Chrononauts #1

by Kalem Lalonde on March 18, 2015

Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Sean Murphy 

Love him or hate him, Mark Millar is a creator that attracts a lot of attention.  He’s also been on a hot-streak of late with Millarworld titles such Jupiter’s Legacy amd Starlight. So naturally, I was very excited to see him collaborate with one the best artist in the business (Sean Murphy) with Chrononauts. Chrononauts #1 is a complete set-up issue that is mixed in terms of quality. It’s spread with great moments and flat ones as well.

This is mostly because the first half of the issue is used to set-up the journey our main characters will be headed on throughout this series. But none of this is very compelling set-up. Millar shows the technology of a satellite that can view history and shows some families’ reaction to it, but it felt redundant. My main issue with this is that for 12 pages I felt as though I was reading through material I could have assumed or easily could have been exposition. There’s no character-building or any interesting plot-elements. And unfortunately, this issue felt flat until about halfway through.

Though, when it picked up, Millar showed us just how much potential this series has. It became a thrilling adventure within a few pages that showed a surprising amount of depth. Especially in his protagonists Corbin and Reilly.

Corbin is a forlorn man that has all the glory in the world but no one to share it with. Millar hinted at a powerful backstory for the character that will invest readers in his protagonist right away. It’s a compelling conflict that he’s going through and I’m excited to learn more about him.

I’m especially intrigued by how his relationship with his partner Reilly. Reilly is a freedom-loving man-child that goes through life without a care. And he’s great to read. The character is fun, funny and represents a strong dichotomy to his partner. It’s a great opportunity to build a relationship between two people who view life on completely different angle. One who watches a reckless young soul impulsively going through life as he feels remorse for all the bad decisions he’s made. Both characters are great in their own right but the way they already play off each other is a standout. I’m hoping Millar takes the time to explore this conflict because it is the most intriguing to me.  

There isn’t enough words in the English language to praise Sean Murphy adequately. His art is unique and beautiful. Equally adept at portraying the historical elements of this comic as he is at the emotion. I’m glad to see Murphy on this series because it will most likely allow him to stretch his muscles. Millar could literally go anywhere with this comic and I’m eager to see Murphy’s rendition of his imagination.

I did not love the first issue of Chrononauts but that isn’t to say I’m not extremely intrigued. It took Millar a little too long to take off but when he did, he demonstrated great depth in his protagonist and the opportunity for a century spanning epic. If the latter half of this issue is a teaser for what’s to come, then I’m completely on board with this series. And if not, at least we’ll have Sean Murphy’s georgous art to gape at.
 

Our Score:

7/10

A Look Inside