Ms. Marvel #45 – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Philippe Briones (Artist), and Ikari Studios (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The War of the Marvels has been entertaining enough so far, but a part of me wishes that Brian Reed had let Karla Sofen truly take over the series for a couple more issues.

The Story: Karla Sofen and Carol Danvers throw down one more time. Meanwhile, Catherine Donovan tries to figure out just what the hell is going on as her physical abilities amplify depending on the situation.

What’s Good And What’s Not So Good: Ms. Marvel #45 is all about two things: The mystery that surrounds Catherine Donovan and the fight between the Marvels. Both parts have some positives, but unfortunately, they also have some pretty big negatives that threaten to overpower the good stuff. Allow me to explain.

As the War of the Marvels begins to draw to a close, Brian Reed throws in a twist that is sure to divide his audience. On the surface, it seems like a huge deus ex machina. And while it could definitely be considered to be one, it does sort of work in a strange way because it brings some dangling plot threads back to the forefront. The main problem is that the Catherine Donovan reveal is so weird, so bizarre that it’s pretty hard to really accept. That, my friends, is why the deus ex machina charge holds weight.

The big fight scene is something of a mess. While I like Philippe Briones style and the unique color work by Ikari Studios, the fight, as a whole, is poorly executed. Body proportions seem out of whack, faces are inconsistent, and the various poses do not tell the story or flow of the battle all that well. In addition, the banter written by Brian Reed just isn’t up to par. While some of it is enjoyable, it makes you think that Reed might be running out of banter dialogue (“fat Ms. Marvel” – Really?!).

Truth be told, the artwork is actually problematic throughout the entire comic. And for the same reasons it’s problematic during the action scenes. That said, it’s not all bad. Briones delivers one hell of a cool Iron Patriot and there is an impressive level of detail to a few scenes.

Conclusion: Ms. Marvel #45 is the weakest chapter of the War of the Marvels so far. The twist is something of a “wtf” moment and the artwork, though it has its merits, is pretty rough.

Grade: C-

-Kyle Posluszny

Ms. Marvel #43 (War of the Marvels) – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Sergio Arino (Art), and Ikari Studios (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The War of the Marvels has gotten off to a pretty good start. As long as things don’t get too convoluted (as has happened with a Ms. Marvel story or two in the past), the War could go down as one of the better arcs of the series.

The Story: Norman Osborn tries to figure out who keeps attacking his secret Goblin weapon caches. Spider-Man tries to figure out what’s up with the no longer deceased Ms. Marvel. Meanwhile, a woman named Catherine Donovan tries to make sense of her recent thoughts…

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: One of the best things about the latest chapter in the War of the Marvels is that it’s clear that Brian Reed is building toward, well, something. While a lot of the plot elements are a bit vague at this point and things seem to be moving rather slowly, there’s a general…weirdness…to the storyline that, surprisingly, works in it’s favor. By the time I had finished reading Ms. Marvel #43, my head was swirling with questions: What’s the deal with Ms. Marvel’s ‘tude? What’s the deal with Catherine Donovan? Is Reed’s story eventually going to make sense?

In short, Brian Reed’s dialogue and storytelling choices have me hooked. Am I entirely optimistic about the story because of that? Well, no. The “Ascension” arc left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth because it got too convoluted for its own good, and simply put, I worry that the War of the Marvels will do the same.

Sergio Arino’s artwork in Ms. Marvel #43 is pretty slick. It looks significantly better than the artwork done for Ms. Marvel #41, so much so that I can say that nearly every complaint I had has been addressed in some way. The unique color work by Ikari Studios, while occasionally a bit overpowering, is far more complimentary than the work done by Emily Warren and Christina Strain. In addition, Ms. Marvel is drawn much more consistently. My only real complaint about the artwork is that Arino’s characters tend to have a pose-heavy stiffness about them that is noticeable in a number of panels.

Conclusion: It’s a bit too early to say whether Ms. Marvel readers will be the winners after The War of the Marvels is over. It could go either way at this point and Ms. Marvel #43 does little to make me think otherwise.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny