As normal as any other family.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom King
Art: Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
What They Say:
The Vision wants to be human, and what’s more human than family? He goes to the laboratory where he was created, where Ultron molded him into a weapon, where he first rebelled against his given destiny, where he first imagined that he could be more, that he could be good, that he could be a man, a normal, ordinary man. And he builds them. A wife, Virginia. Two teenage twins, Viv and Vin. They look like him. They have his powers. They share his grandest ambition or perhaps obsession: the unrelenting need to be ordinary. Behold The Visions! They’re the family next door, and they have the power to kill us all. What could possibly go wrong?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I hadn’t originally intended to pick up the Vision series as I’m trying to keep my book count down, but I grabbed a copy from the shelf when I was a Tom King signing this past weekend and I was curious enough about the book to give it a while. I’ve long enjoyed the character of Vision since I first read about him in the 200-era range of the original Avengers book back in the 80’s, but I know the character has been through all sorts of changes and reinventions over the years. With the character getting his run in the movies this year, it’s no surprise to try and see if there’s a way to tap into that some. And the book couldn’t do better than bringing in Tom King to write it and pairing him with Gabriel Hernandez Walta, who gives it distinctive yet familiar look as we move to the ‘burbs.
The book works the recent events wherein Vision has created himself a family and has found himself working as a liaison for the President for the Avengers. Living in a small suburb in Virginia alongside many others who work in the capitol, we’re presented a very normal vision of life and how Vision is doing his best to ensure his family fits in while they each have their own particular quirks. It’s an interesting character study from that perspective because it’s done from Vision’s point of view and careful critique/analysis of how everyone is adjusting to it while also being self-critical about what changes he’s going through and his own concerns, such as the fact that he hopes he gets hired for a full position since the Avengers aren’t paying anymore and he really does need some income.
The opening issue is all about the stage setting here and we only get some real tension/action towards the end that’s like the burst of reality crashing in on the dream in a brutal way, which is going to be interesting to see. What this book reminds me of as it progresses is something very reminiscent of some of my favorite Miracleman books in how it explores the nature of beings like Vision and his self-created family. It’s introspective, curious and subversive as it delves into each of the characters and their own quirks. When the son is asked at school if he’s normal, that sets off a question that will need to be answered and self-analyzed; but is that something that these characters can do? Each of them are adjusting to trying to be normal – even Vision – and they’re each coming at it with a different view of what’s normal. With its heavy on the narration aspect, it really lets us get into it and draw on these ideas in a roundabout way until it hits the salient points full force.
In Summary:
Though I’m wary of picking up much from Marvel at the moment, I’m definitely glad I took a chance on Vision. This opening issue has a really neat surreal kind of element about it and some great puncturing of the self created reality as it progresses. King’s script is solid as he works to humanize the characters but also keeping them very different and their own thing. The interactions with people in the neighborhood are certainly interesting and I’m still trying to process how the book ended. Walta is the perfect companion for this book in the art department as he gives us a familiar series of layouts overall, but it’s the character artwork that sells it. It keeps the otherworldly nature of the family perfectly done as they try to work through human elements and the way it really doesn’t make sense to them in many ways. It’s an intriguing book that really leaves me wanting more to devour.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: November 4th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
