The first arc of Ivar, Timewalker draws to a close with the release of issue #4 this week. Here are our first impressions!
Amy’s take
Neela’s attempts to change her history take center stage in the final book of this arc. Van Lente keeps the tone light even in the face of tragedy, and in the process makes Neela more understandable and likeable. We’re given an idea of why future Neela seeks out her younger self but have yet to discover Ivar’s true motivations. The book closes in a manner that echoes the ending of issue #1, leaving us in anticipation for the reveal of the next arc. I can’t wait – the reveal may turn out to be the “mother” lode.
Martin’s take
I am really enjoying what Fred Van Lente is doing in Ivar, Timewalker and particularly enjoying this issue which interestingly enough, contains almost no Ivar! Let me say that I do love Ivar as a character, but the exploration of Neela’s past and her attempt to save her father in this issue does a wonderful job at not just exploring her personality (or should I say multiple personalities? You’ll see what I mean when you read this) but also at cementing the time travel concepts that have been thrown around since the first issue in a new, different, and very human way. It is that human element which makes this one of my favorite issues of the series so far, and with the setup at the end of the book, has me really excited for what will happen in the next arc as Ivar is reunited with his brothers.
Originally from ValiantCentral.com
I love Ivar. Both the character with the little we know about him and the book. I know the Doctor Who comparisons are constant and fans bring it up regularly but in this case I come to a negative about Doctor Who that Ivar will apparently suffer as well and thats a focus on companions over main character. Companions don’t last, not sure how this book will deal with it, but in general a time traveling immortal can only stay with a person for so long before they get old or die or go away. Now I do agree this issue was great in how it furthered the rules of time and Neelas backstory and Neela is extremely important with the Oblivi-1 situation but the book is called Ivar in the end and they haven’t done enough for new readers to actually like the main character over his companion. Valiant only puts out 1 Ivar book a month. So not liking a character within the first few issues will turn a lot of readers away even if its written and drawn beautifully. We are about to finish the first arc and weve gotten 0 exploration of Ivar as a character. I hope the next arc proves to do this better.
I’m sure with as little as we know about Ivar already we should expect to learn more about him, but how many Doctor Who episodes really focus on the doctor?
This is what Im talking about. The revamped Doctor Who from 2005 did a lot of emotional exploration without giving historical facts about him and on and off over the seasons the best episodes of Doctor Who have been about the Doctor and how he reacts to situations based on his many past lives and about when his past comes to haunt him. The Donna Noble series became a cluster when it became about her being a pseudo doctor clone or when matt smith became second fiddle to clara until his death became imminent. Its just something to take note of going into the next Ivar arc. I want more Ivar.