Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Khary Randolph
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Colors: Kanila Tripp and Sotocolor’s J. Raunch
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Plot:
In a not too distant future Marvel Universe the old guard of superheroes has vanished, replaced by an authoritarian government which maintains its stranglehold through the judicious use of Sentinels. For Chad Channing however, it is a world that must be changed at all costs. Struggling to balance his personal life with homework and family problems, Chad is also a mutant; his powers kept in check by government sanctioned suppressants. Until one day Chad stumbles upon one of the legendary superheroes of old, and finds himself thrust into the role of a spandex clad crusader.
Comments:
Ahhh the 90s, that whacky, crazy decade that gave birth to such cultural abominations as: Vanilla Ice, the Olsen Twins, and of course, Marvel’s ill-fated 2099 line-up. For those who don’t remember, 2099 featured a variety of “reinvented” Marvel superheroes struggling to survive in the not so distant future. Fortunately, after a relatively short period of time the many 2099 series tanked, forever forgotten and swept under the carpet of comic book obscurity.
Until now…
For some strange and unfathomable reason, the corporate big wigs at Marvel decided to resurrect the 2099 name, this time as 5 one-shot comics. And there’s more. Apparently this is being done to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Marvel Knights imprint (even though technically this is year 6). Just why Marvel would possibly associate the redundant 2099 comics with Marvel Knights remains a mystery. But who are we to question the all knowing and all seeing powers that be?
In fact the entire concept could be easily ignored as a blatant marketing gimmick, if not for one small detail: the books are penned by none other than Robert Kirkman.
This seems to be a fairly common trend with Marvel these days; hiring prolific writers to carry forward some fairly transparent and clichéd concepts. But there’s no denying that Kirkman is indeed a major talent. His take on adolescent superheroes with Invincible is absolutely stunning, as is his thoughtful and ground breaking zombie opus The Walking Dead.
Sadly however, the one shot creation that is Mutant 2099 lacks any of the depth, substance and ingenuity of Kirkman’s previous work.
The story opens with teenager Chad Channing struggling to survive in a future where superheroes are forgotten and an autocratic world government maintains power through the use of Sentinels. If this weren’t clichéd enough, Chad is also a mutant; his powers kept in check through the administration of government sanctioned suppressants. But despite being a mutant outcast in an apparently dystopian future, Chad’s life really isn’t that bad. He has a steady girlfriend, a loving family, and lives in an upper-class neighborhood that looks suspiciously unchanged in the last century. Of course if this concept weren’t redundant enough, Chad stumbles upon the disembodied brain of former superhero Reed Richards, and finds himself as a young protégé struggling to piece together his own identity as a superhero.
The entire issue is really an exercise in rehashing a variety of tired and clichéd concepts. There is the adolescent superhero, the future authoritarian world government, and the clichéd use of the Sentinels. The entire plot is predictable, boring, and meandering, with little of value, even as brainless entertainment. Khary Randolph’s art work is quite decent and displays a very appealing kinetic energy, but does nothing to enhance the formulaic script.
But it’s difficult to blame Robert Kirkman for the utter failure of Mutant 2099. After all, the very concept of a one shot Marvel Knights 2099 series was doomed from the very beginning, a classic case of comic book marketing gone awry. Hopefully, in the near future Marvel will focus more on producing comics with quality writing and art, and less time rehashing lame concepts. After all, some things are better off left buried. Here’s hoping that 2099 will once again rest in peace.
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