Orion by Walter Simonson volume 1

Orion by Walter Simonson Book One by Walter Simonson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Orion by Walter Simonson Book One collects Orion #1-11 plus bonus materials from various places.

I recently read the Fourth World by John Byrne Omnibus but that was mostly so I could read Orion by Walter Simonson. Simonson's Thor run is legendary and I recently got caught up on Ragnarok so this was the next step.

Walter Simonson writes and draws the bulk of this with background stories drawn by other artists. You can tell this is a labor of love and not just a paycheck. Simonson goes all out.

At the end of the Byrne Fourth World run, the stage was set for Orion vs. Darkseid and that's what Simonson gives us. Orion and Darkseid battle, there is a decisive victor, and the rest of the issues deal with the consequences.

While I thought John Byrne did a good job with the Fourth World, I thought his approach was too conservative. For the most part, he left Jack Kirby's toys as he found them. Simonson's approach does a better job of capturing the bombastic Jack Kirby spirit. Orion is balls to the wall, no sitting around talking, no philosophizing. There are big battles with big repercussions. Plus Jimmy Olsen and the Newsboy Legion.

Simonson's art has seasoned a bit since his Thor run but he has taken no steps back. I don't think it's quite as good as Ragnarok but this stuff is 20+ years before Ragnarok. If you're a fan of Simonson's art, this is the best of the time period.

Was Orion by Walter Simonson one of the best comics of the time it was published? Yes. Five out of five stars.

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