Marvel's Voices: Legacy #1
- WRITER
- Cody Ziglar, Natacha Bustos, Victor LaValle, J. Holtham, Maria Frohlich
- Artist
- Larry Houston, Sean Damien Hill, Jahnoy Lindsay, Karen S. Darboe, Oren Junior, Julian Shaw, Maria Frohlich
- Letterer
- VC's Ariana Maher
- Cover Artist
- CrissCross, Erick Arciniega
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics
- Price
- 5.99
- Release Date
- 2022-02-17
- Colorist
- Dijjo Lima, Paris Alleyne, Stephanie Paitreau, Ian Herring
Just in time to close out Black History Month, Marvel Comics has published a new anthology special Marvel's Voices: Legacy #1 spotlighting the Marvel Universe's Black superheroes, boasting a diverse lineup of established and up-and-coming creative teams in a collection of short stories. And ranging from lightweight stories of how superheroes relax between saving the day to more emotionally high stakes tales of the fan-favorite characters in kinetic action, this special is an impressive compilation of characters and creators that absolutely deserve more love across the publishing line.
John Ridley and Olivier Coipel kick off the special, with a story focused on Miles Morales while Mohale Mashigo and Chris Allen weave a fun story for Ironheart. Stephanie Williams teams up Natacha Bustos for an ensemble story focused on the second Captain Marvel Monica Rambeau shopping with her family, with Tochi Onyebuchi and Ken Lashley following it up with a story focused on Domino in a high stakes game. Nnedi Okorafor and ChrisCross craft a story starring the Nigerian Venom Uzaru at the Lekki Massacre while Danny Lore and Valentine De Landro close out the special with Blade out on the town doing what the vampire killer does best.
All six short stories within the special are all top-notch, shining on a different corner of the Marvel Universe. Ridley and Coipel, working with color artist Laura Martin, definitely set the tone for the issue, with arguably the strongest, most concise tale in the anthology. Mashigo and Allen, along with Williams and Bustos -- with both creative teams working with color artist Rachelle Rosenberg -- respective stories are intentionally more breezy and fun, with Williams and Bustos' Monica Rambeau vignette providing a light-hearted look at Monica's Cajun background while pairing her with a couple of fellow Avengers in the process.
Onyebuchi and Lashley's story, with color artist Juan Fernandez, delivers arguably the most action-packed tale in the anthology, really providing a strong showcase for what makes Domino one of the most effective mercenaries in the Marvel Universe. Easily the most serious and haunting story of the set is Okorafor and ChrisCross' vignette, joined by Rosenberg on colors, depicting a real-life tragedy in Nigeria from this past October, with a considerably different outcome from the presence of Uzaru coming to the defense of the End SARS protestors. Lore and De Landro, joined by color artist Dan Brown, end the anthology special on a high note, chasing the current events from Uzaru's story with a fun-filled tale of Blade slaying vampires menacing a local bodega.
In specific regards to the artwork, each of the respective art teams keeps their frames clean and the action easy to follow. De Landro and Brown's work on their Blade story evokes a classic, pulpy feel perfect for their more horror-oriented tale while Lashley and Fernandez really deliver a cool, action-packed set-piece that establishes Domino as a confident, tough-as-nails force to be reckoned with. And just as Ridley's scripting sets the tone, so too does Coipel and Rosenberg's artwork, capturing the many facets of Miles. And with Rosenberg coloring, the majority of the short stories and Travis Lanham lettering the entire issue, the transition between the various vignettes is relatively seamless.
As the third issue in Marvel's Voices line of anthology specials from diverse comic book creators, Legacy #1 serves as a strong case for Marvel to increase the diversity of its usual creative talent and Black characters beyond the occasional special. Some characters, like Blade, are already poised to play a greater role in the Marvel Universe's upcoming events while creators like Lore are steadily crafting additional titles for Marvel but Legacy #1 underscores the need for continuing representation in the comic industry following this special's vital mission statement in a greater capacity.