Written by Neil Gaiman Art by Andy Kubert and Richard Isanov
Published by Marvel Comics (HC), Panini Books (SC)
In 1602, Neil Gaiman’s latest foray into the comic book medium, a mysterious object from the future has caused the Marvel Universe to occur four hundred years early! In the final days of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Nicolas Fury and his page, Peter Parquah, are engaged to protect the treasure of the templars, even as plots converge to kidnap colonist Virginia Dare and assassinate the queen herself! Court magician Stephen Strange may yet save the kingdom, but it will take an alliance with Carlos Javier’s Witchbreed and the aid of long-lost heroes of song…
The amazing thing about 1602 isn’t so much that all of the characters speak in Shakespearean dialogue (they should; they’re contemporaries), but that they’re also as witty as the Bard’s rakes and clowns. It’s nice to think there was a time when everyone had a sharp tongue and could engage in bawdy humor that the groundlings would grasp but would also make the elite smile. Daredevil as an Irish bard is the highlight of this series, singing the Song of the Fantastick before sneaking off to perform espionage for the Crown, all with a wry smirk on his face and a barb for his listeners.
Andy Kubert’s art is surprisingly fitting, giving a warm candle-lit glow to each panel and with a bit of an “illuminated manuscript” feel to it. Most of the characters are easily-recognized versions of their modern counterparts, but again the design for Daredevil necessarily diverges, and the blind poet’s design is inspired.
As a work of historical fiction, 1602 is magic. Substitutions and amalgamations between Marvel’s cast and real-life corollaries allows characterization of personages such as Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth and King James VI and I consistent with how they may have behaved in the presence of winged mutants. Setting Magneto in the role of Grand Inquisitor also provides an interesting commentary on seventeenth-century Catholicism.
The hardcover collection of 1602 1-8 features a cover gallery and the script to issue 1 (the SC is substantially cheaper but excludes the script), but the feature that would be most useful is omitted: annotations. Several web authors have compiled notes on the original series, and I’m sure they would be happy to earn a royalty for their work. Otherwise, Mr. Gaiman himself could offer his own thoughts and research for public consumption. Still, doing one’s own research in the events may be entertaining and educational.
Even for those who might have purchased the story in single-issue form, the collected edition of 1602 is a handsome edition to any bookshelf. For those who missed this miniseries the first time around, this version is not to be missed. Neil Gaiman’s return to comics will prove a compelling read to fans of historical fiction, the Marvel pantheon, and anyone who likes reading clever dialogue out loud. Excellent, excellent book.
