Squadron Sinister #1

By Marc Guggenheim, Carlos Pacheco and Frank Martin

Squadron Sinister is proof that Marvel is scouring every corner of their universe for Battle world. Many of the characters used in this book have an on again off again love affair with the Marvel U. They pop up every few years with a new mini series, but don’t have much of an impact. This should be the battle of the two camps that have appealed to different readers; one from the 70’s and another from the 2000’s.

If you’re a fan of the Supreme Power gang, this issue is a huge slap in the face. The characters re-imagined by J. Michael Straczynski for a new generation of readers are portrayed poorly here and are written to be very stupid. Their time in the book isn’t even worth mentioning. Moving on from them and talking about the Squadron Sinister, Guggenheim has a little more care when handling these characters. Guggenheim brings us into a world that has a team that is very conniving and selfish. None of the Squadron come off as incredibly likable, but Guggenheim makes them interesting enough. In a book like this, there really isn’t anyone to root for. Marc does turn in an enjoyable script, but the first few pages could completely sour you on the rest of the book. There should be enough interesting seeds planted, like the trust issues between Hyperion and Nighthawk or the involvement of the Iron Thor in the Squadron’s area, to at least pique your interest for the next book.

The pencils are handled by Carlos Pacheco with colors by Frank Martin. Pacheco is an absolute pro, and this issue looks very good. His pencils really bring these older characters back from the 70’s and into the present day. Not everyone can draw a man getting turned to dust by Hyperion, but Pacheco does it well. There is plenty of action in this first issue, and the pencils never lack. It’s safe to say at this point that Carlos Pacheco is a top talent in the industry. For as good as the art is, the colors are a huge reason for the success in this issue too. Frank Martin really compliments the pencils Carlos lays down. Martin makes Pacheco’s pencils pop and it enhances the reading experience.

As an introductory issue, this could absolutely alienate some fans due to the treatment of the Supreme Power team. Marc Guggenheim has never been afraid of taking chances and he takes a big one in this book. The art by Pacheco and Martin is very good and helps make this book a decent read. There are some interesting elements in place here, and Guggenheim is a good enough writer to give us a nice payoff.