With out recent move, I went through many old boxes and (re) discovered a number of gems that stayed hidden in boxes "somewhere". One such thing was the complete series of the Eternals 1985.
This very much feels like comics I read as kid because... It was published at that time!
This series I bought at Moonlite in Frankfort, KY. (Shout-out to Jay and the Frankfort gang!) I loved that he would have short sales of comics whole-series and collections at a decent price. I am not exactly sure why I bought this one to be honest. I guess because I simply knew nothing about these guys and a full series is a win! I remember buying stickers for a superhero sticker album that featured these guys. I had no idea who they were but the "main" character of Ikaris (who is on the cover of Issue #1) stuck in my mind.
The story is one that is mostly isolated from the rest of the Marvel Universe. Even if there are a few cameos (because that's what they are) from the Avengers and West Coast Avengers, each in a different issue.
So... Who are the Eternals? In the distant past, humanity was split into three branches: the immortal and super-powered Eternals, mankind, and the Deviants who are mutant monsters. The Eternals inspired the Greek gods with characters names Ikaris -> Icarus, Thena -> Athena, and Sersi the enchantress (yes, THE Circe).
Now, the story in interesting with the Deviants being treacherous and sneaky taking on the Eternals. Other the Warlord Kro (one deviant leader) and high priest Ghaur (the other), the deviants are very cookie-cutter, there to get blasted by the hundred. As a group, they have little impetous. The only time they do something is at the behest of someone else: whether a priest, Kro, or an Eternal.
Even the Eternals are bland. Ikaris does have some personality and backstory but he just acts and does his thing without thinking about anyone else. Their powers are rather bland and unclear. In all, this felt like a bunch of NPCs doing something and me caring because I'm told I should care. For immortals, the Eternals don't do much more than lounge around. They have no real goals, no plans. Heck Ikaris is a pro-wrestler at the start of the story.
The one character that is interesting, is Warlord Kro. He is clever and devious. However, he is never allowed to shine truly. It's like there is such a big group of under-developed characters trying to not over-step each other and not outshine anyone. They are just... There.
So, in essence, we get a bad Superman story with plot holes and characters that don't matter: they didn't matter to the Marvel Universe before. And they don't matter after.
The art is fine and very much has that classic Jack Kirby look and feel. It's not as good as many of today's work but efficient to the story. For the first half, the story seems to go nowhere and the last half somebody seems to have gone "Crap! We need to finish this!" And the plot hurries along. It is not until issue #9 that what is going on really begins to take shape and not just have characters jumping back and forth.
So much so that by the end, I wanted to see the West Coast Avengers do something... Not the Eternals...
For a rating, I would go to a 2.25, which by my rules round down to a 2, which seems a little low but I can live with it.
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