The Vision #8

Written by: Tom King

Art by: Gabriel Hernandez Walta

Coloured by: Jordie Bellaire

Lettered by: Clayton Cowles

Beteen The Vision, Omega Men and the Green Lantern Darkseid Wars one-off, Tom King is quickly becoming one of my favourite modern comic book writers. I was drawn to The Vision due to the cover of the first issue, the Vision family standing together, phasing through the front door and waving, the Vision himself taking the place of the father in a very 50's style family dynamic. Upon reading the first issue, I was sadly disappointed, the issue just didn't quite catch me as I had hoped it would, and I began to think about dropping the book altogether. Then it happened. The Visions wife killed the Grim Reaper, covering it up to protect her family, and the entire dynamic of a robotic family struggling to be normal changes. What follows is an amazing ride that questions what it is to be real, and what you would do to protect those you love.

This issue starts the second major arc, with a surprise guest appearance of Victor Mancha, Vision's brother and a previous member of my favourite hero group, the Runaways. The issue essentially follows Victor as he interacts with the different members of the family and presents a very different perspective than we have seen in the series thus far. Victor is not so much a robot that wants to act human, so much as a human who turns out to be a robot. He essentially represents everything that the Vision wishes for his family, and he attempts to help the different members of the family better understand what it means to be a human while still being synthetic.

The artwork remains good, with an almost painting like quality to it which simply adds to the slightly disturbing nature of the series. The stylized look may not appeal to everyone, but it gives the series a unique identity and presents an idea that the book should be analyzed as would a dine painting to see the hidden depths behind the surface, fitting very nicely with the theme of the series itself.

The Vision has consistently been a joy to read, and that is in no small part due to Tom King's writing, which flows very naturally and always presents a sense of impending dread. Frequently in the series he will tell you the final fate of a character well before hand, but the enjoyment of the series comes from how these characters will reach this inevitable end, not simply what this end is. This series asks its readers to look deeper into the ongoing story, and leaves them consistently excited for the next instalment. I would easily recommend this series to not just fans of comics, but fans of literature in general, I promise you will not be disappointed.