Eternals #1-3

Eternals #1-3

Originally released in 2006

Written by Neil Gaiman

Art by John Romita Jr.

Thinking about movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it hit me that I still don't know much about the Eternals. (I gave the original Jack Kirby miniseries a shot, but it was distinctly disconnected from the Marvel universe, with the Hulk being a fictional character)

The first issue focuses on Makkari (who doesn't remember his former life and goes by Mark Curry) and Ikaris, as Ikaris tries to convince the amnesiac Makkari of his true identity while explaining the backstory of the Eternals, the Deviants, and the Celestials. One big change that I noticed from the MCU version is that the MCU had a much more even gender divide - five men and five women out of the core Eternals - whereas here, Ajak, Sprite, and Makkari are all men, meaning that there are eight men and only two women. (Thena and Sersi)

Ikaris also has some degree of amnesia; he can remember events from thousands or millions of years ago, but it seems as though everything after the most recent arrival of the Celestials on Earth (thirty years ago, which would have been when the original Kirby mini-series released) seems fuzzy. As a result, Mark thinks that he's a madman. (We see other Eternals throughout the issue, though it's unclear how much they remember; Sersi is a party planner and would-be influencer)

This series takes place in the aftermath of the Civil War event, and while the heroes mean well in their attempts to promote the Super Human Registration Act, there's something unsettling about it as they spout off what seems like government propaganda. (Or maybe it's the artwork that makes it seem unsettling)

Rather than coming across as a Superman homage like in the MCU, Ikaris seems similar to Thor here. (Even being described as Scandinavian)  He's kidnapped by mysterious individuals and tortured, trying to telepathically call out to Makkari, but Makkari is exhausted from a 28 hour shift and was invited to a lavish party thrown by Sersi, who was hired by the deputy prime minister, Druig, of a formerly Russian country.

My problem with this series so far is similar to my problem with the movie, in that there are a ton of characters and the plotlines don't really intersect.  Aside from what I've mentioned already, Thena is working for Tony Stark (though unaware that he's Iron Man, even though it was on the news during the Civil War event), and Sprite is a child star on TV. (no sign of Kingo or Gilgamesh, and Ajak is only mentioned)  Focusing on a specific Eternal (Sersi for the movie, Makkari for the comic) does help with simplifying the situation, though.

Druig has a plan to cause a hostage situation, which gets out of hand when his hired guns decide to kill everyone but the scientists, including Druig.  Makkari unknowingly taps into his superspeed to disarm the gunmen before Iron Man shows up.  Meanwhile, the people who kidnapped Ikaris are revealed to be Deviants, the historical enemies of the Eternals, in disguise; this series has some impressive double page spreads, especially when the Celestials are involved.

Issue 3 does bring up the history of the Eternals within the Marvel universe, or at least Sersi's membership in the Avengers, though she doesn't remember any of it.  It seems to be implied that something happened to the Eternals when they merged their consciousness to create the Uni-Mind, which led to everyone involved aside from Ikaris developing amnesia and taking on a new identity, but then again, the Avengers' database was wiped of information about Sersi, adding to the mystery.

Much like Makkari, Druig is also developing powers of his own - a mix of being able to see the deepest fears of others and to control their minds.  Unlike in the movie, where he was morally ambiguous or at least a jerk but ultimately on the side of good, he seems outright villainous or motivated purely by self-interest here.

While some characters (like Sprite) feel disconnected from the rest of the plot, it seems like it works well as an introduction to the Eternals so far.  John Romita Junior's art is solid, there's an interesting mystery here with what's going on with the memory of the Eternals, and Makkari makes for a compelling protagonist.