Marvel: 1602

Marvel: 1602 by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Todd Klein, 248 pages

What would happen if the Marvel superheroes and villains showed up nearly 400 years early? I don't know who has ever asked that particular question, but Gaiman answers it in Marvel: 1602. This graphic novel focuses on the emergence and persecution of the "witchbreed"-- which includes the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and Daredevil -- and the work of Queen Elizabeth's head spy Nicholas Fury and her court magician Dr. Stephen Strange as they attempt to thwart assassins sent by a villain named Doom.

OK, I get that this sounds really weird, and yeah, it kind of is. That said, Gaiman presents this odd story in a fascinating way, leaving behind the silly names and skin-tight garish outfits we usually see on superheroes. There are plenty of hints, however, in the names, clothing, and chosen colors of the characters to make it obvious who these people would be 400 years later. Even someone with very little knowledge of superheroes (like me) can figure out that Carlos Javier, a teacher who can't walk but has the ability to control people with his mind, is actually the 1602 version of Charles Xavier.

In the afterword for 1602, Gaiman notes that he chose to set this Marvel story in the distant past because he wanted to try a superhero story without the guns, bombs, death, and destruction that is so common in modern superhero tales. This is an odd story, but it works. Gaiman should be commended, as should Klein, whose visual design of these characters is simply fantastic.