Ms. Marvel #42 (War of the Marvels) – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer) and Sana Takeda (Artist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: For as much as I’ve enjoyed the last few issues of Ms. Marvel, I’m more than ready for the War of the Marvels to be over.

The Story: Ms. Marvel battles Ms. Marvel throughout Los Angeles. There’s lots of violence and trash talk.

What’s Good: As an all-out action comic, Ms. Marvel #42 is a hell of a lot of fun. The catfight between the two Ms. Marvels is surprisingly brutal, visually engaging, and full of the type of trash talk that makes superhero fights so entertaining. Also worth noting is how Brian Reed and Sana Takeda successfully give the battle a true sense of scale by having Karla and Carol punch, kick, and blast through a number of locations. It seems like there isn’t a place in L.A. that is safe from the two Ms. Marvels.

What’s Not So Good: While Sana Takeda’s work is quite stunning most of the time, it occasionally looks cluttered and confusing. Simply put, there is far too much going on in certain panels. Couple that with the fact that some panels are oddly shaped and you have a situation that breaks the flow of the action in a way that proves to be quite distracting.

My biggest complaint about the writing is that the trash talk heads into “camp” territory far too often. It’s fun in small doses, but small doses is not what Brian Reed delivers. Try not to roll your eyes at some of the dialogue. I dare you!

Conclusion: Ms. Marvel #42 is all about two blondes in LA, talking smack while trading blows throughout the city. There really isn’t much more to it than that. Sound like your cup of tea? Then be sure to check it out.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

WCBR’s Top Picks

Ray’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Blackest Night #1 – What a wild and strong first issue. With moments like the Ralph and Sue Dibny scene, everyone is in for another Geoff Johns masterpiece.

Most Anticipated for this Week: Green Lantern #44 – The Martian Manhunter returns, and Sinestro is back to reclaim his Corps! With the focus on those two characters, how can this not be an A-grade book?

Other Top Picks: Blackest Night Tales of the Corps #2, Wednesday Comics #3, Amazing Spider-Man #600,  Incredible Hulk #600,  Avengers The Initiative #26

Kyle’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Wednesday Comics #2/Deadpool #12 (Tie) – With the exception of a few misses (Example: Superman sounded like an angsty, pissy, teen), Wednesday Comics #2 proved that the summer series is definitely more than just a cool format.  As for Deadpool #12, it read and looked like a twisted saturday morning cartoon for grown-ups and that, my friends, is a good thing.

Most Anticipated for this Week: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #8/Captain Britain & MI:13 #15 – The first title marks the end of an absolutely exception mini-series.  The second title marks the pre-mature end to a series that never found the audience that it so rightly deserved.

Other Top Picks for this Week: Gotham City Sirens #2, Cyberforece/Hunter-Killer #1, Fusion #3, Aliens #2, Ms. Marvel #42,  Avengers: The Initiative #26, X-Force #17, Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5, Deadpool: Suicide Kings #4

Rob’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Blackest Night #1 – Such a solid mythos with tons of interesting developments and situations to expand and explore. Not to mention the plain fact that DC Heroes are becoming cosmic zombies, for real; not in some pocket universe.

Most Anticipated for this Week: Invincible #64 – Just edges out this weeks Green Lantern as its the conclusion of the spectacular, dramatic, and game-changing Conquest arc. No telling what Kirkman has in store for the best Superhero in comics today.

Other Top Picks for this Week: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600; FINAL CRISIS LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #5; GREEN LANTERN #44; GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #16; INCREDIBLE HULK #600; NOVA #27; WEDNESDAY COMICS #3; WOLVERINE ORIGINS #38; WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ #8

Alex’s Top Picks

Best Of The PastWeek: Incognito#5 – Ed Brubaker’s pulp-noir superhero world keeps getting better as it nears its undoubtedly bloody close.  Pitch-perfect atmosphere combines with perversely likable characters to forge a cannot miss comic.  Self-identity has never been foggier.

Most Anticipated: Invincible #64 – Any Invincible reader worth his or her salt should be ready to kill for this issue, considering what happened last month.  This once bright and happy comic looks to take a decidedly darker tone and I can’t wait to see the lengths to which Mark is willing to go.  Can it get any more brutal than last month?  Well, this is Robert Kirkman we’re talking about…

Other Top Picks for this Week: Nothing else.