Marvel 1602

Marvel 1602 (2006) Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert, Richard Isanove

I’ve been wanting to read this for awhile, but not enough that I would actually by it for myself. So I instead bought it for Michael of his birthday, so we could both enjoy it. (And yes, I let him read it first.)

In Marvel 1602 Neil Gaiman took some of the most famous characters in the Marvel universe and transplanted them to the 17th century. We get to see Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four, Peter Parker, Daredevil, the X-Men, and others, including some characters I didn’t recognize (and am still not sure about).

I really enjoyed this story. Although I recognized many, the characters I found most interesting were the unfamiliar ones, especially Doctor Strange and Nick Fury. It took me a long time to decide how I felt about Doctor Strange–especially since I liked Nick Fury right off the bat, and those two were at odds from almost the start.

Because I was unfamiliar with many of the characters, I worried that I was missing some of the undertones of the story, however, other than wondering who the characters I didn’t know really were, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and didn’t feel like I was missing anything.

Additionally, the characters must come together to solve a problem that threatens not only the planet, but possibly the entire universe, although this is not necessarily apparent from the beginning.

As with most everything that Neil Gaiman has written, I especially loved the story telling, and how I had no idea where things were going, but was pleased when things ended up where they did. I love the complex characters–even in a setting where most characters played only a small part. It was also interesting to see a different portrayal of some of the characters with which I was somewhat familiar.

If you have even the slightest interest in graphic novels, even if you are not familiar with the Marvel universe, you should be able to enjoy Marvel 1602. If you are a huge fan of the marvel universe, I can’t tell you whether you’ll be happy or not with Neil Gaiman’s portrayal of these characters. But I quite liked it.
Rating: 8/10

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