20th Century Men #1 Review: A Collision of History and Fantasy Delivers Mixed Results

By Charlie Ridgely

Image Comics' 20th Century Men, the new series from writer Deniz Camp and artist S. Morian attempts to blend fantasy and fiction in an examination of the evils of war. The note at the end of the debut issue describes the series as a place where "the edges of our reality and fiction touch, overlap... and then explode." That's an accurate description, and it describes both the exciting and frustrating elements of this new series. Like history, 20th Century Men is filled with stunning imagery and memorable characters, but it can also be something of a chore to read.

20th Century Men #1 jumps between different wars and conflicts from throughout history in order to set up its various characters. The first few pages alone take readers to Vietnam, Moscow, and Kabul, all in different decades. It's a lot to process in such a short amount of time and it can get overwhelming in a hurry. That gets a little easier as the comic continues, but it never fully goes away. There is a density to 20th Century Men that many won't want from a comic book, especially one that teases superhero stories.

All of the jumping between wars and decades makes it easy for readers to get lost in the shuffle. It makes sense why Camp didn't want to tell a linear story, but a little more cohesion would go a long way. 

The politics and specific relationships can be hard to keep up with, but 20th Century Men has some memorable characters that still hook your attention when things get confusing. The biggest among them is Platanov, a soldier who was taken from his mother as a child and eventually put into a giant metal suit designed for the sole purpose of winning wars. His style is more Iron Giant than Iron Man and he catches your eye any time he's on the page. Platanov is one of those characters that you think about long after you've closed a comic book.

The real star of 20th Century Men is S. Morian, whose art is simply astounding on each and every page. The painted style works incredibly well for the eras of the past that are meant to be captured in the book, and each different location or time period comes with its own unique style. The Vietnam pages pop with bright and terrifying shades of orange, setting a tone for the whole book. A trip to Russia reminds you of Powells' color-drained pages in The Goon. It's all mesmerizing to look at.

At 40 pages, 20th Century Men can be a challenging and sometimes unfulfilling read. There's a lot going on and not all of it is immediately interesting. But with spectacular artwork and the potential found in its characters, the debut offers enough to make you want to return for another issue.

Published by Image Comics

On August 17, 2022

Written by Deniz Camp

Art by S. Morian

Colors by S. Morian

Letters by Aditya Bidikar

Cover by S. Morian

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