Why Should You Care About Marvel’s The Vision?

If you had asked me this question two months ago, I would have chuckled and slyly responded with a pseudo-pretentious, ‘comics-guy’ answer. But let’s not live in the past. Instead, let me tell you why I would have been wrong. Let me tell you why Marvel’s comic about everyone’s favorite “synthezoid” is one of the best books you’re likely to peruse these days.

This may read hyperbolic, especially since The Vision has been receiving critical praise just about everywhere, but I assure you it’s actually very merited. In an age where the ‘big two’ publishers continuously search for new ways to reboot, revitalize, and keep relevant, indie publishers have carved out their own chunks of the market with a slew of original titles. While that’s hardly news, this influx of titles has provided readers with variety.

Yes, there’s always been a laundry list of titles to choose from; however, with more and more comic-based properties finding success across multiple mediums, the industry has found itself in the midst of a renaissance. As a result, creators and publishers are pushing out more work than ever. And while saturation like this often harms more than helps, it’s actually come to galvanize an industry routinely plagued by soap-opera serialization, short-term continuity shake-ups, and PR-suited rebrands.

Still with me? I promise I’m going to answer the question I asked. I’ll start making my point.

The influx of available titles has forced mainstream comics to get bigger, bolder, and weirder, and that is a very good thing.

Fact: There have always been titles that challenge industry and societal norms.

Fact: These titles often exist to do that and that alone; therefore, they rarely deliver past the surface shock value.

Sure, there are exceptions to the rule. Nothing is absolute. Yada, yada, yada. Just paint in broad strokes with me.

The current landscape of comics has created variety, and that has allowed for mainstream, and even superhero comics, to shake up their formulas to become something new, exciting, and fun.

Enter Tom King & Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s The Vision.

I’m not going to get into the technical aspects. You can find those anywhere. Yes, the writing is superb. Yes, the art is surreal. But that’s not the point, and that’s what makes this book so unique. See on paper, the script and the art determine a book’s quality. While they’re definitely factors here, they’re not what makes The Vision special. No, the defining characteristic here is heart.

Heart. Take a minute and think about that. The best thing about a comic-book centered around a synthezoid who builds a robot family and moves to the suburbs of Washington D.C. to live a more normal family life is its heart.

I read the first issue after it was recommended to me by multiple friends. It was about 5 months after the series had started. I remember my first pass through it very well. It was a Monday morning at 6:45 AM (EST) and I had just boarded my train to work. I sat, squished between a hard metal wall and a seasoned, disgruntled commuter. I had earbuds in, but nothing was playing. My iPod classic had just died (RIP). Half-asleep and fully despondent, I reached for something else to sustain my attention. I took my tablet out from my leather murse. I opened my Comixology app, and I read.

Typically, Monday morning is not an ideal time to start reading something new. Still, I chose to, and I’m glad I did because by 10:45PM that evening I had purchased and read all available issues of The Vision because yes, it’s that goddamn good.

Normally I’m the kind of guy who has a problem with everything. Seriously, it’s an issue ← ha. But this title hit just the right notes for me. Its characters were surprisingly interesting. It was tense and intriguing without being a bummer. It just packed a lot of what I typically look for into one place. That’s not to say it’s a perfect book. It’s not. But weirdly enough, I kind of think that’s the point.

I know, very meta, right? Seriously though. Here, imperfection is a strong suit.

Writer Tom King tackles heavy themes — loneliness, logic, emotion, humanity, family, life — but in doing so his scripts are never bogged down in heady, meta questions of woe. Instead, they channel these pertinent themes through strong characterization, weighted, but realistic dialogue, and tight pacing. There are even some nicely timed moments of levity that give you a chance to catch your breath. It’s this balancing act that makes these familiar characters, plots, and settings feel all the more new.

I’m starting to gush a bit, so I should probably just make my point.

The Vision is hardly the first or the best comic to handle the themes mentioned above; however, it is a best-in-class example of what mainstream comics need more of — humanity, creativity, and imperfection.

For me, it’s one of the most emotive books on the shelves right now. (Seriously, read issue 7 and tell me you don’t feel things.) For that reason alone I strongly recommend that you read this comic. It really has something for everyone. It serves continuity without relying on it. It challenges a lot of widely-accepted ideas without taking itself too seriously. And above all else it leaves you wanting more. That’s pretty damn rare if you ask me.