Mark Millar's Chrononauts #1 review: Fast-paced sci-fi action

Mark Millar has been having something of a renaissance in recent times, pulling out all the stops with recent titles like his utterly charming Flash Gordon/science adventurer homage Starlight. He has also been attracting some of the buzziest names in comics art including Frank Quitely, Duncan Fegredo, Goran Parlov and now, for Chrononauts, Sean Murphy.

Chrononauts brings a twist to the traditional time travel tale. Two unusually burly doctors join forces to pierce the time stream and mine the mysteries of the past. What sets this apart from other narratives is that their mission is televised. The whole world will be watching as Corbin Quinn and Danny Reilly leap into the past.

Decompression is a frequent bugbear of modern comics readers, who will be delighted in the impressive pace that Millar and Murphy set in this opening issue. The initial mystery is laid out succinctly in two pages before the story jumps ahead with the race into the past.

When we spoke to Millar recently, he went so far as to call Murphy "literally the best artist I've ever worked with". Certainly, Murphy is at his impressive best in Chrononauts #1. We loved Murphy's work on Sean the Barbarian and American Vampire to name but two, but he tends to be an artist who gets respect rather than vocal acclaim, so we'll be happy to see him get a bit more of the spotlight.

Murphy brings a convincing sense of depth and space to the comic. He combines scale and complexity, giving a sense that the whole world really is watching events as they unfold, but never losing clarity. Matt Hollingsworth's colours bring a vital sense of travel to the comic, both across the globe and through the time stream. And when the superscience gets fired up, the art steps up with an electric, otherworldly brilliance.

This comic continues the energetic, pulpy tone set in Starlight, with the collision of the elder scientist and his jack-the-lad companion. The creators leverage familiar tropes to add to the pace of the storytelling. The relatively sparse dialogue and rapid overlaying of imagery blend seamlessly to buttress the fast pace of the comic, keeping it crisp and easy to follow.

If there is any issue with the pacing of the comic, it is that we don't get too much beyond the tropey nature of its protagonists. What are their backgrounds? What special skills made them able to crack the time travel problem? Some of these questions might have been better answered before the action began in earnest. We'll have to wait for issue #2 to see.

All in all, Chrononauts #1 is a strong and engaging launch from two creators who seem to be coming out at the height of their powers. This sets the stage for some fast-paced sci-fi action.

Image Comics' Chrononauts #1 is in stores now.

Hugh Armitage

Hugh Armitage is Movies Editor at Digital Spy.