Mark Waid is one of the greatest comics talents alive. He has worked at DC Comics on Superman: Birthright and Kingdom Come and at Marvel on Captain America and Daredevil. His mastery of storytelling is what makes his books so magnetic. My favorite book by him was originally published independently outside of the two big houses. It is the masterpiece known as Empire. It’s a story that revolved around a super villain who has defeated all superheroes but faces internal struggles. In the 2023 edition of Timeless, we get such a villain, but with one hero remaining to stand in his way, Luke Cage aka Power Man!

Timeless introduces a world where Khonshu has raised an ultimate evil in the form of the Immortal Moon Knight. This twisted Moon Knight rules over Earth absolutely, and every one of the planet’s inhabitants live in fear. Civilians either have to believe in him or fall prey to persecution. Luke Cage is the last remaining hero and taken on the attributes of The Sentry, The Hulk and Iron Fist. But, up against a god, is it enough to disrupt any plans Khonshu? And who is this Moon Knight?

Timeless delivers a lot of mysteries that are answered through the comic delivering a somewhat tragic tale in the form of a very long boss fight on a cosmic scale. In-between the fight we get teases of storylines to come to Marvel comics in the year ahead, which is really the draw to the comic.

Overall, the 2023 edition of Timeless is an excellent tale of a grim future where the heroes do not win at the end. The story by the creators is excellent. The art by the creative team is awesome. Altogether, a story that will have fans excited for the next big comics’ event.

Story: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly Art: Juann Cabal
Color: Edgar Delgado Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

In a devastating future born from the choices of today, all of time and space is threatened by the ascension of an ancient evil. The MOON KNIGHT UNENDING has risen – a nightmare born of StarkTech, the Eternal Machine and the God of the Moon – and now all of Earth bows before his overwhelming power! Timeless #1 spotlights another possible future for the Marvel Universe in the new tradition that teases what’s to come in the upcoming year.

This year’s Timeless is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly. The duo are usually on point regularly delivering entertaining stories that suck you in with their pop sense of bombast and adventure. This year’s Timeless has a sense of that as we’re thrusted into the future focused on the last hero going up against an all powerful Konshu, It’s Luke Cage infused with the power of multiple heroes against a new version of Moon Knight. That aspect is… ok.

Let’s face it, there’s so many futures in the Marvel Universe, it’s kind of hard to care about them now. There’s so many futures featuring the “last” hero, the story is almost cliche at this point. Thor, Old Man Logan, Wolverine infused in Phoenix, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Here, we have yet another blend of heroes as Luke Cage has the power of… a lot of heroes. How? Who knows, just roll with the story.

But, what we’re here for are those glimpses of what’s to come in 2024 and we get them in the usual format of the hero getting glimpses of the past. Major storylines we know are coming as well as more that’s new are present in splash pages that tease but not enough to really spoil and for many not enough to excite. It feels like a catalogue hidden in a story. During events of recent years, Marvel would deliver teases of the comics spinning out of it and Timeless feels like a different spin on the same concept. Then there’s the ending which again feels like something we’ve seen already, again it’s hard to keep track of.

Juann Cabal‘s art is interesting to look at. With color by Edgar Delgado and lettering by Travis Lanham, the visuals have a certain style to them that feels a bit like Tron with a Moon Knight spin to it all. There’s something cold and empty about it all, and even in the battles, there’s something that feels like there’s a bit of a void to it all. For a massive “final” battle, it all feels rather conservative in some ways.

This year’s Timeless #1 is ok. It does its job of deliver a teaser wrapped in a story, but it feels like a story we’ve seen with a new coat of paint. It’s formulaic at this point in some ways and even Lanzing and Kelly’s usual excellence isn’t enough to breathe life into what’s becoming a bit of a boring concept. Here’s hoping we get something to revitalize the concept next year, because there’s something there, but overall, it’s a one-shot that’s losing its luster.

Story: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly Art: Juann Cabal
Color: Edgar Delgado Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 6.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75 Recommendation: Pass

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle