Hard to believe, but we are 9 months  from the release of the Morbius Movie by Sony, starring Jared Leto.  The problem is that most of the four-quadrant movie demographics might only be familiar with vampires that twinkle, and not with Dr. Michael Morbius who was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #101 in 1971.

This first of Morbius issue is equal parts action equal parts exposition, as Morbius is portrayed as an ethically ambiguous super-powered being, who views his powers as a curse and would rather not have them. His quest to be free of his curse leads him to a villain hangout belonging to the Melder, in Greenpoint, NY in search of a component that he believes will help him.  Trust me on this, these panels are the pest Morbius panels I have seen in a while, such fluid yet horrific action, is really what this character has been needing.  The dramatic question going forward is will Morbius ever find everything he needs to be free of this curse, or will the mysterious character get to him first?  

Keeping in tradition with Morbius’ attempts to resolve the problem result in an ever worsening situation. Part of the reason Morbius seems unable to resolve their problems is because even though he is a PHD he does not yet have the skills to deal with the curse…but he is friend who is perhaps the only one who could help him, is dead as a result of a unresolved connection to the curse.   

The Positives:Vita Ayala, and the creative crew is being very clear about one thing… Vampires do not glitter. They don’t sparkle, shine, glisten, glimmer, shimmer, twinkle, or anything of the sort.  They do drool, leak, and splatter (and commit the occasional party foul though).

The Negatives: The final part of the issue doesn’t features a resolution of the story just leaves more questions, and the climax of the issue feels kinda lukewarm probably because we got to that point so soon.  Morbius’ exposition seems crammed in, and was not needed to complete the art panels that once again were absolutely fantastic.

Morbius #1 comes in 5 different covers : Cover A Regular Ryan Brown Cover, Morbius #1 Cover B Variant Juan Jose Ryp Connecting Cover, Morbius #1 Cover C Variant Kyle Hotz Cover, Morbius #1 Cover D Incentive Greg Land Variant Cover 1:25, Morbius #1 Cover E Incentive Inhyuk Lee Variant Cover 1:75 which of course is my favorite; but as much as I love Inhyuk Lee’s art this is not the I am going to be thrilled about spending money on.  Especially when I can get the 1st appearance (fair grade) for $130-200.

SCORE: 2.8/5

Writer: Vita Ayala
Penciler: Marcel Ferreria
Inker: Roberto Poggi
Colorist: Dono Sanchez-Almara
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

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What is your Paradise?  It might be the kind of thing that you book a day off for; sitting around reading comic books all day or playing video games non-stop, or watching your favourite show episode after episode after episode.  It might even be something a little out of the ordinary like “living” in  a place where the Miami Dolphins beat the Patriots every week!  For those who have actually used a vaccay day for reading, you  know that after a while it can get kind of dull.  This is the kind of situation that Chris Callahan’s main character, James find himself in this new book from Source Point Press.

Following a ship wreck, James finds himself in a heavenly Paradise.  Problem is, al a The Matrix, all this happiness is actually causing James quite a lot of misery.  Part of it is the insipid existence where everything he wants can be granted with one exception. The spirit of his wife has been “misplaced”.  What follows is a nicely served piece of observational discussion that far transcends the comic book media.  What is Paradise?  How does love fit into it? Why can’t people just be happy?  These questions lay the challenge for James as he sets out on his quest to find what he believes he really needs.

Chris Callahan, a television graphic designer who also won the Aspen Comics Talent Hunt, provides both writing and the art under the purview of art director Joshua Werner.  Looking at the writing first, Callahan openly challenges the preconception’s of Heaven.  Maybe not a new idea, but here Callahan focuses on the setup that James is in the good place.  There are obvious references in play that feed into this idea.  The story develops through the first issue, shoring up the key points and setting the quest elements into place.  At times, James seems a tad unappreciative of his lot in after-life, though he becomes sympathetic to the reader when his motives become clear.  After all, what would you do for love?

The art is menage of styles incorporating a number of different methods including photo collage, digital painting, 3D models, and traditional painting.  Under less creative hands, this could give the book a messy look, yet Callahan manages to bring out the best out of each medium whilst minimising their respective flaws.  There may be elements that seem disjointed, but remember we are talking about the theological realm of Paradise; there are not a lot of reference books to work from!  The colors are dark as is the tone of the book, though this in no way decreases the enjoyment.

The idea of the book seems quite simple, however, there may actually be more to it than you think.  Sure, James’ wife may not be where he is, but could it be that he himself has been misplaced?  Could it be that doing the same things over and over could actually be hell?  Only time will tell.  As it stands, Callahan has set himself an ambitious task, both in writing and art, where the reader’s perceptions are challenged almost as much at the lead characters.

Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars

Overall – 5 Stars

Written & Art by; Chris Callahan
Published by Source Point Press

The Misplaced Chapter 1 is in shops November 20th

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