The past actions of Kronus, the Traveler, culminate in strong, dramatic science fiction. The story begins with Ronald Lessik, researcher of Unified Field Theory, rushing to the lab but encountering impediment after impediment. Kronus is one of those impediments, and up to this point, you haven’t a clue how this story will pan out.
As revealed in previous issues, Kronus is really the older version of Lessik, but we didn’t know the rationale behind Kronus’ feats of heroism. Was he really trying to prevent Julia Martin’s death? Was he attempting to stop the mysterious Big Bad last issue? Was he trying to prevent disaster? Was he trying to preserve the timeline or perpetuate a new one? What indeed motivated the older Lessik? Waid answers all and sets up the story for future issues.
Artists Chad Hardin and Blond saturate the Traveler in a riveting optical feast. They orchestrate superb “special effects” representing a collision of physical forces, and they direct outstanding emotional moments. In fact, I’ve never seen a more believable scene of regret and loss than the one shared by two characters in The Traveler.
This edgy time travel story that functions on the simple premise of a man’s extraordinary love for a woman deserves far more readers. If you haven’t picked up the comic book, an ideal format for this series, buy the trade.