Time-travel hijinks is the name of the game as the Avengers are tasked with stopping a nefarious plot from the classic villain Morgan Le Fay. J. Michael Straczynski takes the team to the founding of the United States of America to ensure there is a present-day America to return to.
My main takeaway is that I need to brush up on my Revolutionary War knowledge. Understanding, or lack thereof in my case, does not hinder the story being told, but I can tell a lot of care went into the characters, locations, and events, and it would be a disservice not to mention the effort put forth.
I was excited to dive into this. We are living in interesting times, and right now we have varied interpretations of the founding fathers, superheroes, and government within the cultural zeitgeist, so I was interested in seeing what JMS would weave into his story. After issue #1, this seems to be more of a traditional superhero story, but Bruce Banner does have some spicy dialogue in a few panels. In the middle of the issue, Iron Man mentions a previous conflict with Morgan Le Fay. There’s a lack of an editor’s note, but I’m fairly confident he’s referencing the Avengers Heroes Return arc from 1998, where the Avengers were transported back to Camelot for a fun-filled time-travel romp. (Editor’s Note: My “old millennial yelling at clouds” opinion is how much I miss editor’s notes and wish they were more prominent.) Once the tone and expectations were set, I was able to get into the comic more.
Marvel
Much of the issue is set up for the main story. 1776 looks simple on the surface, but there are many moving parts to get these Avengers into the past and establish the conflict. By the time the issue starts to gain momentum, it is over with a cliffhanger. With how the team separated at the end to their respective subplots, 1776 is going to have some fun moments; they just haven’t happened yet.
The dialogue was quick and snappy, with each character having a unique voice throughout. The right balance of camp and modern that, again, gave me the feeling of reading those late ’90s/early ‘2000s superhero comics where they were in that in-between period balancing both.
Marvel
Sean Damien Hill and Ron Lim split the penciling duties for 1776 #1. Hill handles most of the historic pages and shows off a varied style. A highlight was his art for the pages focused on Benjamin Franklin and Cagliostro (Gotta love comics!). They were dynamic with each panel showcasing an interesting angle, characters’ full expressions, and a darker, moodier setting that played to his strengths. Lim’s modern pages were simple and straightforward. Easy to digest with a wonderful cosmic splash page nestled in the middle of his pages. I also want to spotlight Alex Sinclair since he is credited as the solo colorist for the issue. His color palette was flexible, highlighting the unique style of both pencillers.
Overall, I expected more bite. Storytelling doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and with our current climate, I thought we would see more parallels or poignant statements. For right now, though, 1776 is a fun, old-school story of heroes traveling through time.
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