Steed and Mrs.Peel #1
Written by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Ian Gibson
Published by: Boom! Studios
Man, I love Grant Morrison!! I know he’s marmite to a lot of fans out there but the guy is just brimming with ideas! If you read ‘The Invisibles’, you may remember that ‘Kirk Morrison’ wrote about the spy adventures of ‘Gideon Stargrave’- well this comic is like those stories, hip cool 60′s fun!!
I wasn’t alive when The Avengers series was on but I saw re-runs growing up and fell in love with this great series because of it’s sillines and very British sensibilities! Morrison does one of the things he does best, establishes the characters you already know from the series then introduces a few crazy new ones around them, and he brings his usual flair and madness to that (there is a scene of an old man hopscotch-ing in his own house, that’s all I’m saying).
He’s also brings the classic spy pacing, with little peppered hints and Easter eggs in each page that are clearly teasing at future elements, plot points and ideas. Like Warren Ellis’ recently wrapped ‘Secret Avengers’ run there are enough ideas and concepts laid out hinted at in this single issue that most other writers would tell over a year’s worth of issues.
Bringing further unique flare and using fantastic colours to give this book a classic tone is artist Ian Gibson. Mostly known for his Judge Dredd work, Gibson’s been working in comics for decades and you can see how well he’s honed his craft and interprets a script in this comic. Morrison is known for his looser scripting style, often re-writing dialogue after the art has been done and he clearly knew to let Gibson loose a little on these pencils. His art leaps off the page when the action is called for and he brings subtlety and a calm pacing when the moment dictates. His characters are cartoonish and fun with a huge range of facial expressions as is required for the scene, with no 2 panels having a character with the same expression.
One of the clear advantages Gibson has is that he colours his own work so his use of tone, lighting and shade really stands out in the art, the first time you see the debonair and distinguished Mr. Steed, Gibson plays with shadow, never giving you a full shot of his face or throwing him in moody washed light. It’s subtle, and tells you a lot about the character without you even realising it.
The fun of this comic is off the scale! It takes that classic, hip 60′s spy thriller and brings it to life with that off beat quirky British charm that’s reminiscent of the John Pertwee error of Doctor Who. I can’t wait to see where Morrison takes these characters and what insanity he throws into the mix. If you liked The Invisibles, this has elements of that first volume with the pacing and foreshadowing of Morrison’s run on Batman and Robin, carefully bound in a ‘cartoonish but dark’ packaging of Ian Gibson’s fantastic art. My only complaint is that Morrison spent a bit too much time sowing ideas and it could have benefited from a little faster pacing and action for a first issue but still ‘In Morrison we trust’
Rating: 9/10
