The Marvel Universe is reinvented in spectacular form in Alex Ross’ new Marvel Dimension graphic novel. I first came across Alex Ross’ incredible artwork in Kingdom Come and the Marvels miniseries. Over recent years, he’s also been working with Abrams Books as part of the beautiful MarvelArts line, which focuses on projects Marvel may not have the bandwidth to do. Like Ross’ Fantastc Four: Full Circle, Marvel Dimensions is a story he’s been toying with for quite some time.
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I confess, I’d foolishly expected full- and double-page spreads. Yes, the opening section gives that, but the story soon spins away in a pretty incredible direction as Ross unveils a world where light is dark and down is up. The In-Verse is a chilling glimpse of how evil Golden Age heroes could be if they were inverted, and the story is told in a 32-page comic book insert sold as part of the book. An unusually subversive narrative approach, this allows Ross a chance to really explore the medium.
| Pros | Cons |
| Alex Ross’ art is absolutely gorgeous, as ever. | Smaller panels don’t always give the best opportunity to showcase Ross’ beautiful art. |
| Ross presents creative new visions of iconic heroes and villains. | |
| The format and narrative are both surprising, with Ross blending multiple approaches skillfully. |
Marvel Dimension Turns the Greatest Heroes into Villains
From the start, Marvel Dimensions takes the reader on an unexpected journey. The opening narrative feels familiar; right from the start, you’re expecting the voice to belong to the Watcher. It doesn’t (although I won’t spoil their true identity). You’re then taken on a fairly standard whistle-stop tour through all the Golden Age heroes, a nice way of establishing the benchmark while also showcasing Ross’ beautiful art. We only go so far, ending in the early 1980s, but there are loving recreations of some of the most iconic superhero stories of all time. I found myself savoring every page, enjoying the artwork.
Ross’ approach even here is quite fascinating. His creative decisions mean he’s going with the earliest origin stories of the characters, stripping away all the layers that have accumulated over the decades; that’s most notable with his portrayal of the Hulk. These creative choices are also important when it comes to creating the In-Verse versions of the characters, because he mirrors the original characters rather than the ones they’ve become in popular culture. Ross has openly discussed fears the In-Verse is ill-timed to correspond with Marvel’s upcoming “Midnight” line, but I don’t think he’s right; his approach is driven by narrative, not horror tropes.
The In-Verse insert is an abrupt change in style, made all the more intriguing because the narrative continues (and then returns to the larger-scale book format). It’s a delight seeing Ross shift to pen-and-ink, bound into the book in the style of Mad Magazine. That said, I have to offer my only criticism here; this experimental approach meant some of the panels weren’t quite large enough for my liking, and I can’t help thinking some of this would have worked better in a larger format. That said, I’ll always appreciate someone daring to experiment, to take the medium in a different direction and stretch themselves.
The experiments are really what makes Marvel Dimensions valuable. This isn’t just another graphic novel, one of many publishes each year. Rather, it’s an artist actually daring to try different things, to showcase his talent in formats we’ve never seen before. It’s a joy to read, and a must for any fan of the medium – as well as any Marvel fan. Marvel Dimensions is available for pre-order from retailers like Amazon now, and will go on sale on September 1.
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