There’s nothing quite like discovering the work of a new creator in comics. Whether it’s a writer, penciller, inker, or colorist, it’s exciting to check out the work of someone you’ve never heard of, especially when there’s the chance they could end up as a new favorite. The Millarworld Annual is a great book in this respect, offering six new stories set in the creator-owned worlds of Mark Millar, all written and illustrated by unknown creators. Even better, these stories are all-around solid, making this a success even without the qualifier that the storytellers have little to no prior experience at this level.

The annual opens with a Chrononauts story written by Shaun Brill and illustrated by Conor Hughes. It’s a fun little tale that finds Danny travelling back to his high school prom in an effort to give his younger self a second chance to hook up with the hottest girl in school. Of course, time travel never goes as expected, and Danny finds himself having to time travel again in order to avoid a horrible fate; the liberal arts may or may not be involved. It’s a fun and humorous opening story for the issue, and Hughes’ simple, stylish artwork is a perfect fit for the lighthearted adventure.

The next tale is a Kick-Ass story written by Ricardo Mo and drawn by Ifesinachi Orijekwe. This one offers the most straightforward story in the issue, but it’s nonetheless a solid adventure that follows Kick-Ass during one of his nights on patrol. Mo manages to capture the tone and sensibility of this universe well, particularly through a solid twist ending that I won’t ruin here. It’s all well-realized in Orijekwe’s clean, succinct artwork, and it’s worth mentioning here how much fun it is to see Millar and company’s unique creations viewed through the artistic lens of other creators.

The following short is a take on one of Millar’s more obscure works, American Jesus. Written by Cliff Bumgardner and illustrated by Steve Beach, “Undeath” takes place during the climax of the mini-series, exploring the worldwide effects of one of Jodi’s miracles. Bumgardner successfully packs a great deal of story into these brief five pages, and Beach’s artwork presents it all in an appropriately haunting style. It’s a dark, twisted little tale that is plenty chilling whether you’ve read the original source material or not.

Equally entertaining for the unfamiliar is “Mum’s the Word,” a Kingsman story that shows Eggsy dealing with a threat at home. Writer Philip Huxley pens a fun little tale that offers up a good bit of humor, a fun kill, and one devilishly delightful double entendre. Myron Macklin’s art is a perfect fit for the story, offering plenty of expressive panels and easy-to-follow action. As someone who’s never read the original mini-series, this was an accessible, entertaining adventure, exactly the kind you want from an anthology like this.

The same can be said about the Starlight tale from writer Deniz Camp and artist Pracheta Banerjee. Another series I’m unfamiliar with, Camp quickly establishes former adventurer Duke McQueen as he tells a number of quick-hit stories from his past. There’s plenty of creativity on display in the scenarios Camp comes up with, and Banerjee’s painterly style captures it all to gorgeous effect, from the fiery backdrop of a sword fight to the simpler moments of a joyful crowd of people.

This brings us to the final story, a Hit-Girl short that finds a great new angle on the idea of Mindy as a too-young superhero. Writer Mark Abnett fuses the idea of learning the ABCs with Mindy’s vigilante world remarkably well, taking a simple bust and turning it into a rhyming jaunt that’s fun from beginning to end. Abnett’s script is realized perfectly by artist Ozgur Yildirim, whose spastic, expressive style gives everything the feel of a Saturday morning cartoon.

Tying the whole package together are two other artists that deserve mention. First is artist Satine Zillah, who gives the book an appropriately stylish cover featuring Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass, arguably Millar’s two most famous creations at this point. The second is Abigail Bulmer, who colored every story except for the Starlight short, and still manages to give every piece a unique look that fits the tone and mood of each individual story.

Overall, the Millarworld Annual 2016 is a huge success. It not only provides a great collection of new talents that will no doubt go on to bigger and better things, but also achieves the goal that every comic book should strive for: providing an entertaining, engaging read from cover to cover.

Final Score: 8 out of 10