Monsters Unleashed #1 Review - Someone Get The Popcorn

01/17/2017 12:09 pm EST

Get your popcorn ready, because Marvel's big action event of 2017 is here, but does it start with a whimper or a bang?

Spoilers incoming for Monsters Unleased #1, so you've been warned.

Cullen Bunn and Steve McNiven have teamed up for the ultimate monster movie, with some superheroes thrown in for good measure. While the scope is big and the monsters even bigger, the narrative that ties it all together is actually the most interesting part.

The title Monsters Unleashed gives you a pretty good idea of what you're in for, and it certainly delivers on those expectations. From the first page, there are monsters running amok from Seattle to New York City and everywhere in between. If you're a fan of superhero brawling you're in luck, as there is plenty of fisticuffs throughout the debut issue.

McNiven's ability to render an imposing monster is second to none, especially that rather menacing chap seen in the first few pages. The creatures are mammoth in size, and most of the designs are quite inventive.

The catch? Well, if you don't like heroes punching things, there is not going to be much to keep you entertained until about three-fourths of the way through. It's here that the always entertaining Elsa Bloodstone makes an appearance, and Bunn plants some worthwhile hooks for next issue and beyond. That's a good thing too, because as fun as the first issue is if it was 5 more of the same it wold get boring rather quickly.

This event is a nice change of pace from the heaviness of Civil War II, but it will need a bit more substance to keep up its forward momentum. The good news is that the last few pages indicate more of that is on the way.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars.

You can find the official description below.

THE EPIC BATTLE MARVEL FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR, DRAWN BY TODAY'S GREATEST ARTISTS!!! It's all hands on deck with the AVENGERS, CHAMPIONS, GUARDIANS, X-MEN and the INHUMANS as they clash with monstrous threats that threaten to destroy every corner of the Marvel Universe. Who are the LEVIATHONS? Who controls them? How can they be stopped before Earth becomes another tragic, barren world in their wake? Written by powerhouse writer CULLEN BUNN and drawn by Marvel legend STEVE McNIVEN, this issue is the beginning of something big that you just can't miss!

Monsters Unleashed #1 is in comic shops January 18.

Written By: Cullen Bunn

Art By: Steve McNiven

Colored By: David Curiel

Inked By: Jay Leisten

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