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Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil #1
Written by Paul Tobin
Penciled by Patrick Scherberger and Jacopo Campagni
Review by Ryan Stevens
Presented by Herorealm.com
In the Marvel Universe, there are few villains more feared than Doctor Doom, the armored arch-foe of the Fantastic Four. Doctor Doom has a long history of not playing well with others when it comes to super-villain team-ups, as he has a tendency to stab his comrades in the back. So imagine how odd it was to read this issue, in which Doom forges an alliance with Spider-man's greatest enemies, the Sinister Six!
Well, perhaps "alliance" is a bit of a misnomer. While Doctor Doom has a pretty prominent spot on the cover, he is hardly present for most of the issue, and appears mostly in flashbacks until the issue's denouement. No, this story is all about the Sinister Six, which really makes you wonder why on Earth the words "Masters of Evil" are in the series' title.
Despite this, the Sinister Six are more than competent in carrying the book by themselves, as they go about doing the dirty work that Doom has charged them with, because when Doom tells you to do something, you bloody well DO it. Some of the issue's most amusing scenes are centered around the Six just hanging around and interacting with each other with more snappy banter than a Mel Brooks film. Paul Tobin has a fantastic sense of humor that really shines through in the script, particularly in a scene at Stark Industries that features Doctor Strange and has to be seen to be believed. The only real problem is that it isn't really stated when this story takes place. I'm assuming it isn't in present continuity, what with Kraven being alive, Sandman being a villain, and Stark's ID being secret.
The issue's art is split between Patrick Scherberger and Jacopo Campagni, both of which have unique styles that play off each other nicely. Scherberger's style is more stylized, much like Chris Bachalo or Humberto Ramos, only unlike said artists, Scherberger's art doesn't overblow characters' body proportions or render action scenes unintelligible. Campagni has a much more anime-inspired style, but it is still an excellent match for the light tone of the story.
Despite Doom having a small role and the Masters of Evil being completely absent, issue one of the misleadingly titled "Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil" is still sharply written, energetically illustrated, and an overall extremely enjoyable comic book. I highly recommend it.
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