The Twelve #10

writer: J. Michael Straczynski
artist: Chris Weston

Honestly, I'm beginning to see this one more and more as an update of Alan Moore's Watchmen. It's been so obvious, but I think it's important to start with that as the lead.

What most readers will probably be thinking instead is, They actually continued it finally?!? Yes, it's been an incredibly long wait for the final three issues, and anyone who really loved this book, and that would be everyone who read the original issues, has been waiting patiently, and got to enjoy a one-shot from Weston in the meantime, which now serves as a bonus.

The story is a classic mystery, built around a whole team of characters who share Captain America's second origin, how he was deep-frozen at the end of WWII and later revived, except these are all characters who waited many more decades than Steve Rogers to celebrate their comeback, all vintage Marvel Golden Age creations reclaimed by J. Michael Straczynski for a self-contained tale that explores their potential in ways that weren't possible in the format comics were written at the time, and ending up with something that resembles how Moore crafted a character-driven fable that delved into the limits of superheroes, both as archetypes and storytelling elements.

There's a big revelation this issue, which leaves you wondering what'll fill out the remaining chapters, but you've waited this long, haven't you? Straczynski usually has some a big concept in mind, and it's a good bet that he had one here, too.