Alan Davis' Killraven miniseries has been in the pipeline for years, continually put back by a string of other projects.  In fact, I think it may well be a commission that dates back to the previous Marvel editorial regime.  Of course, Alan Davis is one of those creators who's worth indulging when he says he wants to do something odd like a Killraven revival.

Killraven originated in 1973.  It's a sequel of sorts to War of the Worlds, set in a timeline where the Martian invaders won.  Heroic escaped slave Jonathan Killraven leads a group of renegade humans in a world conquered by Martians.  They fight back against the Martians with swords.

It must be said that time has not been kind to the Killraven character designs.  With his thigh-length boots and over-elaborate jockstrap, he looks like he's fallen off the bondage float at a gay pride rally.  Yes, I realise that he and his comrades are supposed to be wearing their gladiatorial costumes.  But when you have a bunch of characters in outfits that really do deserve the "pervert suits" moniker, especially after the first few pages have shown us civilian characters who all look like they're wrapped up warm for a camping trip, it's hard to avoid realising how ridiculous they look.

Alan Davis is an excellent artist, but his writing is a lot more variable.  Unfortunately, this series reads like a sincere but ultimately nostalgia-driven homage to a comic he particularly liked reading 30 years ago.  It's all very formulaic - the orphaned boy who the hero must take in as a matter of honour, the hidden store of human knowledge, the noble sacrifice from the man who stays behind to press the button ("I always meant to instal a remote", he says, handily flagging up the contrivance for the benefit of any readers who hadn't noticed).  The plot never really gets up above that level.

It's okay, and it's very pretty - it's by Alan Davis, after all.  However, it's like watching a remake of a film - if it doesn't have anything to say besides "Hey, wasn't the original great", you have to wonder what the point is.

Rating: C+

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