I was disappointed when I saw the book had come to its conclusion. War Ghosts read like a bit of a slow burn to me, but by the end of this first collection, the payoff is absolutely stellar and could have ramifications on the greater Marvel universe.

Zdarsky juxtaposes flashbacks and current timelines well, demonstrating the real relationships between the Invaders and why they would be determined to help a clearly insane king. In War Ghosts, which compiles the first six issues of the new Invaders series, Namor is dealing with losses of the past (specifically a friend from the war) which have come back to haunt him. Namor has long been one of Marvel’s most conflicted characters, often working on the side of the angels, but always willing to sacrifice friends and lives for the sake of his own kingdom. It’s up to his former teammates to stop Namor’s plans, as they uncover the king’s secret life and his connection to one Charles Xavier. 70 years later, Bucky has become the Winter Soldier, and Namor, the king of Atlantis seems to have gone right mad, with a goal to bring about World War III. The Invaders first made their debut in 1946 as the All-Winners Squad and were a team consisting of Captain America, the original Human Torch Jim Hammond, Bucky Barnes, and Namor, The Sub-Mariner, with stories set during the days of World War II. Over the past five years, Zdarsky has been writing and illustrating for Marvel Comics, and in 2019 alone he’s been at the helm of two diverse books featuring some of Marvel’s biggest characters. That’s how I first heard of him, and it was an auspicious book to hang one’s hat on. For a while, Chip Zdarsky was best known as co-creator alongside Matt Fraction of Image Comics’ critically acclaimed book, Sex Criminals.

Know fear daredevil