Aaron delivers a strong start to this series by not taking the Hickman approach and making the questions as mysterious as the answers. Instead, we know exactly what questions we need answered right off the bat: who killed the Watcher and how did s/t/he/y do it? By starting this way, Aaron gives this series the feel of a police procedural, putting characters like Nick Fury in the unique position of not knowing the answer to a question before it's even asked.
But, Aaron makes it clear that we questions beyond just the obvious ones. It's not entirely clear that it's Nick Fury playing the role of the "boss" dispatching the teams of detectives that assemble in this issue. Moreover, the teams themselves -- Dr. Strange and the Punisher; Ant-Man, Black Panther, and Emma Frost; Gamora, Moon Knight, and the Winter Solider -- are full of people with blood on their hands. It's even possible that one of them did it. As Nick Fury says, the list of people who knew the Watcher existed and could find a way to kill him is small. When you narrow down that list to people who've killed before (per Fury's hypothesis that the killer had done so before, given the cleanness of the murder), you suddenly find yourself with a list of people with some significant overlap with the roster of the detectives. We also have this "original sin" business, the truth that the "boss" -- be it Fury or someone else -- has been tracking for a long time, establishing a secondary goal for the detectives beyond just finding the murderer. We're also left wondering why the culprits wanted Uatu's eyes. Aaron establishes a possible motive, implying that someone might've had to kill Uatu because he saw something that he wasn't supposed to see (again getting to this "sin" idea).
In terms of the art, Deodato and Martin strike exactly the right sort of tone. I've always been on the fence about Deodato. Although his dark inks are perfect for this sort of gumshoe tale, they can occasionally make it difficult to follow the action, as I found at times on his run on "New Avengers." But, Martin counteracts that darkness with some really inspired colors, not only making the action easier to follow but injecting some warmth into the shots. It's clear that this series is going to be about the relationships between the various heroes, learning each other's secrets while trying to keep their own secrets hidden. It's why Aaron started the issue with the chummy dinner-club meeting of Black Widow, Captain America, Nick Fury, and Wolverine. He's reminding us how deep the connections go, and Deodato and Martin together convey that impression of darkness and coziness.
All in all, it's a strong start. Of course, Marvel often starts strong: even "Age of Ultron" had me on the edge of my seat in the beginning. The biggest questions now is whether I'll be as happy at the end.
*** (three of five stars)
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