Editor's Note: Marvels: Eye of the Camera #4 arrives in stores tomorrow, February 25.

"Chapter 4: Deep Wounds"

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #4 continues to successfully explore the ideas that were introduced in issue #3: that the heroes of the Marvel Universe of the 1970s and '80s were becoming more morally complex and less trustworthy, and that the progress of Phil Sheldon's cancer mirrors this descent into darkness.

The issue is littered with countless references to old Marvel continuity which demonstrate how the heroes of the Marvel Universe slipped into more morally ambiguous roles at this point in the company's publishing history. I assume that many of these were put together with the help of co-writer Roger Stern, as the book's references to sometimes-obscure pieces of Marvel lore are extensive (indeed, I'd love to see footnotes indicating when and where the storylines originally took place in order that readers could track down the original comics if they so desired).

Whether it's Iron Man's accidental murder of a foreign ambassador, Spider-Man's team-ups with the Punisher, or Captain America's apparent membership of a Neo-Nazi group, Busiek constantly reinforces the idea that in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the iconic superheroes of Marvel's '60s heyday were being pushed into stories that explored more complex issues and more adult subject matter than had been seen in the characters' Silver Age adventures. In particular, Busiek focuses on Frank Miller's Daredevil run as an example of how light, colourful costumed characters were reinvented as dark, gritty vigilantes. There are several references to the Elektra saga here (including Ben Urich's role in the story, and Bullseye's memorable appearance on a TV chat show), and even if readers might question exactly how much the man on the street in the Marvel Universe would have known about the details of Miller's stories, Busiek’s argument is still convincing.

However, the most compelling element of the series continues to be the writer's use of his protagonist's cancer as a metaphor for the darkening of the Marvel Universe. This issue sees Sheldon's condition worsen, and it's impossible not to draw parallels between his illness and his commentary on the changing nature of the role of the superhero. When Sheldon muses, "It was as if we'd been infected with something foul, and no-one was immune -- It was getting harder to tell the heroes from the villains", he might as well be talking about the cancerous cells that threaten to overtake his body. Later, his assertion that Hank Pym's arrest would cast a "permanent shadow" over his career (despite his later exoneration) can't help but evoke medical euphemisms for the way in which solid cancerous tissue appears on an X-ray.

Whilst this is similar to the way that Busiek handled Sheldon's cancer in the previous issue, the writer develops the idea further here as the Marvel timeline moves forwards. Most notably, the writer has the cosmic shenanigans of Marvel's Secret Wars event coincide with a period of remission for Sheldon. It's an interesting reflection of the idea that Secret Wars offered a different flavour of storytelling to the dark and moody material that was popular at the time, but Sheldon's relief at his apparent recovery also functions as a moment of dramatic irony for readers who know that the even darker storylines of the grim'n'gritty 1990s are just around the corner -- and that means that things are likely to get worse for Sheldon’s cancer, too.

Other clever touches include a fun moment that threatens to break the fourth wall, as Sheldon's conversation with his publisher seems to function as a commentary on the success of Busiek’s own Marvels series and his reticence to revisit it: "Your Marvels book was the hottest thing I've published in a decade -- and the new trade edition's selling even better! Believe me, a sequel will be Gold!" Yes, some of the parallels might be a little heavy-handed, but Busiek playfully acknowledges this (and encourages any readers who hadn't picked up on his central metaphor yet to do so) with Sheldon's line, "Old as I am, sick as I am... I can still recognise a damn metaphor when you hit me in the face with it."

Marvels: Eye of the Camera continues to deliver a compelling story that also functions as a smart commentary on the changing nature of Marvel comics in the 1970s and '80s. The only complaint that I have with this particular issue is that it doesn't really move any of the major plot points of the story forwards a great deal. However, the clever handling of the cancer metaphor and Jay Anacleto's impressively detailed artwork (which I haven't talked about here, but which is just as good as it was in previous issues) still make this book well worth a read.

---

What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!

---