What would you do if you had the power to travel through time? Which historic event would you want to witness? Which ancient time period would you want to visit? Could you resist the ability to irresponsibly change the past in order to make yourself a god among men? And, how awesome would it be to go for a joy ride in an F-14 Tomcat during the time of the dinosaurs? These questions (and many more) are tackled in Chrononauts, the new trade paperback time-travel tale published by Image Comics and created by comic heavyweights Mark Millar (Marvel: Civil War, Kick-Ass) and Sean Gordon Murphy (The Wake, Punk Rock Jesus). Next week, Chrononauts will be hitting shelves, and you’re not going to want to miss this epic, hilarious, and awesome tale.
MINOR SPOILERS BELOW
Chrononauts is the story of best friends Corbin Quinn and Danny Reilly, two brilliant scientists who make history by inventing time travel and then making history a second time by “going rogue,” evading the authorities, and endlessly manipulating the time-stream to their advantage. Millar’s script delivers B-movie type fun on a Michael Bay-level budget, but wrapped in a time-traveling bromance action-comedy. From the opening of the book, when a modern jet fighter is found walled inside a temple that predates stonehenge, Chrononauts grabs the reader and takes them on a fun, exhilarating roller coaster ride through the time-stream that focuses less on the mind-boggling science and paradoxes usually associated with the time-travel genre and more on the absolute blast we would all have if we possessed this type of god-like power. It’s been a long while since I’ve read a comic that is as “balls-to-the-wall” fun as Chrononauts, and it almost seems to buzz with the type of energy and joy that fueled other time-travel romps like Back to the Future or Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (but cut with the fun, adventure flick flavor of something like Indiana Jones or Ocean’s Eleven). Corbin and Danny, the two alpha male heroes with “hella good hair” (You better believe I just quoted Taylor Swift in a comic book review! Don’t mess with my kung fu, yo!), might grate a little with some readers given their almost “frat brothers” relationship and antics, but they’re an endearing pair of assholes, and their front-and-center “bromance” is interesting to watch evolve as they save each other over and over again while gallivanting through time.
Millar’s writing style has always had a cinematic feel, and Murphy’s amazing artwork and epic splash pages of time-travel carnage seem the perfect match. Chrononauts certainly tests the artist’s skills, demanding depictions of everything from insane car chases, to dinosaurs, to Lucky Luciano, to the birth of Christ, to much, much more. Murphy never misses a beat, and his work is only heightened by the fantastic, muted (almost “aged”) colors of Matt Hollingsworth.
FINAL VERDICT: This book is an absolute blast! Even if you are the most casual of fan of Millar, Murphy, or Image Comics, Chrononauts is sure to be a thrilling read. It’s easily accessible to new readers and just as fun for those who live and breath comic books. If you’re looking for a time-travel adventure with epic action and fun characters, this book is sure to please.
The Chrononauts trade paperback will drop on September 9th and will only cost you $9.99! You can find out more about Chrononauts by visiting the official Image Comics website.
Also, keep an eye out on the Fanboy Comics website for our upcoming audio interview with Chrononauts co-creator Mark Millar, in which we discuss the inspiration behind the book and why he loves the time-travel genre. That interview will go live on September 8th, so don’t miss it!
That’s all for now, comic book sniffers! Wherever you go, may you never need roads.
‘Till the end of the world,
-Bryant the Comic Book Slayer
@ComicBookSlayer
