All-New Marvel Now’s bi-weekly Original Sin series had a stealth debut in All-New X-Men #25. Original Sin #0 followed and retold The Watcher’s origin and also expanded his scope and power set.
Before we get to our spoilers, recap and capsule reviews of Original Sin #1 and #2 plus share the preview for this week’s Original Sin #3, let’s get you caught up on all the moving pieces of this All-New Marvel Now event:
- Original Sin, the 8 issue (9 if you include the #0 issue) core event book (no “s” at the end), that surrounds the mystery of who killed The Watcher, what he saw and what’s the deal with his eyes; the House of Ideas’ take
on a cosmic whodunit. - We get an interlude in Original Sin with, I believe, with more branding-over-story controversy a.k.a. numerhoaxology from Marvel as Hulk vs. Iron Man gets the Original Sin #3.1 to #3.4 treatment. Did Tony Stark lead to the creation of the Hulk?
- Continuing in that vein, we also have Original Sin #5.1 to 5.5 mini-series called Thor & Loki: The 10th Realm involving the revelation that former Spawn stalwart Angela is the sister of Thor and Loki!
- We’ll get Original Sin tie-ins in some regular ongoing series where we learn of some “sins” of Marvel Now’s heroes and villains. Like with All-New Invaders #6 and many others.
- The Original Sins (with an “s” at the end) is a companion anthology 5 issue mini-series to spotlight Young Avengers in particular, but also showcase done-in-one tales from across the Marvel Universe revealing more sins, but this time for characters who don’t headline their own ongoing series.
Ok, onto the a three-fer of Original Sin!
Spoilers follow. You have been warned!
Original Sin #1 Spoilers & Review
The free preview of Original Sin #1 revealed its TEN covers. There was also a dramatis personae to open the issue so all readers, whether long-time Marvel Zombies or not, could be in on the ground floor of Original Sin.
The book opens with The Watcher on his moon base. He has awareness of the future and knows he is about to die. And still continues his path into his killer’s prescence.
The Avengers learn of the murder because Thor happened open blood that was floating in space and found the Watcher’s body. As a result:
- Captain America asked retired secret Nick Fury Sr. to lead the murder investigation into the Watcher’s death.
- The Avengers find out that the Watcher’s armory has been ransacked. So, in addition to being murdered, someone has also stolen some of the most dangerous weapons in existence from the Watcher too.
- Nick Fury Sr. quickly surmises this is an experienced killer and finds green glowing fragments from the supposed bullet that killed the Watcher.
Despite the several iterations of the Watcher’s corpse that Marvel released in advance of the book, I never noticed that beyond missing his eyes he also has a big hole in his head.
At the same time, a mysterious benefactor who also happens to have a green glowing fragment of his own, covertly recruits the Black Panther to lead a team including Ant Man and Emma Frost to head the center of the Earth as part of a parallel investigation.
That same benefactor has also seemingly pulled Dr. Strange and the Punisher into another investigation on the astral plane.
I have no idea what the glowing green metal is that seemingly can be made into bullets and other trinkets. Do you have any ideas on that?
A fourth investigation is also underway in space seemingly unrelated to this mysterious benefactors investigation and Nick Fury Sr.’s. That team includes The Winter Soldier, Gamora and Moon Knight. What a motley crew.
By issue’s end we learn that someone has at least one of the two eyes of the Watcher. We also in the issue see a “Mindless One” that is no so mindless anymore attack Nick Fury Sr. and the Avengers. Hmmm.
This a gorgeously drawn issue, but the story was too convoluted and too layered with so many different groups of heroes on investigations in all part of the Marvel Universe. That seems to mean that threat behind the Watcher’s murder is someone or something that is a threat to the existence of All-New Marvel Now writ large.
The book was also extra-sized and at a $4.99 price point. It seemingly needed all the extra space to set up all the different layers and pairings of this eight issue bi-weekly adventure. Hopefully Original Sin issue #2 will be a less frenetic and deliver on the whodunit suspense feel for this mini-series readers were promised. And, we have issue #2 spoilers and a capsule review below.
Original Sin #2 Spoilers & Review
Original Sin #2 “only” had four covers. These covers, the dramatis personae and a recap page were released as part of Marvel’s free preview for the issue.
In the issue, at the center of the Earth Black Panther, Ant-Man and Emma Frost find a graveyard of giant monsters. They seem to have died at various times with their bodies dumped there. Ant-Man goes into one of the corpses and finds… glowing green fragments.
At the same time, Doctor Strange and the Punisher find the corpse of a giant monster and an in tact… glowing green bullet.
We also see a hooded figure and what appears to be a character that looks the Fantastic Four’s Thing in pretty rough shape with the Watcher’s eye. It seems they are creeped out by the eye that seems to have seen everything and everyone at everytime in existence.
The Avengers on Earth, top-side, and the X-Men track down these two and confront them directly. We learn that as a result, the thief – but not killer – of the Watcher is The Orb! And, due to the appearance of Exterminatix earlier in the issue, we know that the injured Thing-looking character is Dr. Midas. Ok, two names I didn’t know about until after this issue and some work with Dr. Google.
Wow. This Orb character has weaponized one of the Watcher’s eyes. Yes, you read that right. While I am intrigued by what’s up with the Watcher’s other eye, what was taken from his head and who the actual killer, I really can’t take a villain with an eye for a head seriously. Sorry, but I can’t.
Plus, why does this character need to wear a hood around his partners since they knew who he was?
Ok, while I found Original Sin a bit, odd, another reviewer here at Comics Nexus Mike Maillaro really enjoyed it. His review is here.
If you aren’t sure who The Orb and Dr. Midas are, I did some research for you.
The first iteration of The Orb was a character with a mask.
But in recent years a new version emerged who actual has a mystical giant eyeball for a head. That’s the version we have in Original Sin.
Dr. Midas on the other hand was a character who after years of exposure to cosmic radiation could turn anything he wanted to into gold. He created gold armor that resembles Iron Man armor. As part of the 2000 Marvel Boy series, he uses a cosmic alien device of Marvel Boy’s to be bathed in cosmic radiation that granted him all of the powers of the Fantastic Four. So, he’s basically the human equivalent of the Super-Skrull.
Overall, Original Sin #2 wasn’t as convoluted as the first issue. We didn’t see the cosmic investigation team of Winter Soldier, Gamora and Moon Knight, but we did get some advancement of the glowing green weapon investigations. I’m not sold on the villain choices here. You have a giant eyeball guy and essentially one-person Fantastic Four / Iron Man amalgam doppelgänger (say THAT ten times fast out load). Hardly “original” archetypes in the latter case and the former, a giant eye is to cartoony for a supposedly serious suspense that Original Sin was billed as.
The art is still solid, but I can understand why some are not too pleased with Original Sin so far. It has some pluses for sure, but some pretty big minuses too.
Issue #3 hits this week. The preview for Original Sin #3 follows.
Original Sin #3 Spoilers & Preview
Marvel EIC Axel Alonso is promising an “Oh Sh*t” moment in Original Sin #3. I sure hope that is delivered.
The solicitation blurb for Original Sin #3 reads:
- In the wake of last issue’s explosion of secrets, the heroes of the Marvel U are reeling, leaving Nick Fury to stand alone.
- He Who Holds the Eye is still on the run, and now we meet his boss, the villainous mastermind behind the raid on the Watcher’s lair.
- And in deep space, the Winter Soldier leads a team that uncovers the most bizarre murder of all.
And, here’s the free All-New Marvel Now preview pages with spoilers on how The Orb came to be aligned with Dr. Midas and his daughter Exterminatrix.
Ok, Marvel, we’re close to the half-way point with Original Sin. Time for things to start to pick-up.
Thanks for reading. All feedback welcome.
