Can you leave your past behind, or does it await us in an unavoidable, predestined future? That question is at the heart of Time Waits #1, the debut issue of the new DSTLRY series from writers Chip Zdarsky and David Brothers, artist Marcus To with assists from Marvin Sianipar, colorist Matt Wilson, and letter Ariana Maher. The story focuses on the weary time traveler Blue, who is attempting to make a life in the present era with his wife, Grace, in the small town where she grew up. As marital tension begins to arise over the idea of adopting a child — specifically the smart but introverted Duke, who is currently in foster care — Blue starts to feel ill and have flashbacks to his old, considerably more violent life. It all comes to a head when Blue gets an unwelcome visit from agents working for his past — or is it his future? — bosses, upending the quiet life he’d built.
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Time Waits‘ premise is built upon the familiar trope of a former man of violence who has walked away from that life only to be dragged back into it and it makes sense to take the idea of the past metaphorically catching up with someone and making it literal with the use of time travel. On paper, the plot is reminiscent of Mattson Tomlinson and Lee Bermejo’s recent Boom Studios project A Vicious Circle, which also saw a time traveler building a family in a bygone era only to have it overturned by another time traveler with a vendetta.
Yet, the execution couldn’t be more different. Where A Vicious Circle buried its pathos beneath convoluted sci-fi mechanics and frantic pacing, Time Waits puts the human element at the forefront, constructing its entire debut issue around spending, essentially, a day in the life of its three main characters (four if you count Baker the baker).
Much of the day is spent reminiscing about fates fought against and eventually surrendered to. Grace tells Duke the story of how she tried to put some distance between herself and her parents, to earn her independence, but ultimately followed in her mother’s footsteps and became her hometown’s sheriff to stay close to her family but on her terms. Baker relays a similar story of trying to get as far away from the family bakery as possible only to be drawn back in by his mother’s death. By then, he accepted the destiny implied by his name, which he had seemingly grown to better fit into.
But Blue’s future-past is complicated by the violent nature of his work. His refusal to be ruthless and calculated when dealing with the lives of those caught in the crossfires of his missions across time led to clashing with others on the team and eventually being left in the present day. And yet, even Blue seems interested in controlling the uncontrollable, becoming somewhat obsessed with gardening to exercise his will over nature.
This could all result in heavy, pensive tales of life and death and the inevitability of time, but the storytelling gives a much livelier feel. The dialogue is laced with humor anchored in character. That includes Grace gently teasing Duke about his old-man approach to hobbies or Baker’s frazzled but good-natured paranoia. The pace is kept similarly snappy. Pages are often packed with 6 or 7 panels, ensuring a sense of action and movement even during conversational scenes. However, the use of bleed is restrained and the linework is clear enough to keep everything easily legible and the flow of the story brisk. To’s work here is a bit more textured than what fans may know from his work at DC and Marvel, perhaps due to Sianipar’s assists or the nuance of Wilson’s typically vibrant colors. Either way, it suits this material, which is more thematically complex than the superheroes he was working on previously.
Time Waits #1 is a strong debut, introducing a cast of endearing characters, an intriguing mystery, and visual storytelling that is clear and easy to appreciate. Can Blue fight his fate, or are we all delaying our inevitable arrival at an endpoint decided for us long before we realize it? Time Waits #1 makes a compelling case for finding out.
Published by DSTLRY
On September 11th, 2024
Written by Chip Zdarsky and David Brothers
Art by Marcus To
Colors by Matt Wilson
Letters by Ariana Maher
Cover by Marcus to
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Credit: Marvel Comics -
Image Credit: Marvel Comics
