Comics have never been bigger: with Marvel TV shows, DC movies, and indie adaptations growing by the day, comic books have never been more prominent in pop culture. This weekly Verge column recommends comic series new and old, whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer.
WandaVision’s season finale has hit Disney Plus, but if you’ve got a hankering for more surreal suburban comic book drama, look no further than Vision, a 12-issue run from writer Tom King and artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta, which explores further the idea of a superhero trying to step back and start a family — no matter the cost.
What is it? Vision is a 12-issue comic series. While it lightly ties into the character’s past history over decades of comics, it’s largely a standalone story: Vision moves to the DC suburbs, and (literally) makes a family: a wife, Virginia, and two teenage kids, Viv and Vin.
Issue one drops readers right into the mix alongside the newly minted synthezoid family. Vision is trying to juggle his work as an Avenger (and as the superhero group’s government liaison) and as a new father and husband; Virginia works to fit into the neighborhood; and the twins struggle with teenage drama of trying to fit in at school (which is particularly hard given their robotic nature and superpowers). Later issues also include Sparky, a particularly adorable synthezoid dog.
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It’s the kind of series that sees Vision battling a gigantic monster alongside the Avengers while also chatting on the phone with Virginia to sort out drama with the twins at school.
But throughout it all is a creeping sense of horror and dread, helped by an unseen narrator that promises throughout the issue that Vision’s seemingly perfect suburban life will end in tears. Things start out relatively benign, like neighbors who are unnerved by the family or a mean spray-painted slogan on the garage, but things quickly devolve into murder cover-ups as Vision and his new family start to get stuck in a web of lies, misunderstandings, and revenge.
If you enjoyed the slow burn of WandaVision, with super-heroic drama sandwiched between an unnerving illusion of home tranquility, Vision #1 (and the rest of the run) should offer plenty more fodder.
The series is great for newcomers to Vision as a character, too: interspersed across the run is a reexamination of pivotal moments in the artificial hero’s career, including his relationship with Wanda, their desire for a family, his time as a familiar-looking White Vision that has lost all his memories, and more. For MCU fans that are more familiar with Vision’s on-screen origin, it’s a good look at the original version of the character.
Ultimately, Vision is a compelling look at the foibles and follies of people, and an examination of what someone would be willing to do to protect their family. What could be more human than that?
Who’s it by? Vision was created by writer Tom King (also known for his recent run on Batman and his acclaimed Mister Miracle series), artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta, and colorist Jordie Bellaire.
Where can I read it? The entire twelve-issue run is available on the Marvel Unlimited subscription service. A digital collection is also available from Kindle / Comixology for $6.49, along with paperback and hardcover collections (which are a little pricier and harder to find).