Marneus Calgar (Marvel Comics)

[mc warhammer]

i can see that, though i'd say the "cartoony" style is much more indie than mainstream. more geof darrow than jim lee

 

i'm also with george miller on being over washed out "bleak" colours for dystopian futures

Edited August 8, 2020 by mc warhammer

[Knockagh]

Variant covers are a little crazy in the conic world you can waste a lot of money on them if you try. I stopped buying them a few years ago as they rarely saw day light. Last ones I bought were from the silver surfer black series which I got framed. Some comics get 7 or 8 variants. Some utterly stunning

[Sandlemad]

A small note but Kieron Gillen tweeted about issue 2 having a cover by the incredible and inimitable James Stokoe of Orc Stain, Godzilla: the Half Century War... a bunch of other stuff. For my money he's one of the best illustrators and colourists in the business, and his ultra-detailed and vibrantly coloured art works well here. Chap loves his space marines.

 

[Kelborn]

They're getting closer to the old art style.

 

Still not interested as long as it's about Marneus. Curious if we'll see some other character focused ones in the future.

[Knockagh]

Chaos fiends are always really badly done in comics. Like stupid big googley eyed monsters.

[b1soul]

I am hoping against hope that they don't make this bolter p0rn in comic form

[CosmicLibrarium]

They're getting closer to the old art style.

 

Still not interested as long as it's about Marneus. Curious if we'll see some other character focused ones in the future.

 

From the looks of it, it seems like this is only the first story in the Marvel/GW deal. 

 

 

 

It will also be but the first foray into the larger darkness that is coming from Games Workshop and Marvel Comics. Don’t miss the first issue when it comes crashing into comic shops and the Marvel Comics App this October!

 

Taken from the Marvel article announcing the title:

https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/marvel-and-games-workshop-announce-warhammer-40-000-marneus-calgar

 

I'd imagine if this run sells well it will open the doors for more stories/writers to take a crack at writing (which could either help or hurt depending on who is writing what).

[mc warhammer]

anyone read this yet?

 

positive review with some example pages:

https://www.polygon.com/comics/2020/10/14/21514494/marvels-warhammer-40000-comic-kieron-gillen

[cheywood]

anyone read this yet?

 

positive review with some example pages:

https://www.polygon.com/comics/2020/10/14/21514494/marvels-warhammer-40000-comic-kieron-gillen

I read it earlier today and for the most part I enjoyed it given its limitations. It’s trying to do the heavy lifting of introducing readers to a new setting while still appealing to existing fans, so Gillen seems to be keeping things very straightforward here.

 

Things I liked:

 

The pencils look quite nice. I’m not super picky about my artwork but I think Burrows does a good job replicating the look of the setting without making it feel like he’s tracing photos of miniatures left and right.

 

The plot line following Marneus’ childhood starts off with a mix of fun and danger that feels appropriate.

 

Gillen generally seems to have a good handle on the specifics of the setting.

 

Things I didn’t like:

 

The Ad Mech dialogue pretty cheesy, but it’s something I could get used to in time.

 

The color palette feels off, too bright and too pale at the same time if that makes sense. I’d like something that’s a little darker around the edges but more vivid when it comes to bright colors like the Ultramarines’ armour. (I’m obviously not an art critic)

 

Storyline seems very similar to all the other stories of chapter aspirants, but I think that’s going to be a theme for these first few series.

Edited October 15, 2020 by cheywood

[Roomsky]

Ah, comics, my jam.

 

This was a good first issue I thought, especially for the premise of a Marneus Calgar comic put out by Marvel.

 

Calgar's a good choice for a gateway protagonist. Reasonable and capable of kindness, but still obviously inhabiting a galaxy of horrors. The dialogue is quite good for the amount of exposition it had to drop for new readers, and despite being a bit generic, the story has potential. I've never felt one way or the other about Gillen's writing, but he's an industry veteran and it shows. If this is the classic Calgar saves the day story we need to get for more diverse series moving forward, I'd say it's well worth it.

 

The art is enjoyable, I appreciate it's more in line with European / British sensibilities than American ones. It won't be everyone's cup of tea but I thought it was a treat and is totally works for 40k. I agree that the colours are a bit cartoonish, but I don't think they're a bad fit for the material.

 

Mostly I'm just thankful Marvel hasn't sanitized everything. A few excellent panels of heretics exploding into giblets.

 

7/10, about as good as could reasonably be expected.

[Apothecary Vaddon]

Pretty good so far. The whole blade teacher thing is super fascinating to me - the failed aspirants/neophytes that almost made it being the ones to prepare prospective astartes, and maybe even form a part of the defense forces of Ultramar, is really cool to see.

 

Oh and the inserts that explain the state of the galaxy, what x planet is and in one/a few sentences what it's history is, etc are really quite good in terms of providing short, concise information to people new to the universe. 

Edited October 15, 2020 by Apothecary Vaddon

[ShadowSwordmaster]

I have a positive review of the comic too. It's a good start so far, but it does have some weird stuff that is already mention. The art is pretty good and there is a surprise in the comic that I liked. 

[N1SB]

oh crap it's out imma go grab it after work

[Volt]

Read it, solid meh. Completely by the numbers so far Space Marine schlock with nothing really of note. Feels like Kieron is really phoning it in similar to his Darth Vader series. Nothing really going on beyond MARINE and SMASH. The world building aspect also feels silly as the depiction of Ultramar being a hellscape with people only living to 40 on a good day coming off strange from the glut of prior novels, although that's not as big of a deal as the comic just having no hook.

[grailkeeper]

I enjoyed it a lot. The art work was very clean and crisp, and the story is very engaging. Kieron Gillen has a history with 40k going back to warhammer monthly and knows the setting. I recommend this very strongly and can't wait for the next issue. 

[mc warhammer]

isn't it average life expectancy is mid 30s? which isn't the same thing as people only making it to 40; it's better than that

[grailkeeper]

Average life expectancy in ancient Rome was 25. Doesnt mean people died in their mid twenties. Just that there was a very high rate of infant mortality. If you survived to adulthood you could expect a reasonably long life. Here the life expectancy is an average 10 years longer. Throw in that a lot of boys are being sent off to die in their early teens trying to become Ultramarines things aren't so bad (if still grim and dark).

[mc warhammer]

yep

[cheywood]

The book says ‘Working under the feudal system common across the Imperium, Agri-world Nova Thulium provides the vast majority of the food for the rest of the Macragge system. However, due to the demands of the endless mouths of the neighboring hive world Aridum, malnutrition is common. This proves be a secondary concern due to the endemic chem-lung suffered by the workers. A productive life beyond forty is unlikely. When the body fails, they can still serve the Emperor - as a natural supplement to the artificial fertilizers that killed them.’

 

It sounds like the lowly menial workers usually stop being productive around 40 and either die naturally soon after or are turned into fertilizer when they get sick. Presumably life expectancy for those in better positions on the planet is higher.

 

I agree this is arguably more representative of the Imperium at large than Ultramar. It matches well with Wraight’s depiction of Najan in Lords of Silence for instance. At the same time I’d much rather see an Ultramar that’s slightly more grim dark than expected over one that’s sanitized.

Edited October 15, 2020 by cheywood

[mc warhammer]

ah, i see. that is a bit different to "average life expectancy"

[grailkeeper]

I'll admit I missed that, only saw the first reference to the life expectancy. 

 

Still its good comic, even if you aren't a 40k fan.

[Apothecary Vaddon]

Read it, solid meh. Completely by the numbers so far Space Marine schlock with nothing really of note. Feels like Kieron is really phoning it in similar to his Darth Vader series. Nothing really going on beyond MARINE and SMASH. The world building aspect also feels silly as the depiction of Ultramar being a hellscape with people only living to 40 on a good day coming off strange from the glut of prior novels, although that's not as big of a deal as the comic just having no hook.

Hellscape? Lol what? The fertilizers are what kill the poor workers by 40 not some war torn hellish landscape on Nova Thulium... that's not really all that outlandish. Lots of chemicals used to keep the crops growing, whoever's working in the fields doesn't have proper protection, lots of people die.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Apothecary Vaddon

[Lucerne]

Issue 1 was a fairly solid introduction. Character writing was fine, and the interactions made them interesting. Hope the plot holds up later on. Nice that the writer isn't just handwaving away the consequences of the post-Rift setting for Ultramar.

 

The sheer salt elsewhere about the average life expectancy for Ultramar (even when implied to be HIGH by Imperial standards which makes sense when you take into account the likely absurd childhood and young adult death rates among the lower classes) and the implied- and often outright stated- apologia for Ultramarines running things as a military dictatorship has been equal parts hilarious and pathetic. I hope we see more of the blunt, unequivocal lore tidbits that the Imperium isn't all that great for its people by any objective real world metric.

 

Reminder that Ultramar is not, actually, a how-to guide- and neither is the Imperium.

[Scribe]

Anything to dash those 'but maybe its not so grimdark' dreams is a win in my books.

[b1soul]

Quite solid...but I kinda wish they would do a novelisation of this.

 

Someone who went through the SM trials and failed is a great background for a Doctore type character or a member of an Inquisitorial retinue.