The Vision: Little Better than a Beast

Creators: Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Michael Walsh & Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Publish Date: November 30, 2016
(volumes 1 | 2 – complete)

The Vision concludes this stellar, twelve issue run by Tom King and Gabriel Walta (with phenomenal covers by Michael Walsh).

Vision’s brother Victor Mancha (from Runaways) comes to visit the family, but brings with him complications – and the family’s secrets begin to unravel. As a fan of Runaways it was a brilliant and natural move for Victor to become part of the story – and by coincidence (?) his name shares the “Vi” beginning of his robotic family.

Just like the first volume, The Vision continues the conversation about humanity, purpose and meaning – but at the same time, follows through with the foreboding sense of doom the first volume so excellently built. This makes the second installment much darker than the first – one might not feel happy at the conclusion of the story, but certainly resolved.

King magnificently ties together all the loose threads with some well done references to prior conversations and moments in the first volume. The fact that he does so much precise and intricate storytelling (with Shakespeare overtones, no less) in just twelve issues blows my mind – some writers do less in fifty. Virginia in particular shines as a riveting character as she breaks all the moral and ethical rules – making devastating choices – to save her family. Not just Virginia but each member of the family has a beautifully (sometimes tragically) human moment.

In science fiction and fantasy, many stories struggle with the idea of fate – are future events predetermined, or do we have the free will to create our own future completely? (For example, Back to the Future would support the idea that we have complete free will, while Doctor Who suggests that there are certain events in time that cannot be changed.) In Vision, the omnipotent narrator sets up several “prophecies,” many of them deaths, that seem to unavoidably come to pass. Certain characters see the future via a magical flowering plant, and struggle within their own capabilities to change what they saw. And on the other end of the spectrum, Victor is redeemed by his fate to destroy the world, once promised in Runaways. King’s response to this tension in Vision is simply “yes, all of it happens. Or maybe none of it.”

[spoilers this paragraph] However, Victor’s addiction to vibranium seemed not only improbable but not necessary to the story. After rereading it several times, my best guess is that Chase says his machines, which used vibranium, “were getting all weird,” (oh Chase, you and your words). So I think Victor’s actions toward Vin – how he continued to attack him, saying “stop fighting!”, even though Vin was clearly incapacitated – might have been a result of vibranium “weirdness” taking over Victor. However, the narrator only says that Victor “miscalculated” his powers, and doesn’t make an explicit connection between it and the vibranium. Also while we’re in the spoiler paragraph, I found the scene with Viv and Vision praying for Vin’s soul possibly the most moving in the story. I might use it in the future while teaching kids or adults about prayer.

That aside, these two volumes are pretty close to my idea of a perfect comic book run: a gripping, moving story with real stakes and consequences but also part of a larger conversation about humanity; Walsh’s art remains absolutely stunning, breathing life and very expressive faces to Vision and his family, making the story a treat to see as well as read; and I have a much deeper appreciation for Vision as a character, beyond his role in the MCU.

YOU MUST READ.