An Introduction to The Vision

This week we’re focusing on “The Vision” (2015-2016), with Tom King on writing, Gabriel Hernández Walta on art (minus one issue by Michael Walsh), and Jordie Bellaire on colours with lettering by Clayton Cowles. It’s a 12-issue miniseries published by Marvel. #TheVision 1/7

In his original pitch to Marvel, Tom King described it as “Breaking Bad meets The Incredibles,” thus a story about a family of superheroes who become compromised in response to the inherent cruelties and indignities of existence itself. 2/7

The series was first collected as a pair of trades “Little Better than a Man” and “Little Worse than a Beast,” before receiving a giant “Director’s Cut” edition in 2017. That same year, the series won the Eisner Award for best limited series. 3/7

Interestingly, King signed his big contract with DC before he was able to finish the miniseries and there was some concern that he wouldn’t be allowed to finish it, but the spirit of collaboration prevailed and the full 12 issues were published. 4/7

The series focuses on Vision’s attempt to build, from scratch, his own nuclear family in order to experience the American dream, so to speak, in the suburbs. His past catches up to him however, and a series of tense situations escalate toward a tragic breaking point. 5/7

Thematically, the series brings both classical existentialism and transhumanist thought into the specific context of the superhero comic – drawing extensively on years of complex continuity that is then recontextualized toward the darker tone of the story. 6/7

The result is a powerful exploration of the psychology of a being who is all too human, despite being a synthezoid. The story’s influence can also be seen quite extensively within the “WandaVision” TV series.  #WandaVision 7/7