Ms. Marvel #32 – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Paulo Siqueira (Pencils), Amilton Santos (Inks), and Chris Sotomayor (Colorist)

What’s Going On: In keeping with Ms. Marvel’s recent rule of bouncing randomly from plotline to plotline, we’ve gone from Carol’s dad dying and a vow to kill Norman Osborn last issue to a flashback to her Air Force days, getting shot down over Afghanistan (presumably before the US invasion). There a nasty guy named Ghazi tortures her, trying to learn what she knows about something called “Ascension,” tying us back to that abrupt, non-sequitur epilogue to issue 30.

What’s Good: It’s a well-paced, tense story, and Siqueira’s art is terrific.

What’s Not So Good: I’ve never been a fan of torture porn—either the “Saw” type or the “24” version—and at a time when a Presidential candidate (regardless of what you might think about his politics or his choice in running mates) is a living reminder that torture is not an adventure and escape is rarely an option, the treatment of the subject in this issue seems in particularly poor taste. If you like “24” you’ll love this issue, but the amount of punishment Carol takes without diminishment of her emotional, intellectual, or even physical functions is absurd.

What It All Boils Down To: Despite my misgivings about the subject matter, this is a good issue, and this new “Ascension” arc looks interesting. I only wish Reed would tie the various threads of his tale together a little more neatly. I know what you’re thinking, Brian. You’re looking at the non-linear storyline Peter David wrote in She-Hulk and you’re thinking “I can do that.” Well, guess what: You can’t.

Grade: B

– Andrew C. Murphy

A Second Opinion

What’s Good: I really like what Brian Reed is going for with this story. Considering that the Ms. Marvel series has been quite heavy on the superhero action as of late; it is refreshing to see something a bit more down to earth. Carol Danvers’ decorated past is rich with interesting storytelling possibilities, and it’s nice to see the series finally tapping into it.

The first chapter of this new take on Ms. Marvel’s past proves to be briskly paced and surprisingly brutal. While providing only a small amount of information regarding the overall plot, it proves to be just enough to hook the reader into what looks to be a story heavy on conspiracy and deception. As for the “surprisingly brutal” stuff, this book is not for the squeamish. The torture scene is pretty intense and features a rather shocking moment that I won’t soon forget.

What’s Not So Good: I usually enjoy Paulo Siquiera’s pencils, but the art really doesn’t fit the gritty tone that this story needs to have. Everything (characters, details, settings) looks far too clean considering what happens in this book. Couple that with some annoying facial inconsistency and you have artwork that really weighs everything down. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but imagine how awesome everything would have looked if Adriana Melo was still working on the series.

From a storytelling perspective, the only real complaint I have is that things move a bit too fast. It honestly felt as though my book was missing pages or something. I can understand the need to get the plot moving, but a little more exposition or character work would have done wonders in making the book feel a bit more balanced.

Conclusion: Despite it’s flaws, Ms. Marvel #32 is an interesting, compelling start to what could easily turn into one heck of a story. It moves a bit too fast and the artwork annoys, but this one still makes an impact. Check it out.

Grade: B-

-Kyle Posluszny