Original Sin #0

By Mark Waid, Jim Cheung, Paco Medina

For anybody new to comics and/or the Marvel universe, Original Sin is actually fairly accessible. Most of these big events are not exactly new reader-friendly, but this issue bucks that trend. Issue 0 sets everything up and introduces noobs to The Watcher, who will be the primary focus of this event. With Mark Waid writing the story, we appear to be in good hands.

Nova (who has started a somewhat awkward relationship with Uatu in his solo series) acts as the protagonist, treating The Watcher as a mystery. He wants to know what exactly makes him do the things he does and how he might be able to help with the whereabouts of Nova’s father. Nova gets these answers and more, as Waid shows us a Watcher that is much more than he appears.

Waid writes a very solid start to this event, creating a story that is appealing to just about anybody. The only problem might be the overexposure of Sam Alexander/Nova. Waid gives readers a quick rundown of what’s been happening in Sam’s world, but unless you’ve been actively reading his series, there may not be any emotional attachment to the character. Depending on the reader, that may or may not bring the story down.

The art duties are shared between Jim Cheung and Paco Medina. Both artist blend their work together seamlessly to the point where you probably won’t even notice that two different guys penciled this issue. As far as style, it’s standard superhero event stuff, which is not a bad thing because it looks incredible. Just like any big DC/Marvel event comic, there are a number of splash pages to make you wish you had them as a poster.

By and large, Original Sin is off to one heck of a start. Waid writes intriguing characters and plots, while Cheung and Medina work together to bring some impressive art together. It’s hard to tell how this series will turn out, but so far, things are looking pretty great.