Weirdworld, volume 2, is a Marvel comic book series written by Sam Humphries and features artwork by Mike Del Mundo. Weirdworld takes place in a less frequented corner of the Marvel Universe. This is a place ripe with magic, barbarians and adventure. Volume 2 of Weirdworld follows the journey of a teenager named Becca who hails from Marvel’s version of Earth. Becca was flying from the United States to Mexico when her plane somehow crash lands in Weirdworld.
At first glance it might appear as a typical fish out of water story, and it is to an extent, but there is so much more than that here. For a story that takes place in such a fantastical setting, Becca’s personal journey is surprisingly deep. It’s not long before you find out the reason for Becca’s plane trip was to deliver her mother’s ashes to her mother’s favorite place in Mexico. Now she must carry out a daring quest, with unlikely travel companions, to escape Weirdworld and deliver her mother’s ashes to their final resting place.
My initial impression of Weirdworld was that of an 80’s epic fantasy adventure in the vein of Heavy Metal, and the lesser known Rock and Rule. It was pretty easy for me to imagine the person who narrated the trailers to those films narrating the opening to Weirdworld. Becca’s first companion in Weirdworld is Goleta, who takes on Becca as her squire.
For Goleta is a brave Viking woman who enjoys good drink…
…and good battle. She particularly hates wizards.
Oh, Goleta also drives a badass hot-rod. Weirdworld is pretty awesome. Becca and Goleta’s trio is completed by the wise Catbeast.
Catbeast offers his knowledge of the lesser known parts of Weirdworld to help the trio complete their quest. I don’t want to spoil anything else because I want you to enjoy this adventure as much as I did. The bad news is, it looks like Weirdworld has been cancelled by Marvel. Several forums suggest the writer Sam Humphries has left Marvel to write exclusively for DC Comics. The good news is, this adventure exists. Individual issues might be hard to collect, but the trade just came out covering the entire six issue arc.
It’s been too long since I’ve picked up a story and felt totally immersed by completely new characters in a completely new world. Becca, Goleta, and Catbeast carve out quite the epic quest in their short run. It’s a story that quite honestly would make an incredible film. This adventure is just as exciting as it is heartfelt. They say Weirdworld is “a place where the lost can be found.” Don’t let this story become lost. It’s too good to go unnoticed. Del Mundo’s artwork is fantastic, and Humphries’ writing is just as good. I will definitely be looking forward to their future endeavors.
Who knows, if enough people pick up the back issues or trade, maybe Marvel will continue the series. What I do know is that Becca is too good of a character, and her adventure too much fun, to just fall off the face of the Marvel universe. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy Weirdworld as much as I did.
-Bryan DeMarco
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*All images scanned from the paperback trade of Marvel’s Weirdworld. I do not own the rights to any of the images used and they are displayed for review purposes only.