Chrononauts Library Edition

Chrononauts #1-2

by Mark Millar (Writer), Sean Gordon Murphy (Illustrator), Eric Canete (Illustrator)

Astronauts have already conquered space. Now the Chrononauts are about to conquer time with the whole world watching on live television.

A satellite is blasted back through time, beaming hazy pictures home to the present day from the American Civil War. Now it’s time for the first manned mission as Chrononauts Corbin Quinn and Danny Reilly step back into the past on live TV with the whole world watching with bated breath. But of course, it all goes wrong and they find themselves lost in the time-stream and time itself is running out.

This book also contains Corbin and Danny's second adventure, this time blasting into the future and discovering why the human race has never been invaded by time-travellers. This story is about the Professor who taught the boys everything and his terrible secret is jaw-dropping.

Brought to you by the superstar creative teams of Mark Millar (Civil War, Kingsman) and Sean Gordon Murphy (Batman: White Knight), Chrononauts was an enormous hit and bought by Netflix for a live-action adaptation.

For mature audiences.

Collects Chrononauts Volume 1 & Volume 2.

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction

264 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2025

About the author

Mark 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.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included volumes can be found here:
- Chrononauts, Vol. 1
- Chrononauts, Vol. 2

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 1 out of 5]

This might be Millar's worst series - empty characters doing empty things, trying to sell it as if any of it has any emotional meaning (it doesn't). A lot of Millar's work can be annoying, or grating, but Chrononauts doesn't even offer that - it's just a really bland power fantasy.

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)

[AGressl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second storyline (issues 5-8) of this time travel romp somewhat saves this book and bumps it up to a 3/5 (on its own, it might even be a 4/5) with an admittedly not all too original but solid take on the dangers of messing with history in order to improve the future (and also improved art over the first half).

But oohhhh boy, are the first four issues a hot mess. How should I put this? I'm all for suspension of disbelief. I couldn't be an enjoyer of comics, fantasy, and most SF books without it - it sort of comes with the territory.
And yet, what I find hardest to believe about Chrononauts is that these two idiots behaving like drunken frat bros came up with an actual working time machine. One of them conceptualized and built it, the other - whose specialty at MIT was "making things smaller" (his words) - integrated it into a suit a prospective time traveler could wear. Hijinks ensue after their first test run goes awry, and the two decide (apparently just for the lulz) to abandon their billion-dollar lab in the present to instead set themselves up as overlords in a variety of different historical scenarios with the help of modern technology.

It's like Bill & Ted, but with untold damage to the timeline in place of the likeable protagonists.
It reads like a 8-year old history buffs idea of a cool time travel story:
"Samurais riding tanks... Dinosaurs stomping on people... Beating back the mongol hordes with fighter jets and modern artillery..."
"And which of these do you want us to do?"
"Yes."

But that's OK, because once everything is well and truly FUBAR, they come to their senses and fix everything off-page, and everything goes back to normal. Except one dude decides to also fix his broken marriage while he's at it (most relatable decision he's made up to this point)

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good ideas but it’s a mess of things.

[Chris K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun!

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vol.1 is great, Vol.2 is unnecessary.

[Carlos Gutierrez sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

muy buena historia de mark millar con su humor habitual