I grabbed the second to last one of these off the shelf at my local shop, and I am really glad that I did.

The story centers on a young boy who reads comics, which is not unlike Millars' other book KICK ASS, but completly different in tone. The story follows the boy through interactions with comic shop guys, step-dad, Dad, best friend, mother and super villians. So far the story could be compared to a movie like ET, meaning a touch of the fantastic while being grounded by a serious real life situation. The effect is a really good book. I normally like, not love, Millar books. But 1985 and KICK ASS have a much more personal feel to them than any other book I've read by Millar.  I will concede that I was 12 in 1985 which is around the age of the main character in 1985, but also doubt this is an accident. These books are different than his work on The Ultimates, and Ultimate X-Men, and in a really exciting way. Millar has found a couple of  interesting ways to tell stories that directly speak to the average comic book reader, but in no way excludes the non-fanboy. Most impressive.

The art is great by Tommy Lee Edwards. I don't know if I have seen his work before, but thought it worked really good in this. Our main connection to the book is the character of the boy, and the artist pulls you in through lots of close ups on his eyes. It works very well, and is maybe more effective than the good writing. Our "real" world, that the story is taking place in, is fun to see, and the backgrounds are really good as well.

In a week that had a lot of books, I read this one a few times which is a good sign.  I doubt it will get as much attention as the big hitters this week, but it really is worth considering.