Chrononauts doesn’t waste any time. Mark Millar and Sean Murphy’s new Image Comics series throws you into the thick of things right from page one. It grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. This is a primed and pumped comic book — an exciting adventure that doesn’t waste a second on the small stuff. You want a big, blockbuster experience and a fun, fast-paced story? Then you, my friend, want Chrononauts.

It would be easy to get bogged down with the details in a time-travel story. Plenty of comics, films, and TV shows use huge amounts of narrative real estate to tell you how something is possible and why it works. Millar and Murphy take the opposite approach and Chrononauts is better for it. Instead of heavy-handed dialogue and boatloads of exposition, this first issue drops you smack dab in the middle of the action. It’s got more in common with Indiana Jones than it does your typical science-fiction story, and that’s not a bad thing.

Mark Millar is pumping out the books lately. He grabs the best artists, throws them into a fun – if not familiar – concept and turns things up to eleven. It’s clearly working for him. The dialogue is silky smooth and the characters pop off the page, all of which helps pull you into the story quickly. Millar doesn’t spend a time on the science of things, he just keeps the story trucking along, jumping from scene to scene, moment to moment. It’s strongly written stuff, from start to finish.

That said, the real star of the show here is Sean Murphy. He packs energy into every scene, every panel. Chrononauts looks like a big-budget movie, and that’s what sells it. Murphy’s artwork makes every moment feel important and kinetic. His characters are memorable, his pacing is perfection. Murphy is the goddamn best and Chrononauts is a testament to that. Simply put, there nobody doing stuff more dynamic and exciting than Sean Murphy. If he draws a comic book, you best buy that comic book.

To top things off, we get gorgeous colors from Matthew Hollingsworth and beautiful lettering from the mighty Chris Eliopoulos, all of which adds to the stunning visual presentation of this book. Yes, Chrononauts is the complete package, guys. It’s a showcase for what the comic book medium does best. It’s imaginative, bold, and intense. Make sure you add this bad boy to your pull list, it’s too awesome to skip.