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Prodigy #1
Prodigy: The Evil Earth
Edison Crane isn’t content being the world’s smartest man and most successful businessman—his brilliant mind needs to be constantly challenged. He’s a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, a genius composer, an Olympic athlete, and an expert in the occult, and now international governments are calling on him to fix problems they just can’t handle.
Collects Prodigy 1-6.
Collects Prodigy 1-6.
168 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2019
16 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
About the author
Mark Millar
1,512 books2,564 followersMark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
November 29, 2025
(B-) 71% | Satisfactory
Notes: Ta-das and smirks, it shows no work, exuding zero flair, connects no dots, just highlight shots, a nothing-there affair.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #1-3 ◦ Issues #4-6
Notes: Ta-das and smirks, it shows no work, exuding zero flair, connects no dots, just highlight shots, a nothing-there affair.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #1-3 ◦ Issues #4-6
June 19, 2019
Edison Crane’s wicked smaht. Then aliens want to invade and Satanic cult and Mark Millar really likes Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade and crap. Edison beats em all and whatever.
Prodigy is another Millarworld turkey from the turkeymeister general. Having a protagonist who is beyond overpowered is so boring to read. Absolutely nothing phases this guy and any obstacle in his way is effortlessly dealt with. I’m surprised that if Edison is so supremely intelligent and egalitarian that there are any problems whatsoever left in his world - surely if he was that brilliant a problem solver that his Earth would be a paradise?
The story read almost exactly like The Last Crusade to me but it’s much less interesting when you have a flawless protagonist instead of the flawed, yet likeable, Indy. And I didn’t really like Edison much. He’s soooo insufferably boastful and arrogant. Sample line:
“I’ve written three plays, designed a new telecommunications system and invented a polymer that keeps food fresh for a century. I also grew the company thirty percent last night.”
And he goes on like that throughout the book. It’s not even that impressive, it’s just what an unimaginative person would think a conventionally intelligent person would do if they were extra brainy.
The villains are so cartoonishly evil even by Millar’s laughably OTT standards. They’re called The Brotherhood of the Dragon and their base is The Castle of Darkness where they worship Satan and shoot children! I mean… wow. There’s just no artistic subtlety or any effort of making the villains anything more than the easy to hate bad guys. Such lazy writing.
I liked that Edison got out of one sticky situation by appealing to the hired goons’ humanity rather than simply shooting them (which he did most of the time), and using his memory to memorize an entire building’s wall symbols by barrelling through it before it ‘sploded was imaginative. Rafael Albuquerque’s art is really great too.
For a book about a clever dude though Prodigy is pretty dumb and reads more like something for kids - it’s that simplistic. Another hacky half-assed effort from Mark Millar.
Prodigy is another Millarworld turkey from the turkeymeister general. Having a protagonist who is beyond overpowered is so boring to read. Absolutely nothing phases this guy and any obstacle in his way is effortlessly dealt with. I’m surprised that if Edison is so supremely intelligent and egalitarian that there are any problems whatsoever left in his world - surely if he was that brilliant a problem solver that his Earth would be a paradise?
The story read almost exactly like The Last Crusade to me but it’s much less interesting when you have a flawless protagonist instead of the flawed, yet likeable, Indy. And I didn’t really like Edison much. He’s soooo insufferably boastful and arrogant. Sample line:
“I’ve written three plays, designed a new telecommunications system and invented a polymer that keeps food fresh for a century. I also grew the company thirty percent last night.”
And he goes on like that throughout the book. It’s not even that impressive, it’s just what an unimaginative person would think a conventionally intelligent person would do if they were extra brainy.
The villains are so cartoonishly evil even by Millar’s laughably OTT standards. They’re called The Brotherhood of the Dragon and their base is The Castle of Darkness where they worship Satan and shoot children! I mean… wow. There’s just no artistic subtlety or any effort of making the villains anything more than the easy to hate bad guys. Such lazy writing.
I liked that Edison got out of one sticky situation by appealing to the hired goons’ humanity rather than simply shooting them (which he did most of the time), and using his memory to memorize an entire building’s wall symbols by barrelling through it before it ‘sploded was imaginative. Rafael Albuquerque’s art is really great too.
For a book about a clever dude though Prodigy is pretty dumb and reads more like something for kids - it’s that simplistic. Another hacky half-assed effort from Mark Millar.
July 11, 2022
This was easy to breeze through but it wasn't very entertaining. The hero is the smartest person in the world. He's so far ahead of everyone else he's already won before he even starts. There's just not much interesting about a flawless protagonist. On top of that, the villains are so over the top maniacal that it was hard to take them seriously. I'm surprised their leader didn't twirl his mustache as they hunt down children for sport. Rafael Albuquerque's art was fantastic though.
September 4, 2019
Mark Millar is a pro’s pro (though fortunately not a bro’s bro—at least I don’t think he is—or a schmoe’s schmoe, though he could be a ho’s toe, which would be unfortunate for him, as it would mean he’d have to occasionally enter the mouth of a lusty gentleman with a foot fetish; now that 78% of those reading this have thrown up in their mouths and 22% of you are now uncomfortably aroused, let’s just move on).
He knows how to set up and pace a story. The first issue of Prodigy is a master class in who/what/when/where/why/how. The art is stellar throughout, and, cover to cover, it’s a fast-paced, entertaining read.
So, why three stars?
Well, let me ask you this—when’s the last time you heard something like, “Ah, yes. I remember it will. In fact, I’ll never forget it. Thailand, January of 1989—I had just suffered the worst breakup of my life, which had happened on Christmas Eve, and after dealing with the familial fallout from that very public and messy scene—the details of which are better left unsaid, if only for reasons of propriety—I decided that a journey to Phuket was in order, both to get some space and to try to reconcile my feelings not only about the woman, but about the way it ended. I’d picked up a pack of gum at a bustling stall in the market in Phuket City and had retired to the bungalow I’d rented, content to gaze out over the Andaman Sea and ponder deep ponderings. I reached absently into my pocket and withdrew the pack of gum—watermelon Bubblicious, though I’d paid no attention at the time, so busy was I wallowing in the misery of my broken heart—and popped a piece into my mouth. My jaw worked of its own accord, muscle memory accumulated over the course of decades and thousands of pieces chewed taking over, and my thoughts drifted back to her, the one, my own Irene Adler. Slowly, I began to work the gum into more malleable form as I wondered whether it was truly over, whether there was a chance for reconciliation, and, without thinking, I began to work up a bubble. But, not just any bubble mind you—a bubble that would become the biggest I had ever blown. And when that bubble popped, leaving its sticky residue all over my face and infesting my beard in such a way that it would take weeks before I could run my fingers through it without them getting stuck. With the concussive force of that explosion, my thoughts snapped into place, and I knew the answer. I knew exactly what I had to do—not just to win her back, but to cure cancer, feed starving orphans, and solve climate change. I chewed my gum vigorously and voraciously, never more alive than I was in that moment, and I leaped to my feet, a renewed and recharged man with both the energy and the wherewithal to change the world. And that, my friend, is how I became the savior of humanity and history’s greatest lover, and why I still carry that chewed piece of gum with me everywhere I go today, bronzed and tucked into a special compartment in my wallet, for it was truly the greatest piece of gum I ever chewed and I owe everything to it.”
I’ll answer for you—except for one contrarian jackass who’s going to post something like that in the comments below, you have NEVER heard ANYONE ever talk about their favorite piece of bubblegum because, while enjoyable for the first three minutes of its consumption, you never, EVER think about that particular piece again after you spit it out.
And that’s Prodigy. It’s bubblegum. Sure, I’ll chew another piece, but I don’t think this first volume will cross my mind again until I have the next pack in hand, you know?
That’s why three stars.
He knows how to set up and pace a story. The first issue of Prodigy is a master class in who/what/when/where/why/how. The art is stellar throughout, and, cover to cover, it’s a fast-paced, entertaining read.
So, why three stars?
Well, let me ask you this—when’s the last time you heard something like, “Ah, yes. I remember it will. In fact, I’ll never forget it. Thailand, January of 1989—I had just suffered the worst breakup of my life, which had happened on Christmas Eve, and after dealing with the familial fallout from that very public and messy scene—the details of which are better left unsaid, if only for reasons of propriety—I decided that a journey to Phuket was in order, both to get some space and to try to reconcile my feelings not only about the woman, but about the way it ended. I’d picked up a pack of gum at a bustling stall in the market in Phuket City and had retired to the bungalow I’d rented, content to gaze out over the Andaman Sea and ponder deep ponderings. I reached absently into my pocket and withdrew the pack of gum—watermelon Bubblicious, though I’d paid no attention at the time, so busy was I wallowing in the misery of my broken heart—and popped a piece into my mouth. My jaw worked of its own accord, muscle memory accumulated over the course of decades and thousands of pieces chewed taking over, and my thoughts drifted back to her, the one, my own Irene Adler. Slowly, I began to work the gum into more malleable form as I wondered whether it was truly over, whether there was a chance for reconciliation, and, without thinking, I began to work up a bubble. But, not just any bubble mind you—a bubble that would become the biggest I had ever blown. And when that bubble popped, leaving its sticky residue all over my face and infesting my beard in such a way that it would take weeks before I could run my fingers through it without them getting stuck. With the concussive force of that explosion, my thoughts snapped into place, and I knew the answer. I knew exactly what I had to do—not just to win her back, but to cure cancer, feed starving orphans, and solve climate change. I chewed my gum vigorously and voraciously, never more alive than I was in that moment, and I leaped to my feet, a renewed and recharged man with both the energy and the wherewithal to change the world. And that, my friend, is how I became the savior of humanity and history’s greatest lover, and why I still carry that chewed piece of gum with me everywhere I go today, bronzed and tucked into a special compartment in my wallet, for it was truly the greatest piece of gum I ever chewed and I owe everything to it.”
I’ll answer for you—except for one contrarian jackass who’s going to post something like that in the comments below, you have NEVER heard ANYONE ever talk about their favorite piece of bubblegum because, while enjoyable for the first three minutes of its consumption, you never, EVER think about that particular piece again after you spit it out.
And that’s Prodigy. It’s bubblegum. Sure, I’ll chew another piece, but I don’t think this first volume will cross my mind again until I have the next pack in hand, you know?
That’s why three stars.
March 17, 2025
So this is basically the anti-Nemesis, and he has about as much personality as him.
January 12, 2025
Reread: 12/1/2025
Its a fun read this time around. Like when I first read it I wasn't the biggest fan and now I enjoyed it with over the top action and seeing this guy trying to solve an ancient conspiracy and how it connects to invasion by an alternate earth and I like how they tie in so many mythological stories and yeah its cheesy but still it makes for a fun read and the character is way over the top but yk what maybe its because of that it works. This larger than life character obv. fictional but still some fun scenes of chase and action and obviously the double agent twist but this time around I liked how it ended. The art was good and made for a fun time read when I am reading it today!
_________________________________________________________________
Edison Crane is the smartest man in the world. In his childhood he learnt so many things and he watched all of the great fighters and defeated bullies, performed surgeries on his friends or whatnot and in the present he is doing chess while also doing dangerous stunts and he has to work on a problem regarding an asteroid thats gonna hit earth, meanwhile he has to team up with CIA Agent Rachel Straks and stop invasion from an alternate evil earth and a secret cult called "Brotherhood of the dragon" meanwhile they have to go through Russia, underground secret Indian temples and in the end perform dangerous stunts and save this earth.
Its a predictable story by the end and is an amalgamation of all the popular characters you can think of and has action moments sure picked from Indiana Jones or even John wick like stunts and the whole parallel earth invasion is cool but it just is that. No relatability to the character because he is OP, I didn't find any reason to connect with the character and then there is the whole things happening too quick because he is a prodigy and can solve any problem. Its cool if you think of it as a cheesy 90s hollywood flick with not much going on. It might be a better movie maybe but overall its okayish and a one time read, not Millar's greatest work.
Its a fun read this time around. Like when I first read it I wasn't the biggest fan and now I enjoyed it with over the top action and seeing this guy trying to solve an ancient conspiracy and how it connects to invasion by an alternate earth and I like how they tie in so many mythological stories and yeah its cheesy but still it makes for a fun read and the character is way over the top but yk what maybe its because of that it works. This larger than life character obv. fictional but still some fun scenes of chase and action and obviously the double agent twist but this time around I liked how it ended. The art was good and made for a fun time read when I am reading it today!
_________________________________________________________________
Edison Crane is the smartest man in the world. In his childhood he learnt so many things and he watched all of the great fighters and defeated bullies, performed surgeries on his friends or whatnot and in the present he is doing chess while also doing dangerous stunts and he has to work on a problem regarding an asteroid thats gonna hit earth, meanwhile he has to team up with CIA Agent Rachel Straks and stop invasion from an alternate evil earth and a secret cult called "Brotherhood of the dragon" meanwhile they have to go through Russia, underground secret Indian temples and in the end perform dangerous stunts and save this earth.
Its a predictable story by the end and is an amalgamation of all the popular characters you can think of and has action moments sure picked from Indiana Jones or even John wick like stunts and the whole parallel earth invasion is cool but it just is that. No relatability to the character because he is OP, I didn't find any reason to connect with the character and then there is the whole things happening too quick because he is a prodigy and can solve any problem. Its cool if you think of it as a cheesy 90s hollywood flick with not much going on. It might be a better movie maybe but overall its okayish and a one time read, not Millar's greatest work.
June 17, 2019
Just as I began writing this I looked up something regarding Warren Ellis' Simon Spector. I was really going to compare Edison Crane and Simon Spector, and then I began to wonder if Spector inspired Crane.
The two are amazingly similar. Both are extremely intelligent and based off of how they are drawn African-American Men. Spector was inspired by Ellis wanting to do a modern take on the pulps (Spector was a Holmes/Doc Savage pastiche if you will). Crane comes across as very pulp inspired, and Crane is very much in the Doc Savage adventurer/fight evil mode.
With all of that out of the way, this was a very entertaining read because so few writers are able to pull off the pulp feel, even if they are doing a pastiche. If Spector inspired Crane so be it. Millar elected to do six issues, whereas Ellis only did one (yay, because I did enjoy all six issues).
It has been a long time since I've enjoyed a character who is essentially perfect at everything and solves six impossible problems before 9 a.m. Here, the problem propelling the story forward is an invasion of Earth from another dimension (there is more happening beside that).
Turn off your brain, grab some popcorn and enjoy the ride.
(read as digital floppies).
The two are amazingly similar. Both are extremely intelligent and based off of how they are drawn African-American Men. Spector was inspired by Ellis wanting to do a modern take on the pulps (Spector was a Holmes/Doc Savage pastiche if you will). Crane comes across as very pulp inspired, and Crane is very much in the Doc Savage adventurer/fight evil mode.
With all of that out of the way, this was a very entertaining read because so few writers are able to pull off the pulp feel, even if they are doing a pastiche. If Spector inspired Crane so be it. Millar elected to do six issues, whereas Ellis only did one (yay, because I did enjoy all six issues).
It has been a long time since I've enjoyed a character who is essentially perfect at everything and solves six impossible problems before 9 a.m. Here, the problem propelling the story forward is an invasion of Earth from another dimension (there is more happening beside that).
Turn off your brain, grab some popcorn and enjoy the ride.
(read as digital floppies).
January 9, 2021
Some consider The DaVinci Code to be a dumbed-down version of Foucault's Pendulum and the Nicholas Cage movie National Treasure to be a dumbed-down version of The DaVinci Code. And now Mark Milllar has dumbed down National Treasure for comics.
Edison Crane is your average billionaire / super genius / Evil Knievel stuntman who is simultaneously trying to save the world from an asteroid, play seven games of chess and land his next spectacular jump when he unexpectedly gets pulled into a globe-spanning hunt for ancient clues to thwart a centuries-long conspiracy to abet an inter-dimensional invasion. Yup.
Millar keeps it zipping along at breakneck speed and loads it up with action scenes galore, but all that cannot distract from this being total bullshit. I suppose one could view it all as satirical, over-the-top send-up if one wanted to be generous, but having waded through the whole damn insufferable thing, I cannot find such generosity in myself.
Edison Crane is your average billionaire / super genius / Evil Knievel stuntman who is simultaneously trying to save the world from an asteroid, play seven games of chess and land his next spectacular jump when he unexpectedly gets pulled into a globe-spanning hunt for ancient clues to thwart a centuries-long conspiracy to abet an inter-dimensional invasion. Yup.
Millar keeps it zipping along at breakneck speed and loads it up with action scenes galore, but all that cannot distract from this being total bullshit. I suppose one could view it all as satirical, over-the-top send-up if one wanted to be generous, but having waded through the whole damn insufferable thing, I cannot find such generosity in myself.
June 12, 2019
This is a book about a villain trying to bring about an alien invasion from a parallel Earth. And yet the only true evil alien invader here is Mark Millar. All I can ask is that Mark stops writing comics and retires on the bundles of money he's already made with his horrible power-fantasy drivel.
All you need to understand why this is horrible is the fact that the main character is a super-mega-ultra genius who can solve all of the world's problems and is never wrong. There are NO stakes. There is NO danger. It's just Millar going "what if a superhero but even more overpowered? wow, wouldn't that be interesting? bring me my crayons!".
At least Albuquerque is still a masterful artist and I'm sure he's getting a juicy payout on this so, yay, good for him.
All you need to understand why this is horrible is the fact that the main character is a super-mega-ultra genius who can solve all of the world's problems and is never wrong. There are NO stakes. There is NO danger. It's just Millar going "what if a superhero but even more overpowered? wow, wouldn't that be interesting? bring me my crayons!".
At least Albuquerque is still a masterful artist and I'm sure he's getting a juicy payout on this so, yay, good for him.
June 13, 2019
Sure, there's a bit of fun in seeing what Millar can come up with as far as showing how much of a genius Crane is, but who cares, ultimately? When there are no stakes, no tension, because the guy's unbeatable? And Millar, man, speaking as a fan, you've gotta break free of this formula you've been repeating for how many books now. Set up world, waste 2 issues on red herrings, a betrayal, and then a twist where the hero had it in the bag all along. At least Albuquerque's art is pretty. But I want hungry something-to-prove Millar, not lazy complacent Millar secure in his Netflix bucks trying to dole out franchises. Please. Challenge yourself. If you're going to get some of the world's best artists and take over half a year of their lives, do something great! Shoot for the moon!
March 25, 2023
Edison Crane is the smartest man in the room.
Every room.
Always.
I did read this because a volume 2 came out and you know this seems vaguely familiar.
And that's my review....fun but sort of familiar.
Every room.
Always.
I did read this because a volume 2 came out and you know this seems vaguely familiar.
And that's my review....fun but sort of familiar.
June 24, 2019
Rating: 2.5/5
Blurb: Prodigious characters trapped within a pedestrian story.
Edison Crane's story as the eponymous 'Prodigy' struck a chord with me in the early issues because he seemed like the crystallization (albeit an exaggerated crystallization) of every boyhood-fantasy that I've ever had. And I have no doubt it was a similar case for other readers. Edison is brilliant, resourceful, arrogant, cocky and yet, he possesses a humility that is often missing in characters such as he. Mark Millar has succeeded in providing us with a protagonist who despite his cliched qualities doesn't cloy the reading-palette and that is the only reason that I've given this series the rating that I did. While the protagonist is interesting, the plot was rather lackluster.
To me, the whole story read like an unholy amalgamation of Avengers: Endgame & Indiana Jones with an Ozymandias-esque protagonist cutting an effortless swathe through the various obstacles that lie before him. It quickly became predictable and boring, with the only saving grace being the art, which I enjoyed.
All in all, I felt that Prodigy was an interesting pitch for what could be a very entertaining series. However, the series would benefit immensely in my opinion if it gave us more insight into the size of Edison Crane's heart and not the size of his cranium.
Blurb: Prodigious characters trapped within a pedestrian story.
Edison Crane's story as the eponymous 'Prodigy' struck a chord with me in the early issues because he seemed like the crystallization (albeit an exaggerated crystallization) of every boyhood-fantasy that I've ever had. And I have no doubt it was a similar case for other readers. Edison is brilliant, resourceful, arrogant, cocky and yet, he possesses a humility that is often missing in characters such as he. Mark Millar has succeeded in providing us with a protagonist who despite his cliched qualities doesn't cloy the reading-palette and that is the only reason that I've given this series the rating that I did. While the protagonist is interesting, the plot was rather lackluster.
To me, the whole story read like an unholy amalgamation of Avengers: Endgame & Indiana Jones with an Ozymandias-esque protagonist cutting an effortless swathe through the various obstacles that lie before him. It quickly became predictable and boring, with the only saving grace being the art, which I enjoyed.
All in all, I felt that Prodigy was an interesting pitch for what could be a very entertaining series. However, the series would benefit immensely in my opinion if it gave us more insight into the size of Edison Crane's heart and not the size of his cranium.
July 11, 2019
The first couple of issues were pretty good. Especially when the two kids are playing together. Pretty funny. But really at the end of the day, like many mark Millar comics, the story lacks depth. The ending is always absurd and crazy and world-threatening, it it's action packed. But there's no depth to the characters or the story. I like the comics. They are fun. But they don't offer anything beyond the obvious.
September 11, 2019
Fun, action-packed adventure with gorgeous art by Rafael Albuquerque, funny/clever dialogues, interesting adversary and nice plot twists. 3,5*
December 17, 2019
For a book starring the smartest man in the world, Prodigy is aggressively dumb. And that's kinda fine! Prodigy knows exactly what it is and it gives you that and nothing more - explosions, globe-trotting, ludicrous villains, and a character who consistently performs impossible feats. Sure, stakes are low because it's clear Edison Crane can not die, but watching him not die is pretty fun.
Rafael Albuquerque's artwork continues to be stellar and really the main reason to pick up Prodigy. Mark Millar's storytelling skills never veer very far from the Michael Bay camp - Crane repeatedly performs absurd driving stunts because he's bored (and because it looks cool). Sure! Whatever! As long as he fends off an invasion from an alternate Earth by the end of the book, I don't really care how we get there.
Rafael Albuquerque's artwork continues to be stellar and really the main reason to pick up Prodigy. Mark Millar's storytelling skills never veer very far from the Michael Bay camp - Crane repeatedly performs absurd driving stunts because he's bored (and because it looks cool). Sure! Whatever! As long as he fends off an invasion from an alternate Earth by the end of the book, I don't really care how we get there.
April 20, 2020
High octane action- adventure from the imagination of Mark Millar. Main character Edison Crane is a mash-up of Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Indiana Jones and Doc Savage. Only he can handle multiple world threats at the same time. So much fun, a real delight to read. The art is the best I've seen from Albuquerque. Highly recommended.
February 10, 2023
Silly, but fun. Well drawn.
July 16, 2021
Nihilistic writer Mark Millar created a positive character that I liked! While the villains are still ultra-violent sadistic monsters, at least they weren't the heroes of this narrative.
August 5, 2019
My favorite sub genre of fiction is stories about what it would be like to be extremely intelligent, written by idiots. When I saw that Mark Millar, a college dropout, has written just such a story I had to locate a copy as soon as possible. This book did not disappoint! You can make a checklist of all the things that dummies think smart people like, opera, classical music, chess, etc. and you can be assured that the character will do most to all of these things.
Just starting at the cover we have the hero holding a book and a gun, surrounded by “math”, a chess board, a violin, and a large number of books with the spines facing away from the viewer so that the artist wouldn’t have to actually know what kind of books might be read by an intellectual. I hope they make a poster of this beautiful nonsense!
Nearly every page there is something that makes no sense, or doesn’t work as portrayed. Nearly every decision is not something an actual intelligent person would do. Can you imagine Albert Einstein jumping the Grand Canon on a motorcycle? Some of my favorites included talking underwater, traveling anywhere with the assumption that he wouldn’t be recognized by every person, and relying on others to perform at a precision timing for idiotic schemes (twice jumping out of buildings onto moving vehicles). It should go without saying that Millar has no idea how the brain works. Our hero was so dumb that he performed open heart surgery on his friend in his bedroom with no medical equipment, nor even gloves! JUST FUCKING THINK ABOUT THAT! He would be in jail for practicing medicine without a license! And of course there is the genre requirement of using a super brain to make money gambling.
Multiple times in the story, he details people’s life story just by looking at them. Now Millar most likely got this idea from Sherlock Holmes, but Doyle explains how he does this “you can tell a lot about a man for the knee of his pant leg.” Here our hero is just omniscient. No explanation is needed. It’s the same device,but used by an obviously less talented writer.
The plot is generic, the villains laughable, and the end insulting. I gave it one star, but I could just a soon give it one million!
Just starting at the cover we have the hero holding a book and a gun, surrounded by “math”, a chess board, a violin, and a large number of books with the spines facing away from the viewer so that the artist wouldn’t have to actually know what kind of books might be read by an intellectual. I hope they make a poster of this beautiful nonsense!
Nearly every page there is something that makes no sense, or doesn’t work as portrayed. Nearly every decision is not something an actual intelligent person would do. Can you imagine Albert Einstein jumping the Grand Canon on a motorcycle? Some of my favorites included talking underwater, traveling anywhere with the assumption that he wouldn’t be recognized by every person, and relying on others to perform at a precision timing for idiotic schemes (twice jumping out of buildings onto moving vehicles). It should go without saying that Millar has no idea how the brain works. Our hero was so dumb that he performed open heart surgery on his friend in his bedroom with no medical equipment, nor even gloves! JUST FUCKING THINK ABOUT THAT! He would be in jail for practicing medicine without a license! And of course there is the genre requirement of using a super brain to make money gambling.
Multiple times in the story, he details people’s life story just by looking at them. Now Millar most likely got this idea from Sherlock Holmes, but Doyle explains how he does this “you can tell a lot about a man for the knee of his pant leg.” Here our hero is just omniscient. No explanation is needed. It’s the same device,but used by an obviously less talented writer.
The plot is generic, the villains laughable, and the end insulting. I gave it one star, but I could just a soon give it one million!
October 1, 2019
Eu havia lido a primeira edição - distribuída gratuitamente na CCXP do ano passado no estande da Netflix - de Prodígio e havia gostado muito da premissa. Mas lendo esse quadrinho me parece que a fórmula de Mark Millar de fazer personagens fodões com explosões e momentos chocantes fodões e com sensos de moral fodões está dando no saco. Além disso tudo o quadrinho tem outra marca de estilo de Millar que é inserir bem no final de tudo, um deus ex machina que muda toda a situação do jogo estabelecido por aqui. Mas o companheiro artístico de Millar em suas empreitadas também conta bastante. Aqui neste Prodígio a arte fica a cargo do gaúcho Rafael Albuquerque, que também desenvolve um trabalho incrível na primeira edição e depois decai um monte nas edições seguintes. Esses fatores tornam os trabalhos da dupla nesse Prodígio menos admiráveis, ou ainda, menos prodigiosos como gostam de divulgá-los. Comparar este trabalho com Huck, outro trabalho dos dois, daria uma bela análise que eu não vou fazer, mas recomendaria a vocês tentarem estabelecer os paralelos entre a engenhosidade de uma obra e a simplicidade de outra.
July 27, 2020
Me gusto la historia tenía su toque de misterio que te hace leer más, el personaje está bien estructurado aunque la verdad fue un personaje un poco Molesto, pero a la vez atractivo, una buena historia.
Edison es el hombre más inteligente del mundo, desde pequeño demostró sus habilidades , sin embargo su padre lo creía un desobligado y su única herencia fue un dólar pero ėl demostró que era muy capaz pues de ahí creo su fortuna millonaria.
Siempre es solicitado por los gobiernos para ayudarlo a solucionar problemas que van desde una ópera hasta salvar el planeta de un asteroide. Sin embargo ahora está en una misión misteriosa que involucra apariciones de automóviles de lo que parece una dimensión alterna.
Edison es el hombre más inteligente del mundo, desde pequeño demostró sus habilidades , sin embargo su padre lo creía un desobligado y su única herencia fue un dólar pero ėl demostró que era muy capaz pues de ahí creo su fortuna millonaria.
Siempre es solicitado por los gobiernos para ayudarlo a solucionar problemas que van desde una ópera hasta salvar el planeta de un asteroide. Sin embargo ahora está en una misión misteriosa que involucra apariciones de automóviles de lo que parece una dimensión alterna.
January 16, 2020
The main character is so over-the-top it hurts. Think Indiana Jones's risk-taking, but with none of Harrison Ford's humorous delivery of every single line, combined with Sherlock Holmes's deductive skills and Hannibal Lecter's memory palace thrown in. He may not be as likable as the ones I've just mentioned because he leans too much toward Lex Luthor, but he certainly gets the job done. The fast pace of the story barely let's you breathe between bombastic action scenes as the main character escapes some hairy situations.
Edison Crane is the greatest genius the world has ever seen. He can solve any problem and grows up to world renown. A series of freak occurences leads him to believe that a parallel universe is working on invading the Earth. CIA agent Rachel Straks warns him of a conspiracy that is working in favor of the invasion. Edison and Rachel take a trip around the world to uncover some of the best-held secrets in history to save the Earth.
Edison Crane is the greatest genius the world has ever seen. He can solve any problem and grows up to world renown. A series of freak occurences leads him to believe that a parallel universe is working on invading the Earth. CIA agent Rachel Straks warns him of a conspiracy that is working in favor of the invasion. Edison and Rachel take a trip around the world to uncover some of the best-held secrets in history to save the Earth.
December 8, 2021
Edison Crane isn't content being the world's smartest man and most successful businessman – his brilliant mind needs to be constantly challenged. He's a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, a genius composer, an Olympic athlete, and an expert in the occult, and now international governments are calling on him to fix problems they just can't handle.
In March 2020 Netflix confirmed that The Prodigy would be included in their future planned movie adaptions from Mark Millar's books, so having known nothing about this I wanted to give it a go.
Sadly, I felt this was an incredibly average read and I just could not warm to the main character, Edison Crane. I just couldn't shake the fact that he appears as a more arrogant James Bond knock-off, but lacking all the charm that comes with 007.
That said, I get how difficult this story must have been to write. How can you generate an exciting plot when the protagonist is literally ten steps ahead of everyone at all times and just can't be beaten!?! It really doesn't strike the necessary concern in the reader to drive this along for the most part because you're always thinking, "Oh well, he's that smart, he's got this".
I read the paperback here and I will say it's a gorgeous one! The pages are some of the most glossy I have ever seen and the artwork is absolutely second to none, but unfortunately all this just bolsters the view that this looks better than it actually reads.
As a note here, and for those interested, the Netflix movie adaption will have Kaz Firpo and Ryan Firpo writing the script.
In March 2020 Netflix confirmed that The Prodigy would be included in their future planned movie adaptions from Mark Millar's books, so having known nothing about this I wanted to give it a go.
Sadly, I felt this was an incredibly average read and I just could not warm to the main character, Edison Crane. I just couldn't shake the fact that he appears as a more arrogant James Bond knock-off, but lacking all the charm that comes with 007.
That said, I get how difficult this story must have been to write. How can you generate an exciting plot when the protagonist is literally ten steps ahead of everyone at all times and just can't be beaten!?! It really doesn't strike the necessary concern in the reader to drive this along for the most part because you're always thinking, "Oh well, he's that smart, he's got this".
I read the paperback here and I will say it's a gorgeous one! The pages are some of the most glossy I have ever seen and the artwork is absolutely second to none, but unfortunately all this just bolsters the view that this looks better than it actually reads.
As a note here, and for those interested, the Netflix movie adaption will have Kaz Firpo and Ryan Firpo writing the script.
November 11, 2019
Béčko urvané ze řetězu.
Millar napsal další jednohubku na jedno přečtení a zahození. Jednohubku plnou akce a humorných situací a stejně tak plnou všemožných klišé a občasných cringe scén. Jednohubku s hlavním hrdinou, který přijede do akce, opře si svou motorku o Bonda a ukáže mu, jak se to dělá. S hrdinou, který se nudí i ve chvíli, kdy hraje šachy proti sbírce světových šampionů a u toho počítá, jak odvrátit asteroid, který míří k zemi a hrozí, že ji zničí.
Ne, nejde to brát vážně. A to je dobře. Protože se aspoň můžete pohodlně usadit a užít si bláznivou jízdu, kde se běhá po světě, bojuje na souši, ve vzduchu i ve vodě a kde se zachraňuje svět, protože je potřeba si trochu protáhnout mozek a tělo po pár dnech beze spánku.
Co téhle zábavné hloupůstce pomáhá je Albuquerqueho kresba, kterého můžu víc a víc. Ale i přes svoje růžové brýle vidím, že v jeho podání to všechno hezky odsýpá a dobře vypadá.
Takhle pod hlavičkou Netflixu snad ještě víc vynikne jak moc tohle vypadá jako něco, co si říká o zfilmování, byť straight-to-Netflix a jako něco, co si pustíte s partou kamarádů s pivkem v ruce.
Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- akceptujete, že na tomhle nemůže být vážně myšlen snad ani jeden řádek
- hledáte akční oddechovku, která se nestydí za to, že je to poctivé béčko
Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- nechcete svůj omezený čtecí čas plýtvat na něco, na co si za týden ani pořádně nevzpomenete
- podle vás podobné věci patří čistě na plátno, aby Nova měla v sobotu večer co vysílat
Millar napsal další jednohubku na jedno přečtení a zahození. Jednohubku plnou akce a humorných situací a stejně tak plnou všemožných klišé a občasných cringe scén. Jednohubku s hlavním hrdinou, který přijede do akce, opře si svou motorku o Bonda a ukáže mu, jak se to dělá. S hrdinou, který se nudí i ve chvíli, kdy hraje šachy proti sbírce světových šampionů a u toho počítá, jak odvrátit asteroid, který míří k zemi a hrozí, že ji zničí.
Ne, nejde to brát vážně. A to je dobře. Protože se aspoň můžete pohodlně usadit a užít si bláznivou jízdu, kde se běhá po světě, bojuje na souši, ve vzduchu i ve vodě a kde se zachraňuje svět, protože je potřeba si trochu protáhnout mozek a tělo po pár dnech beze spánku.
Co téhle zábavné hloupůstce pomáhá je Albuquerqueho kresba, kterého můžu víc a víc. Ale i přes svoje růžové brýle vidím, že v jeho podání to všechno hezky odsýpá a dobře vypadá.
Takhle pod hlavičkou Netflixu snad ještě víc vynikne jak moc tohle vypadá jako něco, co si říká o zfilmování, byť straight-to-Netflix a jako něco, co si pustíte s partou kamarádů s pivkem v ruce.
Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- akceptujete, že na tomhle nemůže být vážně myšlen snad ani jeden řádek
- hledáte akční oddechovku, která se nestydí za to, že je to poctivé béčko
Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- nechcete svůj omezený čtecí čas plýtvat na něco, na co si za týden ani pořádně nevzpomenete
- podle vás podobné věci patří čistě na plátno, aby Nova měla v sobotu večer co vysílat
September 17, 2023
Right is book starts at a quick sprint and you’re introduced to the world’s smartest man through many different tasks and times in his life. Unfortunately, and likely due to the pacing, I didn’t can’t the emotional connection that I typically feel for Millar’s characters. This one was mostly story-driven and while the story was interesting, I never felt like the main character was ever in danger or that things wouldn’t go his way. This one was a bit too predictable.
November 16, 2020
For the most part, it’s a decent ride. But the end reveals bring it down. I imagine it’s hard to write “the smartest man alive” but you don’t have to do it by treating the reader like an idiot.
November 29, 2021
This was fun
June 4, 2024
Son buenos los dibujos y la idea del personaje pero los diálogos por lo menos en español no son buenos y la historia hasta ahorita poco interesante.
July 10, 2025
Pretty good, gotta love, Mark Millar, although I’ve heard his personal views are not great. That being said, I really enjoyed the book it has that comic book feel without extended universe.
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