readers are used to. This may prove to be problematic for those who want a fast-paced tale, but considering the action that eventually does takes place is mind-blowing indeed, everything proves to be well worth the wait. Simply put, the anticipation of what’s doing to happen next and what characters will pop into the story are enough to hook any lifelong comic book reader who is sick and tired of the same old thing.

If forced to describe 1602’s story in one word, “epic” immediately comes to mind. If that doesn’t work for you, “sublime” isn’t a bad second choice either.

If that wasn’t enough here, the art is fantastic as well.

Like Gaiman’s story, the pencils by Andy Kubert don’t feel like they belong in a comic book at all and are reminiscent of those big fairy tale books we all read as a kid, bringing this magnificent concotion to life even further. If you’ve dug his work on the Captain America and Ultimate X-Men series’ over the years, his work on “1602” will make you a life-long fan.

It’ll also convince you that he’s in the same league as his father, the illustrious Joe Kubert, as well.

Nevertheless, in spite of Kubert’s stellar pencil work, it is the digital coloring by Richard Isanove that truly set the art in “1602” apart from every other Marvel mini-series. Lush, bright and dynamic, Isanove’s work here is sure to be the vessel for many dreams in the future and is living proof that digital colorist have a place in the industry.

In a day where both DC and Marvel seem infatuated with developing their next big miniseries, it’s easy to forget about a seven-year-old one the likes of 1602. However, those who wish to see both an amazing creative vision by Gaiman and some of the best art in the history of the medium, owe it to themselves to take a step back from the present and revisit 1602.

If you don’t, watch out. A big, blonde native-American may come looking for you.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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