Multiple Man #1 NM Stroman 1:50 Variant Cover Marvel X-Men X-Factor 1st print

Description

Multiple Man #1C
Published Aug 2018 by Marvel
Limited 1 for 50 Retailer Incentive Variant Cover
Writer Matthew Rosenberg
Art Andy MacDonald
Cover Larry Stroman

MATTHEW ROSENBERG & ANDY MACDONALD BRING MULTIPLE MAN BACK FROM THE DEAD…SORT OF…MAYBE?

A handful of people’s favorite X-Man – Jamie Madrox – was alive for a while. Then he was dead. Now he’s not. But he will be again if he doesn’t kill himself trying to make sure he doesn’t die. It makes sense when you read it. Trust us. In his fight to not die, Jamie has stumbled across a threat even greater than his own death, but fixing it might make it worse. Can he save the world from himself? On top of all that, the X-Men are mad at him now, and a mysterious new group of foes is after him, too. We can’t tell you who they are, but they’re pretty great. 28 pages, full color.

Rosenberg taps into the disparate personality aspect of Madrox’s power, beautifully utilized during the height of Peter David’s X-Factor run, and throws in the added wrinkle of time travel to help explain away Multiple Man’s resurrection. At this point we’re all a little jaded by the forced gravitas surrounding back-from-the-dead stories. Hell, we’re even tired of time travel being used to facilitate super-returns. But with this character, particularly given Rosenberg’s knack for witty dialogue and sense of character development, we could care less. The wilder the better, and the more improbable, the more entertaining.

Back in my younger days, Jamie Madrox – AKA Multiple Man – was one of my absolute favourite X-Men, and the character’s blend of humour and tragedy was the pretty much the hook that dragged me down the X-Men/X-Factor rabbit hole in the first place. So when I heard that prolific writer Matthew Rosenberg was bringing ol’ Jamie back from the dead for a brand new solo series, I knew I simply had to pick it up.

Now, it’s perhaps fitting that the first issue of this requires multiple readings in order to figure out exactly what the heck is going on. Rosenberg certainly isn’t short of idea, but with time-travelling dupes, a chunky cast of familiar faces and some absolutely batshit crazy enemies showing up in the final pages, there’s definitely a lot to digest here.

The deadpan humour – a Marvel Comics staple since the success of the Fraction/Aja Hawkeye and Waid/Samnee Daredevil runs – definitely raises a few smiles throughout, although it also makes it a little difficult to get any real feeling of threat from what we’re seeing unfold. Pretty much everyone’s response to everything seems to be a sarcastic, weary indifference, which detracts a little from a story that should probably feel like a bigger deal.

Andy MacDonald does a solid job with the artwork, clearly having fun with the wide range of characters on display, and cutting loose in emphatic fashion in the final pages as the aforementioned craziness unfolds. There’s nothing particularly ambitious in terms of layouts or structure, but everything flows smoothly throughout and he nails the key beats of the story with requisite flair.

As I mentioned, some of the happenings here are a tad confusing, and while a mystery is always a cracking way to start a new series, the cliff-hanger here sees things perhaps getting a little too weird for my taste. That said, I’m definitely still planning on picking up issue two in order to see what the hell’s happening, so in that respect, the creators have certainly done their job. Tamra Bonvillain also delivers some typically high quality colours, with some depth and vibrancy throughout.

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Bagged and boarded, near mint condition. 1st printing. More pictures may be in description.