Written by: Gerry Duggan
Art by: Nik Virella and Lee Loughridgecr
Publisher: Marvel
As “Secret Wars” progresses, more and more unique series start to come out. “1872”, an old school Western, is up there with “Where Monsters Dwell” in the “Different for Marvel” category and it’s something I’d like to see come out of the publisher more often since this book felt a refreshing for the publisher (but only because it came from Marvel).
We begin with multiple characters establishing their place in the town of Timely, including a mysterious Native American (Red Wolf), a drunk inventor that seems to have been through a rough time (Tony Stark) and the town sheriff whom takes no crap from anyone (Steve Rogers), especially the corrupt mayor (Wilson Fisk). These are your typical Marvel characters dressed in classic western visuals and archetypes. As you can tell by the description of the core characters, the tropes are all there, including lynch mobs, racial slurs and an evil mining company.
It isn’t the overall plot or the predictable characters that makes this book good though; it’s the overall sense of fun on this alternate take on the Marvel U. that makes this tie-in stand out from the rest (besides the visuals). Whether it’s Starks classic sleeve device that pops out a flask instead of a gun or Rogers’ straight-forward no-nonsense attitude, every character is entertaining. While the full extent of the plot is still unclear, everything so far is cookie cutter western stuff, although I’m expecting later issues to continue to be entertaining due to the badass last page.
You can come for the sense of fun the book brings, but you should definitely stay for the visuals. Loughridge’s appropriate brown color palette accentuates Virella’s detailed characters, environments and facial expressions. It all feels appropriate and what you expect, but it stands out due to how luscious the inks are and how much Virella has crammed into every page. It’s rare to see the background of the panel be completely blank, something that is impressive by any artists standards.
While it may strike as predictable, it’s hard to not be entertained by “1872”. The art is gorgeous and services the story extremely well, with comedic facial expressions and lush environments. While I do recommend the book, it’s not mandatory reading. If you’re looking for something tied directly into “Secret Wars”, look somewhere else for now since the book never mentions anything directly related to the ongoing event. That the book stands alone is a positive for those who want something different that doesn’t constantly mention “The Shield” or (Praise Be) Doom.
