Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
1872 #3 of 4
Marvel Comics
Duggan, Virella & Loughridge
"1872" reaches its penultimate issue with more Marvel characters entering the fray while the plots move toward their conclusion. The comic is a good read but has a couple of areas that count against it in the execution. The mini-series will be worth a look as it appears Red Wolf will have a place in the new Marvel universe once the Secret Wars event wraps up. I recommend giving this a chance.
Red Wolf and Natasha deal with the fallout of the death of Rogers by hatching a plan to take out Fisk and destroy the dam. Banner eventually shows up to offer some assistance in the form of a bomb. The issue then launches both plots forward with deadly results.
The comic is a good one because it has a nice pace and definitely has a good flow of events. The action is good and provides a good amount of drama and a nice cliffhanger to head into the finale.
There are a few downsides to this book. The comic's opening with Ben and his newspaper feels so out of place. For one thing, it is not revisited again. Additionally, his wife informs him about the paper not including the story that Ben meant to tell. Without even looking at the paper Ben announces that this isn't what he wrote. Not sure how he knows that without even a glance from him sitting on his horse carriage with his back to his wife holding the newspaper up a good fifteen feet away on the ground.
The sequence where Red Wolf is on the run from Fisk's goons has a strange turn of events. Wolf sets a man's head on fire. While running from the bullets he somehow is captured by this man and is dragged out by his hair. The guy is no longer on fire and shows no signs of having his face burned. How did he get the upper hand on Red Wolf and get him on the ground?
Finally, there is a woman's movement through the town that appears to have no significance other than to introduce another Marvel character into this continuity. I'm not sure why this added to the comic and I'm not sure why Fisk would tolerate this on any level. This sequence doesn't add up with either how Fisk runs the town or coming on the heels of the murder of the sheriff.
The visuals are very good. The comic has grit to it, which is a welcome sight based on the story being told. There are a couple of heavy images here, which you may not find in your usual Marvel comic. Overall, the comic book looks very good and tells a good visual story.
"1872" continues to tell a fast-paced story where the battle for an old west town is coming to its bloody conclusion. The comic has a lot of action and a couple of good plots going at the same time as the mini-series heads into its final issue. This issue has a couple of strange insertions and leaves some odd holes in the narrative flow and the action. Overall, this series a good read and might become a must-read as one of the lead characters, Red Wolf, will be sticking around in the new Marvel Universe. I recommend giving this a look.
3.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
