This comic isn’t deep, nor is it meant to be. It’s simply a lot of fun, as is standard with Cullen Bunn’s writing. It’s shaping up to be a great all-star female team book with Valkyrie as the leader … if Hippolyta will allow it.
The Doom Maidens have been revived and are preparing for destruction on a global scale. They first want to recruit Valkyrie, because she was apparently once one of them. Meanwhile, the Fearless Defenders are working out a plan to stop them, which will probably include hiring a number of other female characters in the Marvel Universe (Hippolyta isn’t too fond of the idea of bringing in more men). The action is fun, the banter between team members is great and the villains are interesting.
Most of this comic’s flaws lie in the art. It’s not bad for the most part, but there is the occasional panel that feels lazy. The page where Annabelle talks with Valkyrie just looks awkward, with both characters’ faces changing shape from panel to panel. There are a couple panels in the fight scene where Valkyrie is holding her sword awkwardly, and Annabelle’s earrings keep disappearing and reappearing (oddly enough, they’re more likely to show up when she’s drawn smaller). On the plus side, the art doesn’t resort to fan service or cheesecake poses, and it’s always easy to see what’s going on. Also, this cover is brilliant.
There’s a lot to like in this comic. There’s some fun action, a lot of funny dialogue, and there’s that awesome rivalry between Asgardians and Greek Gods through Valkyrie and Hippolyta. As much as it stars an all-female team, besides a few lines of dialogue you could easily swap most of the characters with men and the story wouldn’t be affected. That’s how you write a female-led book, and this is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a fun comic series that stands well on its own, or anyone who wants to support female-led books.
Pingback: Release Day Rundown – May 8, 2013 | healed1337
That page with Annabelle and Val was awful. Just awful. Sliney should be ashamed of himself for letting that one go out. He must’ve been really rushing at that point, because it’s really some of the worst comic book art I’ve ever seen. And he’s been mostly solid for this series, so it’s disappointing that he let that page go out.
However, this continues to be a fun series, with some good drama here and there, too. Let’s see, the team needs 9 women, right? We’ve got Val, Hippolyta and Dani – yay Dani! Misty and Annabelle are staying in the book, so it’s likely that they’ll count towards the 9. That means 4 more are needed. Hellcat would be the best choice, given her existing friendship with Val. Thundra would be great to have. Colleen Wing’s a possibility, but I wouldn’t place money on it. Possibly Black Cat, but I don’t think she’d quite fit. Monica Rambeau’s not doing anything, they could try using her. Tigra could work, too.
Regardless, I look forward to seeing who Val recruits.
LikeLike