Comic Review: Olympia #1

Olympia #1

Image Comics

Writers: Tony Pires & Curt Pires

Art: Alex Diotto

Curt and Tony Pires’ Olympia is an elaborate love letter to the Marvel Age of comics. Olympia #1, the debut issue of Image Comics’ new sci-fi/fantasy series, pays explicit tribute to the cosmic Marvel stories of the 1960s, especially Thor, and to one of the industry’s all-time greats, Jack Kirby. Olympia’s premise is reminiscent of the 1993 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero, though the roles of the protagonists are reversed. The popular comic book hero Olympian mysteriously crashes to Earth and is discovered by a young boy named Elon Andrews. As Olympian struggles to find a way back to his world, he and Elon are attacked by extraterrestrial creatures. The two are unaware that Olympian’s nemesis, Vilayne, has also arrived on Earth and is enacting treacherous plans of his own.

The Two Olympias

In terms of its story, Olympia #1 is an intriguing series opener. The plot for this issue is fairly focused on Elon as he tries to understand how Olympian has arrived on Earth, as well as the struggles of his daily life as a bullied school kid who turns to comics for escapism. On the other hand, Olympian’s story is two-fold and is by far the more fun of the two narratives to read. Half of Olympian’s story is told through his in-universe comic book, also called Olympia; the reader’s perspective periodically merges with Elon’s as he reads Olympian’s quasi-Asgardian adventures. This patchwork method of constructing Olympian’s backstory is a unique way of setting up the series’ mystery and is an entertaining sub-narrative in its own right.

Elon and Olympian

The series’ characters are tough to evaluate either positively or negatively at this point. With only one issue under its belt, Olympia hasn’t had enough time yet to fully sell or develop Elon, Olympian, or Vilayne, though the building blocks are there. As it stands, Elon and Olympian have received the most development but still fall squarely into familiar archetypes. Elon resembles a young Peter Parker in both appearance and character; the young comics reader is a loner who often dreams of grander worlds. His initial encounter with the wounded Olympian demonstrates a kind side, but while the character is definitely relatable, there isn’t too much that stands out about him yet. On the other hand, Olympian falls into the classic fish-out-of-water archetype and produces much of the issue’s mystery and melodrama (think Thor in his first movie). Overall, the contrast between Elon and Olympian creates some fun and mildly humorous interactions.

Going Retro

The real selling point of Olympia #1, however, is its art. Alex Diotto switches between two distinct looks here: the style used in the in-universe Olympia comic book is an incredibly faithful homage to the Jack Kirby style, with heavily stylized, larger than life figures, dot matrix colorwork, and even a bit of the iconic Kirby Krackle, while the rest of the issue features a relatively simple style that makes for fluid action scenes without sacrificing finer details like facial expression.

Olympia #1 is a decent start to what looks to be a fun sci-fi series. There is enough here to bring readers back next month, from the sub-comic approach to Olympian’s backstory to the retro artwork. The story and characters need more time to fully develop, but Curt and Tony Pires’ reverence for Kirby’s stories and art shines through. This could be one to keep an eye on if the series takes more risks.

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