Writer/Artist: Alan Davis
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $2.99
Release Date: 6th February

Alan Davis finally returns to the Clan Destine family; a dysfunctional family of superpowered individuals with long livespans, who hide their abilities and try to live out normal lives. Davis created them back in 1994 and their series was one of the final projects started by Marvel UK. With the collapse of Marvel UK they were published by Marvel US and Davis quit the book after 8 issues due to being unhappy with the promotion and problems with the production. 4 more issues followed before the book was cancelled and the characters next appeared in X-Men/Clandestine which ret-conned the issues after Davis left.

Now they’re back as a result of Davis signing exclusive to Marvel in the first of a number of limited series. So who are the Clan Destine?

Well they are the family of Adam Destine, an immortal who fell in love with a genie, and the rest of the cast is made up of their offspring. You have Walter, the romance novelist who hulks out into the blue skinned bruiser called Wallop (by his siblings), Imp and Crimson Crusader; the two twins who have tried to propel their family to use their special abilities as superheroes; Dominic, the former stage magician with massively heightened senses; and many more. The family basis gives it a very different feel to other books. These aren’t characters - except the twins - who want to be involved in fighting crime. They largely want to stay alive, comfortable and hidden. As a result of the previous series though, people are now aware of them and the family has been forced together which has brought old conflicts to the fore.

Davis starts the new series with an introductory issue, explaining the basics of each character and their abilities, giving the new readers a refresher on some of the events of the old book and then slowly setting up a new enemy who is gunning for the Destines. The conflicts are still there, with the twins trying to keep crime fighting (but only after they do their homework) and their older siblings remembering why they tried to stay away from each other. He continues to play up the tragedy of Vincent, the child who Adam was forced to kill, as well as Adam’s inability to relate to his family due to his immortality. It’s a solid opening, but is very familiar to those of us who read the original. Davis teases with the threat of a death in the family, but to be honest the first issue probably needed a little stronger ending. Because it is new Clandestine it’s fun and I have no doubt that the rest of the mini will be highly enjoyable, but for new readers I’d probably suggest they buy the Hardcover collecting the old series and then come and start on this new story.

The artwork is everything you’d come to expect from Alan Davis. Lots of energy, lots of action with cameos thrown in, particularly by Crimson Crusader’s favourite heroes. The last few pages promise more guest stars to come, including Excalibur from the era when Davis worked on it. You know what to expect from Davis and he delivers it. If there is one complaint is that sometimes it’d be nice to give the pages a little more room to breath, but by packing so much exposition into these pages I’m hoping that he will have the space later on when we get to new stuff. If you look on his work on Fantastic Four: The End you will know that spectacle and awe is not something he has a problem delivering.

All in all a fun return to the characters and here’s hoping that with the basics all set out that issue 2 delivers a rollicking new adventure for the family.

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