The Immortal Men #1 Review
The Immortal Men
Written by James T Tynion IV
Art by Scott Williams, and Jim Lee
Published By DC Comics
Released April 11, 2018
From the pages of DC’s Metal event, here come The Immortal Men !
Photo courtesy of DC Comics
As part of DC’s New Age of Heroes line, The Immortal Men continues to expand on the mystery around the immortal beings of the DC universe. On Dark Days: The Forge, we were introduced to the Immortals, a group of beings that have being fighting a secret war since the dawn of time. This group consists of members such as Vandal Savage, Ra’s al Ghul, Phantom Stranger, and even Uncle Sam! We also got the re-introduction of the Immortal Man. This new title focuses on his team made up Ghost Fist (Top Right), Reload (Bottom Right), Stray (Bottom Left), Timber (Top Left), and a boy named Caden Park.
GOC Recap
Photo courtesy of DC Comics.
The issue starts with a narrator describing Caden’s dream, in which he sees himself and other teenagers with abilities running towards a sanctuary called “The Campus”. Something or someone is after them, killing them one by one. In his dream all of the others teenagers die, but he makes it to The Campus. In this panel we see Ghost Fist welcoming him, Timber, and Stray practicing in the distance, and the Immortal Man locking eyes with him. Suddenly Caden wakes up in the middle of Grand Central station! He is surrounded by his friends, Brandon and Wells. And in the distance he sees the Immortal Man.
Photo Courtesy of DC Comics.
Next, we see Caden talking to his therapist, Dr. Calendar. He tells her about how this time his dream felt different, as if the heroes that were keeping the universe safe, were gone. She tells him that it’s just a safe place he has created in his mind after seeing Superman for the first time, that he built to match his desire to be part of the world of Superheroes. He tells her about who now every time he touches someone he has visions of them. She tells him to touch her hand, as a test to distinguish reality from imagination. He has a vision of her, but he lies saying he saw nothing. He is then met by his parents, whom he convinces to let him go out with his friends.
We are then taken back to the campus ( The domain of action, the 5th House of the Immortals), which now appears to be destroyed and his inhabitants murdered. We are introduced to The Hunt, whom has the ability to learn everything about everyone he kills. He gets his immortality and powers from the blood of his victims. Then comes his leader, The Infinite Woman. She’s the oldest living human, founder of the first house of the immortals, the Conquest. Her war is raged against her brother, The Immortal Man, who has constantly gotten in the way of the immortals taking their place as rulers of the world. Then comes an old familiar face, the Batman Who Laughs!
Photo courtesy of DC comics.
It appears that the Batman Who Laughs, was the instigator that pushed them to take a direct attack against Campus. The Hunt informs them that the files of The Immortal Man were purged, but they were able to retrieve the last file he accessed, the file of no one else but Caden Park!
We are then taken ninety-seven miles away from New York City, where Ghost Fist, Stray, Timber, and Reload have escaped to. Ghost Fist teleports some mortal witnesses away, as Reload and Stray fight off one of the Infinite Woman’s monsters known as the Bloodless. Timber starts questioning Reload as to why they retreat, and left the other Immortal Men to die. Reload says that he received direct instructions from The Immortal Man to leave Campus behind and go look for Caden, whom he believes is the answer to save the world. Caden happens to be in the subway with his friends, but he is distracted by what he believes to be The Immortal Man. He follows him to another cart, where it turns out what he has been seeing is a hologram! It was a trap! and now he is being ambushed by a group of bloodless. But to his rescue come the Immortal Men , and they are ready to FIGHT.
Photo Courtesy of DC Comics.
GOC Review
When this series was announce I was ecstatic. I was so intrigued by the idea of the immortals, when reading Dark Days, I was desperate for more. This first issue serves as a wonderful introduction to this world. It introduced the world and characters without giving too much away, it was the perfect balance of information and mystery. When I first started reading it my mind went to compare Caden to Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Academia. A young boy with the desire to become a superhero, after observing their idol in action, desperate to become part of their world. I also liked the fact that the immortals appear to be divided into different houses, I feel that trope helps establish a structure that is more interesting than just bad guys vs good guys. I thought the issue was very well written, and the art was fantastic.
I give this issue a solid 9/10 rating, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next issue.
