Reviewed By Eric Switzer. As time travel stories go, “Chrononauts” #1 isn’t your typical “kids with too much power” or “last chance to save the future” story. Time travel here is presented as a national event and an incredible achievement for science with the goal of documenting and recording the past. Things go horribly wrong, of course, but “Chrononauts” delivers something fresh and intriguing with all the Mark Millar flavor that has made him a master of the medium. Its more “Quantum Leap” than “Back to the Future”, and has all the potential of being a remarkable adventure through time.
WRITTEN BY: Mark Millar
ART BY: Sean Gordon Murphy
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: March 18, 2015
“Chrononauts” is a buddy story at heart. Corbin Quinn is the lead researcher who has gotten the project up to the point of sending a satellite to record the civil war. Danny O’Reilly is brought on to develop the suits that will allow humans to travel back in time as well. Where Corbin is sort of solemn guy living with regret for the people in his life he has let down, Danny is kind of a flaky party boy that is interested primarily in the notoriety that the expedition will bring him so he can “bang coeds”. I wasn’t to hot on all the fist-bumping and dudebro stuff. It may be meant to counterpoint all of Corbin’s brooding, but it comes across as out of place and flat character writing. Tony Stark pulls off the play boy genius, Danny just comes across as sort of an idiot. I would have personally preferred it was played a little straighter.
As I mentioned the book has a very intriguing premise: the first manned time travel is promoted and televised the way any NASA space mission has or would be. Their mission is unique and realistic too: to record history as its happening. There’s a particular line that I really liked: “History is unfolding right before our eyes, clear color footage of America’s ancestors preparing for battle like they’re still alive.” The sentiment bring a lot of weight to mission, this is how I imagine we would react were time travel ever invented. And finally, the stakes are raised as one would expect and a sense of urgency is created. “Chrononauts” serves it up in a perfectly designed little package, something Millar has perfected over the years.
Despite one or two missing beats and Danny’s questionable character traits, “Chrononauts” #1 is a refreshing and intriguing time romp beautifully rendered by Sean Gordon Murphy through and through (The last splash will make your heart skip a beat). Mark Millar has the most cinematic mind in comics and every story he writes has major motion picture potential. “Chrononauts” is no exception. As long as the bromance doesn’t outweigh solid plotting, this book is going to be real stand out.
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Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.