Sometimes comics take big swings for the hell of it, which is definitely the case in Marvel All-On-One #1, out this week. That’s not a diss, far from it, as Ed McGuinness and Ryan North team up to tell an extra-sized issue using only full and double-page splashes. It makes for an epic ride, and one that is reminiscent of the six splash pages by Ditko in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1.
So how do you tell a story in all full-page splashes, a function in comics that’s used mostly to tell less story and instead wow the reader with art and spectacle? If you do it like Marvel All-On-One #1, you front-load with captions to set up the story, then put the heaviest dialogue scenes at the end to make it all make sense. All in all, North does a good job establishing why and how Thing could fight every Marvel Comics character and see another day. Likely, even he’d tell you this isn’t about thought-provoking character work and deep storytelling, but a structure to allow McGuiness to go nuts on art.
And nuts he goes indeed, with Marvel All-On-One #1 opening with Thing diving out of an exploding rocket ship, tumbling down thanks to the rest of the Fantastic Four destroying his parachute, and eventually taking out Mr. Fantastic first because he smells tomfoolery. From there, he takes on Iron Man, which takes place over many pages, teams up with Spider-Man, fights the Avengers, and…well, a lot of iconic heroes.
Damn, that’s low, First Family!
Credit: Marvel
The art in this book doesn’t miss, with McGuinness’ trademark dynamic style maximizing the wow factor on every page. There’s even a kind of gore to it all, although when characters die, it’s green goo spilling out. Some of the best moments take place over double-page splashes, like a giant object hurtling at Thing, or when he’s punched through a building by Captain Marvel.
Standout moments include Thing proving he’s faster than you might think and revealing how he really feels about killing all these heroes in the closing pages. Mark Farmer’s inks and Marcio Menyz’s colors–who has colored Amazing Spider-Man for quite a while–don’t skimp on quality either.
As far as gripes, it’s fairly obvious this can be a fast read, especially if you don’t linger on the art. That’s inherently part of the gimmick at work here, so that’s pretty much on you if that annoys you. As mentioned above, this is a concept executed well rather than a deep lore-building issue.
Marvel All-On-One #1 is a bold experiment that pays off with exhilarating visuals and nonstop spectacle, giving fans a pure art-driven joyride starring the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing. While the story is deliberately light and the read brisk, the creativity and energy make it a memorable big swing worth experiencing.
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