Ivar, Timewalker #1 is a new series published by Valiant Comics and written by Fred Van Lente about a time-travelling adventurer on his latest mission. He’s the eldest of an ancient clan of adventurers, and he uses naturally occurring time portals to traverse through different time periods on Earth. This issue opens up in Doctor Neela Sethi’s lab on the cusp of her inventing time-travel. Ivar shows up at her doorstep and warns her that her life is in danger and there are people after her. When she asks him why he says it’s because her experiment actually works and she invents time-travel. Thinking he’s just a deranged person familiar with her work, she knocks him out and calls security to come get him. However when security arrives they transform into strange beings and try to take Neela with them. But Ivar recovers and is able to defeat them so they can get away safely. Well, actually they have to jump through a time portal where they’re transported to another time period but they can’t stay for long or they’ll be trapped forever.  Who are these mysterious beings after Neela, and if she invented time travel then how is it possible for others to attack her prior to her inventing it? So can she trust Ivar?

Time travel can be a tricky thing. And using it in stories can be even trickier. Sometimes it can serve as a deus ex machina conveniently retroconning poorly constructed stories or can make a mess of a story with all its changing variables. Ivar, Timewalker #1 is in a tricky situation because its entire premise is time travel. So the start of this issue throws the reader into its world similarly to Neela’s introduction to time travel courtesy of Ivar, so the initial excitement is due to the mysterious pursuers after Neela and what they could want. And Ivar was shown as a capable adventurer one step ahead of these pursuers and experienced in his method of time-travel. And a taste of how this series treats time travel was given when the two of them were transported to the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and Neela was worried about her actions making a drastic change in history as they rushed to the next time portal. It was entertaining to see how Ivar made his actions reflect historical events even if he did change them. But what was really interesting was the way different methods of time travel was introduced, opening up an intriguing mystery about Neela’s form of time travel and why the Prometheans were after her. And I find the mention of the 4th and 5th dimensions exciting in the context they were used. Unlike Ivar and Neela time traveling back and forth, the story moves forward smoothly setting the stage for an entertaining chain of events with a shocking twist at the end. I appreciated how it didn’t feel gimmicky but actually plausible in the context of everything that happened this issue. And as a result it made this series use of time travel more intriguing, and the characters as well. And so I’m looking forward, or backwards, to learning more about Ivar’s true intentions and what lies ahead for him and Neela.

SUMMARY

Ivar, Timewalker #1 is a great start to the series building up an intriguing story complete with entertaining characters whose motives are more than one-dimensional. The use of time travel only enhanced the series of events and didn’t feel gimmicky at any point. Instead it increases the potential in the story while introducing the tantalizing idea of various forms of time travel. The interactions between Ivar and Neela felt slightly flighty at times with Neela storming off in different time periods. However, the big revelation at the end made everything more interesting as the possibilities all suggest exciting events ahead. And I’m all for that.

Release Date: 1/21/15

Writer: Fred Van Lente

Artist: Clayton Henry