Short Version: Don't buy Marvel's The New Mutants: War Children #1.
Long Version: I've been a Bill Sienkiewicz fan for a long time. At least since Moon Knight #1 in November 1980. I have followed most of his comic book work since then. I even have a limited edition collection of Stray Toasters. And a dvd biography thingie. So...Big Fan. And when I read (in Previews, of course) that he was going to be returning to The New Mutants, I was pretty excited about it. Other than covers, there hasn't been a whole lot of Bill Sienkiewicz comic book art for some time, and I wanted it.
Bought a copy yesterday. Read it today.
Well.
It IS Bill Sienkiewicz, for sure. And Chris Claremont, too. It should have been A Thing, at the very least. But for me it was just 32 pages's worth of disappointment.
The story was very thin. No sub-plots, just a narrow story: problem, fight, resolution. And the resolution was so anti-climactic that you hardly even notice it. There's also very little dialogue, just lots of narration. That rarely makes for a good story unless you have a writer like Alan Moore or Don McGregor.
And the art? For one thing, about 1/3 of those 32 pages were full page spreads. A full page spread can be really effective in a comic book story if it's used properly. Having so many of them is like trying to have a conversation with someone who shouts every couple of minutes. And so many panels seemed familiar...as in they were just variations of old Sienkiewicz art. It's hard not to conclude that Bill just didn't have his heart in this project, that it was just a pay the bills kind of thing. Which is understandable. But really disappointing.
So if you haven't taken the plunge, you might want to hold off on this one. Buy Vault Comics Relics of Youth #1 instead. You'll get a lot more bang for your buck. (Plus it's a buck cheaper...and only slightly shorter at 28 pages.)
Alas.
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