Writer: Tom Taylor
Art: Iban Coello
Colors: Brian Reber
Letters: VC’s Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $4.99
Release Date: 9/1/2021
Reviewer: Soycornholio
The Dark Age:
I have been waiting to read this comic since I initially heard about it on Free Comic Book Day. Initially, I thought this was going to take place in the literal “Dark Ages” of history (silly me, I forgot all about Marvel 1602). Boy was I wrong. While reading Dark Ages #1 by Tom Taylor, I felt as if I could read the story without having any expectations. Zero expectations. As we have seen from the promo art etc., we have the main food chain of Marvel Heroes (the X-Men, The Avengers, The FF, and The Spider-Fam) united to fight a big bad. We all know the bulk of these heroes’ background stories and who they are, so it felt comfortable seeing characters like the FF and the X-Men in this story. Let’s look at some highlights for me!
*Spoiler Free*
PB & J:
Taylor and Reber is the perfect duo to craft a story like this. To take classic characters and adding your style to it, is one thing. BUT, to take these same legendary characters and create a story that has NOT been done before and still make them look epic is legendary tier. I would love to see more team-ups between Taylor and Reber moving forward!
Characters:
I love it when Marvel plays with all the toys within their toy box. Numerous heroes made appearances within this issue. When comic books move outside of their general parameters and interact with other in-universe characters, it makes the issue feel more natural. This is the feeling I got when I was reading Tom Taylor’s Dark Ages #1. Everything from the premise to the way our characters were reacting upon the new danger felt appropriately correct.
Final Thoughts:
Dark Ages #1 by Tom Taylor is a solid opening to what is sure to become a classic in Marvel reading. I have not read a Tom Taylor book since X-Men: Red, but he is honestly a solid writer. The overall pacing of this issue was excellent. There was zero tap dancing and explaining who the characters are etc. If you are a fan of ANY of the Marvel characters, pick up this issue. I was politely surprised with the story in general and you will not be disappointed!