Is It Good? Operation S.I.N. #1 Review

Just in time for the upcoming ABC television series Agent Carter comes Operation: S.I.N.

The premiere issue takes us back to the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, where we find Peggy Carter and Tony Stark’s daddy Howard linking up to track down an alien energy source in Mother Russia.

Is it good?

Operation: S.I.N. #1 (Marvel Comics)

Since when could Peggy Carter open up such a giant can of whup ass?

That was my first thought after watching her scrape a battalion of armed assassins wearing nothing but a pair of nighties and a Rosie the Riveter head scarf.

My second thought: This ain’t half-bad.

Operation: S.I.N. #1 is my first taste of Kathryn Immonen’s writing and already I’m impressed. She’s established Peggy Carter as a no-nonsense, full of spunk, handle her own type of gal — what Nicki Minaj might refer to as a “bad bitch” in this day and age. Immonen’s pacing impressed and engrossed me more than any other Marvel title this week — including strong entries in the form of Ant-Man #1 and Hawkeye vs. Deadpool #4.

She steers the narrative along from start to finish without a hitch and the dialogue, although perhaps not entirely indicative of the time period, is easy to digest and full of charm. The banter between Carter and mission partner Howard Stark is a clear highlight.

Rich Ellis’ artwork is a little cartoonier-looking than I usually go for but he did good work on Superior Foes of Spider-Man and here he captures the 1950s, noirish ambience of Operation: S.I.N. with skill. Vintage transistor radios; black and white framed photos; office doors with pebble-glass windows; Peggy’s high-waisted pencil skirt and squared-jacket ensemble; the staggered, layered dome tops of Saint Basil’s Cathedral; everything evokes the time frame and combined with Jordan Boyd’s coloring, there’s a definite pulpy/old school vibe going on that really clicks.

Even more impressive is Ellis’ use of facial expressions and fluid character posturing. Nothing in this issue seems static and the visual storytelling is top notch.

Is It Good?

Operation: S.I.N. #1 is a solid first outing for what looks to be a sleeper hit of a mini-series.

Although the ending swerves the plot into what looks to be a completely different direction — it’s still good stuff and I eagerly await the second issue. Recommended for those in search of a solid, retro, non-superhero yarn.