Ms. Marvel #1

Writer: Brian Reed
Pencils: Roberto De La Torre
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor


It’s been years since anyone thought that Ms. Marvel mattered. Or at least, it’s been years since she felt that way. After a life-changing experience during the House of M and her recent appearance in the New Avengers, Carol Danvers is looking to make a name for herself once more. Not just to be a great superhero, but to be the best superhero.

Before I say anything else about this book I’ll just say this - I really liked it. I wasn’t anticipating I would. In fact, I was pretty sure that I was going to flat out hate it. I thought, “What’s the point? Why does Ms. Marvel, of all people, need her own series? And just who the hell is Brian Reed?” But after reading the book I realized that there’s nothing wrong with another book featuring a strong and confident female superhero. Those books are rare, at least the good ones are. And Ms. Marvel has, thanks to her role in House of M and appearances in the New Avengers, recently become something of an interesting character. She’s truly at a brand new stage in her career. Tired of letting herself be bogged down in depression and guilt and concerns about her own self-worth, she’s out to make a difference, to be proactive and to attack her job with the kind of enthusiasm rarely seen in superheroes today. Now I’d argue that there are probably better ways to make a difference and change the world than just “going on patrol” as Carol does. But it’s hard to doubt her passion as she tries to shake her has-been image.

Brian Reed, who developed the Ultimate Spiderman video game and is currently co-writing Spider-Woman: Origin with Brian Michael Bendis, delivers a really top notch first issue with some great action, characterization and a heck of a cliffhanger ending. And the artwork by De La Torre, a relative newcomer, is amazingly dynamic. Yeah, this book has its problems but the good stuff far outweighs the bad. I’m definitely gonna have to stick around and see what happens next!



Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.

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