Comics on a Cosmic Scale

It's funny that writer Brian Michael Bendis first became known for his smaller, character driven crime pieces, because recently, he has been writing some of the most epic, cosmic storylines this side of Jim Starlin.

The Illuminati, a five issue limited series penned by Bendis, is the best example of this concept. As of this writing, 3 issues have come out, and each book has topped the previous one in it's ability to blow my tiny mind. The basic gist of The Illuminati is that a small team of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel canon, The Sub-Mariner, Iron Man, Professor Xavier, Black Bolt, Mr. Fantastic and Doctor Strange, gather at times of great crisis to handle threats too big to be taken care of by conventional means. So far, we've seen them act on past events, usually cleaning up the messes left after the threat has already passed. In the first issue, they ensured that Earth would be spared any more harm in the wake of the Kree/Skrull war. In issue two, they decided the fate of the Infinity Gauntlet. The most recent issue (and best issue so far) deals with The Beyonder. Now, part of the enjoyment from these stories comes from simply revisiting these classic Marvel moments, but the spin that Bendis puts on these stories make them feel new and fresh. (At this point, I should probably mention co-writer Brian Reed, with spectacular art by Jim Cheung...they have a lot to do with the success of this book, I imagine.)

While the collection of heroes at first seemed a little odd (these are the most powerful? What about Thor? Why isn't Captain America included?), the personalities clash and blend in such wonderful ways. Add to that the fact that each issue puts these characters in the most dangerous situations imaginable (both the Infinity Gauntlet and The Beyonder have the power to wipe people from existence by simply wanting it) and you get some tense, sometimes dark books. However, it is Bendis, so you can be assured of some genuinely funny moments in the course of the stories.

The only warning I can think of in terms of this book is that if you aren't steeped in Marvel culture and history, you may not fully appreciate them. While I enjoyed the issue dealing with the Kree-Skull war, I had never read those issues of the Avengers, and it has been my least favorite of the series. I can imagine similar reactions to non-comic readers towards the stories about the Beyonder and the Infinity Gauntlet. Without knowing the history of these storylines, the danger (and, admittedly, nostalgia) would be mostly lost.

That having been said, I simply can't say enough about this title so far, and I recommend it to anyone who loves Marvel comics. Do yourself a favor, and pick them up!