Marvel Rivals: The Cities of Heaven #1 – Luna Snow’s Insane Concert Rocks K’un-Lun

Sick tunes, Doombots, Luna Snow, and the mystical city of K’un-Lun: what more could you need? In Marvel Rivals: Cities of Heaven #1, we catch up with Luna Snow, booked for an exclusive one-night-only engagement at the Chi Hive Tavern in K’un-Lun. One of Marvel’s greatest pop stars is ready to drop her hits…that is if she can find the place. Along the way, gods, demons, doombots, and bar fights interrupt Luna, seeking to make her performance in this Marvel Rivals tie-in comic.

Creative Team

Featured Creators

Writer: Paul Allor
Artist: Michael Shelfer & Eric Gapstur
Colorist: Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Cover Artist: Nico Leon
Published by Marvel Entertainment

Writing

I really enjoyed Paul Allor’s writing in this comic. They did a really good job blending all the characters and their stories. One minute, Galactica is breaking the 4th wall, and the next, you’re deep into Luna Snow’s story. I love the minor plot twist involving the DoomBot. It had me rolling laughing for a good five minutes. Luna even gets the Star-Lord seal of approval. While Marvel Rivals is a combat-based game, Allor does a great job of making the comic feel much more like an RPG where we go off on different adventures and then something happens.

Perhaps the greatest thing that Allor does in writing this issue is work various Marvel Rivals character into the story in a way that feels like it makes sense. It’s easy when working with a property like Marvel Rivals to just dump characters into the story so that everyone can say “oh my favorite character is in this one” but it’s much harder to incorporate those characters in a way that feels authentic and true to their history. Allor does a beautiful job of giving the reader the characters they expect (and some they don’t) in a way that feels realistic for their character.

Art

Marvel Rivals: The Cities of Heaven sits at a really unique place. On one hand, it’s a comic full of comic characters. On the other hand, it’s a comic book featuring comic characters based on those from a different medium (video games). That creates a unique situation for Shelfer, Cunniffe, and Sabino. They are challenged to create art that still feels like a comic book but maintains the distinctive lines, feel, tone, and shades of the Marvel Rivals video game. Suffice to say, they nail it.

Whether you’re not a huge comic book fan but you love Marvel Rivals, or you’re a major comic book fan who doesn’t play video games, this comic looks beautiful. If your only knowledge of the characters found in the pages is Marvel Rivals, you will instantly recognize those characters within the story. Comic fans, there’s plenty for you as well. The art team managed to still create a beautiful world that is familiar and shows off the characters with the same traits you’re familiar with in lines, designs, and art styles.

Overall: 10/10

As a Marvel Rivals player, I love this book. As a comic book fan, I love this book. The combination of art and writing works really well. The creative team created a comic that feels good if you’re a fan of one, the other, or both when it comes to Marvel Comics and Marvel Rivals.

Until next time, may your pulls be magical and your multiverse remain stable

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