I’ve been unsure of my feelings toward the Sins of Sinister event. It has been an intriguing experiment in comic book storytelling. Three sets of issues focused on three distinct eras, year 10, year 100, and finally, year 1,000. Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 by Kieron Gillen, Paco Medina, and Lucas Werneck is the final issue to this eleven-part saga, and by god what an issue it is. Whatever my opinions on the rest of the event, you have to hand it to the creative team for nailing this issue in every conceivable way possible
Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 opens with the final battle for the Moria engine, Sinister’s creation which allows him to create save points in time that he can infinitely reset to. Functionally this means he can save scum as you would in an RPG, trying over and over again to get the result you want. Earlier in the event the engine was stolen. It’s the MacGuffin at the heart of the event. So the final battle begins with various players all vying for control of the engine for their sinister ends.
Gillen crafts a fun issue, One that comes with a whole heap of startling and exciting revelations and developments. It’s a real page-turner that will keep the reader on their toes. You can feel the scale of what is being played here. There is some epic utilization of various powers. Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 honestly has dizzying implications for the future of the X line. So often events can feel like big nothing burgers where everything goes back to a status quo with nothing changed. Not here, we get a lot of change which offers exciting new avenues for the next chapter of the X-Men’s story. Wrapping up an event is never an easy thing to do, but here Gillen succeeds by leaps and bounds.
I was a little apprehensive of Paco Medina’s art at first. To me, it didn’t quite fit the grim dark tone established for the one-thousandth year of the sinister era. However, upon further reading, it all clicked. Medina’s art has a manic energy, which perfectly fits this desperate scramble at the end of time. It reflects the desperation and panic of our leading characters. Medina also delivers on the big bombastic moments befit of a riff on Warhammer 40k.
Similarly, everyone else is doing an exceptional job, Lucas Werneck’s work is amazing as ever and helps tie the event in further with his work on Immortal X-Men. The coloring by Bryan Valenza and lettering by VC’s Clayton Cowles is dynamic and perfectly fits the tone and story of the issue, helping bridge the gap between the two artists.
I’m blown away by this issue. It’s Gillen and co at their very best, truly delivering an exciting installment in this ongoing narrative that will send shockwaves throughout the line. Personally, I can’t wait to see where these creatives take the story next!
Story: Kieron Gillen Art: Paco Medina, Lucas Werneck
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Clayton Cowles Design: Tom Muller, Jay Bowen
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle
Source: Graphic Policy
