Aquaman Annual #1 – Review

By: John Ostrander (story), Geraldo Borges & Netho Diaz (pencils), Ruy Jose, Allen Martinez, JP Mayer, Mariah Benes, Oclair Albert, Julio Ferreira, Jay Leisten (inks), Rod Reis & Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: The Others must race to stop a witch from saving the world.

The Review: Here’s a fun fact: Ostrander nearly shares my mother’s birth year, month, and is just shy of the day.  That definitely funks up the way I think of his writing.  I mean, do I really want someone my mother’s age to be writing comics for ostensibly a new generation of readers?  Not that it can’t be done.  Jim Shooter did a bang-up job on the Three-boot volume of Legion of Super-Heroes, and he’s only a couple years younger than Ostrander—and my mother.

On the other hand, I haven’t been all that impressed with Ostrander’s recent DC work, which makes me all the gladder that it’s only occasional.  While the premises of his stories are usually solid, his heavy-handed execution definitely reveals his age, or so it seems to me.  Under his pen, Aquaman and the Others seem a little too prone to theatrics; they’re blunter, louder, more melodramatic than their introverted personalities would support.

Wonder Girl #1 – Review

By: JT Krul (writer), Adriana Melo (artist), Mariah Benes (inker)

The Story: Cassie visits her mother, who disapproves of her being a superhero. The conference gets attacked. Wonder Girl leaps into action.

What’s Good: Melo and Benes did a good job on the art. Cassie looks like a perfect princess at all times (an action princess), if mildly cartoony. The poses are suitably dynamic and express the story and the mood. The layouts were competent, but really didn’t push the envelope of innovation, serving instead a lot of stacked rectangles. A few exceptions showed why Melo could have taken more artistic risks, like the earthquake, where layout really contributed to the visualizing of the story, and page 12, where the panel edges were all converging diagonals and added dynamism.

Birds of Prey #2 – Review

By: Gail Simone (writer), Ed Benes and Adrian Melo (artist), Ed Benes and Mariah Benes (inkers)

The Story: A mysterious enemy is gunning for the Birds, but she’s got something more sinister than the near-deadly frontal assault in mind. The Birds are in real trouble.

What’s Good: I think Janelle Seigel has lined up some first-ranks creative talent for this series. First of all, Simone is a favorite writer of mine. I think she’s done some very subtle and powerful work on Wonder Woman and Secret Six. She can deliver a strong plot, and as this issue shows, she can deliver a complex one, too. This issue is the last part of Act One, where the heroes find out just how bad things are before they have to start dealing with them. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this issue makes issue #1 look easy for the ladies. Simone brings crisp, dynamic and funny dialogue to the table, and grim silences and panicked worry where necessary. The monologues are effective in bringing us up to speed on character and as well as events.

Artwise, I know Benes inspires love or hate depending on the reader, but I’m going to put him and the art team on the strongly positive side here. His women (and men) are all obviously idealized, exaggerated and heroicized (I doubt those are all words, but you get my drift…) as superhero perfection. In Benes’ mind, no hero or heroine can be any stronger, sleeker or more attractive. That’s his artistic vision. Agree or disagree with his artistic vision, but he is skilled enough to put his vision on the page. Hair flows. Heroes move in dangerous and dynamic ways. Their muscles ripple and their clothing is textured and folds when they move. Some artists can only do this, and usually less well than Benes, but take a look at the police and the Penguin in this book. Benes can handles non-heroic expressions and physiques with the same skill.

Ms. Marvel #34 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Paulo Siqueira & Adriana Melo (Pencils), Amilton Santos & Mariah Benes (Inks), and Chris Sotomayor (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: In all honesty, the current Ms. Marvel arc is quickly becoming tough to review on a monthly basis. While I’m enjoying it quite a bit, the storytelling structure being used by Brian Reed makes it difficult to really judge the quality of each issue in relation to the overall plot. He is only offering up pieces of a bigger picture, one month at a time, without any clear resolution in sight. It makes Ms. Marvel difficult to grade knowing that it is entirely possible that some key element revealed in a future issue could totally change my feelings about a previous chapter or event in the arc’s timeline.

The Story: Serving almost as a sequel of sorts to the recent Annual featuring Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel #34 is about Carol Danvers’ interest in something known as “Essential,” an extremely powerful information consumer. She attempts to locate “Essential” at a place heavily protected by the government and the ensuing commotion brings Spidey around to investigate. The two inevitably work together to deal with the chaos caused by many guards with many guns, trade witty comments, and form a shaky alliance that Carol knows will help her get to “Essential.”

What’s Good: The highlight of the issue is how Brian Reed handles the interesting relationship between Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man (though Carol’s interaction with Machine-Man is almost as good). It makes for some very fun, very entertaining reading that brings some interesting elements into Reed’s twisting plot. Couple that with some great looking, dynamic artwork by both regular teams and you have one of the strongest issues of Ms. Marvel in quite some time. Except…

What’s Not So Good: Remember how I said it was difficult to really judge the storytelling of each individual issue of Ms. Marvel? Well this one only furthers that sentiment. I think I like where the story is headed and I think I like the use of “Essential,” but without a bit more to chew on, I really can’t be certain of my thoughts concerning the overall plot of the arc. The main problem is that Reed is giving me very little reason to feel truly confident in his storytelling prowess. I like the ideas, but the way this issue feels so detached from the last few makes me wonder whether everything can successfully come together in a way that makes it worth all the hassle inherent in a story that tries to juggle a timeline (did that make sense?).

Conclusion: As an almost stand-alone story or as a sequel to the Annual, Ms. Marvel #34 works extremely well. But as a part in a much bigger story, it feels quite disconnected from the chapters that came before it and somewhat unsatisfying. I recommend it based on the strength of the character work and the art, but hesitate to call it a good piece of the current Ms. Marvel puzzle. See why it is so hard to grade?! I think I’ll go with…

Grade:  B-

-Kyle Posluszny

Ms. Marvel #33 – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Adriana Melo (Pencils), Mariah Benes (Inks), and Chris Sotomayor (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Let me just get it out of the way and say how pleased I was to find the art team of Adriana Melo, Mariah Benes, and Chris Sotomayor working on Ms. Marvel again. The three of them make for one hell of a team in my opinion. It will be interesting to see what they can do with a story that is much more subdued than the Secret Invasion arc that they worked on together.

The Story: The origin story of Carol Danvers, the secret agent continues as Brian Reed continues to jump around the timeline to tell about the mystery surrounding something called “Ascension.” Unfortunately, I am going to have to leave it at that. To say much more regarding the plot is a bit difficult due to the nature of the storytelling style being used, but I will say that the issue picks up nicely from where the last left off.

What’s Good: I definitely like what Brian Reed is doing with his tale of espionage and intrigue. It provides a great glimpse into the events and people that shaped the hero known as Ms. Marvel into the character she is today. The mystery surrounding “Ascension” looks to be filled with an interesting cast and some surprising ties to the present. The main question though is whether or not Reed has the ability to really pull this story off in a satisfying manner. And an answer regarding that will have to wait.

One thing is for certain, Ms. Marvel #33 reads and looks much better than #32. The reason? The story is given some much needed breathing room and much better looking visuals. While Paulo Siqueira did a nice enough job last month, I consider Adriana Melo’s work an upgrade in nearly every way. Not only does she draw one hell of a Carol Danvers, her work is more detailed, more attractive, and just all around more visually striking.

What’s Not So Good: The issue as a whole still leaves a whole bunch of stuff up in the air regarding the plot. While it is fun to get drawn into the mystery along with the character, it leads to some confusion regarding exactly what the hell is going on. Visually, the only complaint I have is that a few scenes leave the characters looking a bit like, well, zombies. For whatever reason, a few panels show the characters without pupils and it’s quite creepy-looking. A strange bit of missing detail, yet it’s still impressive work.

Conclusion: It is still far too early to judge this story as a whole, but I like what is happening so far. Ms. Marvel fans should find a lot to like here, even if it lacks the usual superheroics.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Ms. Marvel #30 (Secret Invasion) – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Adriana Melo (Pencils), Chris Sotomayor (Colors), Mariah Benes (Inks), and Paulo Siqueira (Artist for pages 23 & 24)

The conclusion of the “Battle of Manhattan” Secret Invasion tie-in is a quick, but ultimately satisfying read that shows why Ms. Marvel is clearly one of the best female characters in the Marvel universe.

The action once again takes front and center, as Ms. Marvel is pushed to the absolute limit facing off against a rampaging, animalistic Super-Skrull that has the ability to change powers instantaneously. While that is pretty much it for the plot, there is a nice little twist near the end that definitely makes me look forward to where the series will go from here.

As for the technical stuff, it pretty much is business as usual this month. Brian Reed continues to do good work in his handling of Ms. Marvel by showing what effect the Invasion has had on both her personality and her mindset, while the art team continues to make Ms. Marvel one of the best looking books on the stands. My only nitpick is that the direction of some of the action seems a bit off at times, but it does little to diminish the overall quality of the artwork. Also, I must mention that Adriana Melo draws an absolutely incredible Ms. Marvel and suitably ferocious looking Super-Skrull.

Had this tie-in been set to go on for another month, I would have mentioned that things were dangerously close to becoming stale. Instead, I get to say that the “Battle of Manhattan” has been one of the best Invasion tie-ins, and it does a nice job of setting Ms. Marvel up for the future. (Grade: B)

-Kyle Posluszny

Ms. Marvel #29 (Secret Invasion) – Capsule Review

Brian Reed, (Writer) Adriana Melo, (Pencils) Mariah Benes, (Inks) Paulo Siquera, (Art Pgs. 11-16) and Chris Sotomayor (Colors)

You know what? I am really digging this new, more badass direction that the Ms. Marvel series has taken. Secret Invasion has given this book a much needed shot in the arm and now it ranks as one of my favorite reads every month. This latest issue is another round of Ms. Marvel Vs. Skrull action, but it’s hard to complain about the lack of true story progression when the writing is crisp and everything looks so nice.

Brian Reed wisely lets the visuals do most of the storytelling, but that doesn’t mean he simply sits on the sidelines. Ms. Marvel’s well written mindset/attitude is proven when Reed throws a nice curveball into the story that made me really look forward to what’s ahead. As for the artwork, Adriana Melo and her team do some outstanding work. Ms. Marvel looks great and the well coreographed action is surprisingly brutal. My only complaint is that Adriana couldn’t handle the whole book – leaving the rest to Paulo Siquera. While Siquera’s work is decent enough, the cartoony style just simply doesn’t work well within the context of the issue.

If the Black Panther tie-in hadn’t gotten off to such an incredibly entertaining start, Ms. Marvel #29 would easily be the best SI related story of the week. While it doesn’t add a whole lot of narrative to the Invasion story (though it might, given how it ends), it brings the goods in the action department. Well worth checking out. (Grade B+)

-Kyle Posluszny

Ms. Marvel #28 (Secret Invasion) – Capsule Review

Brian Reed, (Writer) Adriana Melo, (Pencils) Mariah Benes, (Inks) and Chris Sotomayor (Colors)

I have to admit that I enjoyed Ms. Marvel #28 quite a bit more than I expected to – even though it was nothing other than one extended fight scene. After the disappointing turn of the events last issue, I was fully prepared for an issue full of regret and angst. Instead, I got a action-packed issue of Ms. Marvel kicking some Skrull ass all around Manhattan and that, my friends, is a good thing. The writing consists mostly of Ms. Marvel doing some trash talking and narrative, but it works given the context. As for the art, Adriana Melo shows why she is a rising star. Her Ms. Marvel looks awesome and she capably handles an issue long fight scene with no problems. This issue does one thing, but does it well, so check it out if you are in the mood to see one of the Secret Invasion battles. (Grade: B)

–Kyle Posluszny

Ms. Marvel #26 (Secret Invasion) – Review

By Brian Reed (writer), Adriana Melo (pencils), Mariah Benes (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors)

With Secret Invasion now fully upon us, Ms. Marvel is one of the first heroes to be accused of being a Skrull. SHIELD confronts her at her boyfriend’s murder scene ready to take her in as the culprit. But Carol’s no fool, and she won’t come in quietly. What follows is a game of cat and mouse as Carol tries to stave of her apprehension while figuring out who’s been impersonating her and if SHIELD’s been compromised.

Like many of the previous issues of Ms. Marvel, this one’s got a lot of action. Brian Reed writes this book at a very quick pace while throwing in a lot of comical moments near the end as Carol’s big fight carries throughout the SHIELD Helicarrier. Adriana Melo’s pencils do a great job keeping pace with the story. She did an impressive job with her debut last issue, and her good pencil work has spilled over into this issue as well.

We get a bit of a reveal near the end of the book regarding William (Ms. Marvel’s boyfriend person), but it’s not something that made me gasp with surprise. It was “just there”. The other oddity was the beginning of the issue which deals with Agent Sum’s cryptic past. I understand why Brian Reed put it in there, but it seems so out of place. Just please, whatever happens, don’t ever put him together with Wolverine in some past life. I’m sick to death of stories like that!

All in all, this is decent issue of Ms. Marvel. It contains the usual above average story that I’ve come to expect from this title, but being one of the first Secret Invasion satellite books, I was expecting something more exciting. (Grade: C+)

– J. Montes

Ms. Marvel #25 – Review

By Brian Reed & Tom DeFalco (writers), Adriana Melo & Ron Frenz (pencils), Mariah Benes (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors)

Ms. Marvel may not rank up with Marvel’s other top tier books, but month after month, writer Brian Reed finds a way to keep me coming back for more. In fact, I’m so enamored by this series that I recently went out and bought all the back issues on eBay. Well, with regular artist Aaron Lopresti now gone to DC (he’s going to be doing Wonder Woman, so check that out), my confidence was a bit shaken. Luckily, I was proved wrong; issue #25, may just be the best issue of Ms. Marvel yet!

I’ll be the first to admit it’s not the story that makes this milestone issue so good, but the creative team as a whole. For $3.99 you get a 32 page story that acts as another pre-Secret Invasion tie-in. Part of the story takes place in the deep past before Carol Danvers became Ms. Marvel. It gives us an early look at the Skrulls and how they tried to capture Captain Marvel and steal a space shuttle. Using quasi-vintage coloring techniques (lots of flat colors), tons of narrative, and old-school Marvel bullpen inspired art, the team of Ron Frenz and Tom DeFalco tell this story in classic fashion that’ll make any comic reader grin from ear to ear. There’s not a more perfect team working today who could have captured the nostalgic spirit of the late Silver Age. Wonderful job, guys.

For the story taking place in the present, we get Brian Reed with newcomers Adriana Melo and Mariah Benes on art. For a debut, these two ladies really know how to draw and ink a comic – I was really impressed with how they handled the action – and there is plenty. For the story itself, we spend a lot of time with Carol as she does a few mundane things (which turn out to not be so mundane), while a Skrull that’s been impersonating her wrecks havoc in her life. It’s a good story that stands quite well on its own, so if you’ve been thinking of giving this book a try, now’s the time. There’s also a very good Ms. Marvel biography at the back of the book (for new readers) along with a spread of Terry Dodson’s incredible covers from Ms. Marvel #25 and Captain Marvel #4.

It’s great to see Ms. Marvel last 25 issues. Hats off to the fans and Marvel for having faith in Brian Reed and not letting this book die. Let’s make sure it stays that way. Pick up this issue. It’s well worth your money. (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes