The Traveler #1 (Boom! -  Waid / Hardin)

STAN’S BACK! THE PUBLISHING EVENT OF THE YEAR! Stan Lee, the most colossal force in the history of comics, teams up with BOOM! Studios to deliver a brand new line of superhero comics! The great innovator of our industry brings his inimitable talents back to the direct market in an explosive line of comics that nobody is prepared for! In this second ongoing series, THE TRAVELER, Stan teams up with critically acclaimed writer Mark Waid (IRREDEEMABLE, KINGDOM COME) and fan-favorite artist Chad Hardin (AGE OF HEROES, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) to bring you a man out of time! The mysterious hero known only as the Traveler battles the forces of evil in a time-bending thriller that finds all of history and the future hanging in the balance! Rewrite history this November with Stan Lee and BOOM! Studios. Featuring covers by fan-favorite artists Scott Clark (LEGION OF SUPERHEROES), Chad Hardin (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN), and Joe Benitez (SUPERMAN/BATMAN).

Mark Waid weaves his story-telling magic and sells this series on the first issue.  He sharpened a great sci-fi hook that is backed by action and intrigue and not burdened by random and seemingly irrelevant details.

This issue introduces the time-traveling heroic force who described himself as “a Traveler” who moves from time frame to time frame battling the three malevolent Split-Second Men.  Everything about the Traveler and his mission is half-explained in big broad strokes through random dialogue, and I ate up every frame of it.  This issue had a very fresh feel to it and Mark Waid does an excellent job of framing future issues… I can’t help but think that the vast majority of this story is his and not Stan Lee’s.

As far as the art goes, Chad Harden steps up to the plate and creates some visual that are just as good as the story.

Out TODAY!!!!

The Bottom Line: Great Story, Great Book… I just have to ignore  seeing Stan Lee’s name on it.

Grade: Surprising A