Original Sin #3
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Mike Deadato
Color Art by Frank Martin
Letters by VC’s Chris Eliopoulos
Review by Mike Duke
I don’t know if I really know what to think about Original Sin. It might be the oddest event I’ve ever read. And yet, I like it. It’s gorgeous to look at, it comes up with interesting ideas that I hadn’t thought of, and it keeps me interested. All good things, but when you really drill down to the specifics, there is a lot of bizarre happening in this book. A lot of it.
I can’t really say too much about the story without spoiling things, but in summary, Original Sin #3 picks up right where #2 left off, takes us forward into the story, and answers some questions while raising several others. We now know who took the Watcher’s eye and what it does, but is that all there is to that part of the story? Of course not. Three different teams of heroes follow similar trails of death, each one more other-worldly than the last. But, somewhere in the aggregate is the answer, if only they can all put their heads together without losing them. I have a lot of faith in Jason Aaron, but what I’m really hoping right now is that the whole event doesn’t end up with an, “everyone forgets” ending that erases the whole thing from the Marvel U.
I really wish I could say more, but I really can’t. I do want to comment for a minute about the tie-in titles that I’ve read so far. It’s possible that I just lack some fundamental imagination, but I’m really having a hard time seeing how the tie-ins that I’ve read fit into this whole story. I know that the main theme is this idea of original sins and how each character is supposed to have one, but between Avengers, Deadpool, and Avengers again, it really just feels like the sideline books are continuing business as usual and getting a fancy Original Sin cover for their trouble. It’s possible that I’m completely wrong and that, by the end of the event, it will be totally obvious how every book ties together. But, until I see that happening, I’m going to keep telling people to be careful about what they buy.
One thing I can say for sure? This book is seriously good looking. Mike Deadato does some absolutely stellar work here, not just in the figures, the back grounds, and the faces, but in the layouts. Every page is packed with images in the most interesting and yet easy to read configurations. Some are skewed, some overlap others to create boxes within boxes, some are just huge, gorgeous splash pages, but it’s all fascinating and wonderful to look at. Frank Martin does some truly great color work here as well, playing with muted and ruddy tones on Earth while the characters either out in space or off in another dimension are soaked in bright and oversaturated hues. I have to also say that I love the covers on this book. They remind me of the old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys novel covers–the ones that had the banana yellow or the royal blue frame around an oil painting cover of the Boys lurking in a swamp or Nancy peeking around a corner. Julian Totino Tedesco has done the three covers so far for this series and I hope he finishes out the set.
Verdict
Wait and See. Original Sin is Marvel’s big event for summer and I’m not going to tell anyone not to jump into it, but you might want to dip your toe a bit first. I’m not kidding when I say that it’s getting pretty weird. Now, as I said before, I have the utmost faith in Jason Aaron. He’s not let me down yet, and so I will keep picking this one up. But, if you’re skeptical or unsure, take a look at the main event book first, don’t go based on the tie-ins.
