Review: Marvel’s Original Sin

“The Wages of Sin is Death”

– Romans 6:23

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Marvel has begun their latest event, “Original Sin,” and in my opinion it is off to a great start. Often these major comic events feature destruction on such a grand scale that it all seems meaningless. You know that the Marvel Universe will continue in some way, so the bigger the destruction, the less it matters. Jason Aaron and Mike Deadato begin with a premise that is easy to comprehend, a single murder. Unlike other recent evemts, the starting point is simple, but the ramifications make the story event worthy. It might just be a murder, but it’s a murder of The Watcher and that is bound to have major ramifications.

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Despite this being a major comic event, there were still the smaller character moments that are often lacking from these stories. We get to see Black Widow, Captain America, Wolverine, and Nick Fury discuss the best steak they ever had. We get team-ups that pair characters that we may not expect to see. And we get characters shocked by this unimaginable crime, knowing that the ramifications may not be possible to comprehend.

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As is expected during an event, the cast is quite large. Besides The Watcher, the cast encompasses Wolverine, Black Widow, Captain America, Nick Fury, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Emma Frost, Dr. Strange, Punisher, Winter Solider, Moon Knight, Gamora, The Thing, Spider-Man, and Mindless One. Luckily, the story so far focuses on the characters personality and not their elaborate back stories. All in all, this is a much easier event for new fans to jump into than Infinity was.

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For those that are Marvel novices that are interested in picking up the book, here is some background. The Watcher is named Uatu. He is one of a race of Watchers who pledge not to interfere. That being said, Uatu violates that pledge several times to protect his favorite planet, Earth. Through his actions he has come under scrutiny by his own people but has created friendships on earth such as with the Fantastic Four and Nova. For more on the Watcher check out Mark Waid’s Original Sin #0 which reveals more of Uatu’s backstory.

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Another item that comes into play is the Ultimate Nulifier weapon. It is described as the universe’s most devastating weapon. As such, the Ultimate Nullifier has the ability to completely eliminate any target the wielder chooses, along with the user if his or her mind is not focused enough. In the hands of a being with an extremely powerful mind the Ultimate Nullifier can destroy (or in conjunction recreate) entire time-lines from beginning to end. Uatu once helped the Fantastic Four prevent Galactus from consuming the earth. The Watcher helped the Human Torch steal the Ultimate Nulifier from Galactus’s base. When Reed Richards threatens to use it, Galactus withdraws showing the power of the weapon even if it is never used.

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That’s what you need to know to get caught up! While the book has a very different feel than those that are familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it does appear to be a good jumping on point. It trades scope for mystery, and as far as I am concerned… that is a refreshing change.

Orginal Sin #1 is available now.