Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: July 2000
Cover Price: $2.25
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Sean Phillips & Duncan Fegredo
In 2000, Marvel published a series of one-shots that revealed what Marvel Comics would be like in the Marvel Universe.
A team of death row mutants is assembled by Colonel America of the Weapon X Program to take on covert anti-terrorist operations that the mainstream super-teams don’t want to handle. An Avengers Quinjet carrying Iron Man and the most advanced nuclear bomb has been hijacked by Doctor Strange – the self-proclaimed mutant messiah. Now, Wolverine, Cyclops, Iceman, Goblyn Queen, Mastermind and Deathbird have to take on Strange and his cannibalistic Church of the Splitting Atom. Will the team make it out alive?
Mark Millar puts together a suicide squad of X-Characters for this macho-fest. Lots of gritting teeth and tough-guy posturing. He took an interesting approach by putting villains and heroes on the X-Men team – because, really, to the average guy on the street witnessing these super-battles in the Marvel Universe – who’s going to know who’s on what side? Artwise – this book is quite bad. I don’t know whether to blame Phillips or Fegredo (because I’ve seen them both produce some nice work) so I’ll just say that perhaps the combination of their styles is just not meant to be. I think the coolest part of this story is the potential for others. Colonel America claims to have over 600 other mutants – this story concept could lead to all kinds of match-ups and high-stakes situations.
On Ebay: Marvels Comics | X-Men | Mark Millar | Sean Phillips
On AtomicAvenue: Marvels Comics