Marvel’s annual celebration of the women of Marvel is back this week with a new edition. The anthology series features short comic tales, a thoughtful interview, and more. It’s a grab bag of content celebrating female heroes and female creators!
Women of Marvel #1 opens with a great introduction by Angélique Roché. It’s a succinct opening that details her involvement in the series, a bit of women in Marvel history, what we’re in store for, and also how female creators are kicking butt in the industry. It’s a reminder of the importance women have had in Marvel comics.
Kicking off from there is a story by Gail Simone and Lydja Rasero that’s delightful. It opens with Invisible Woman being snatched up by Namor, who seems to think he can marry her without her say. Soon, she and other prominent female characters are whisked off to a strange place. Not only does the tale introduce a new character, but it’s a fun reminder of all the women of Marvel. There’s a bit of a commentary here about toxic masculinity, in a way; as Simone explains, just because you support women doesn’t mean you don’t support men.
Rasero also draws a fantastic tale here, with an old-school comic look at the start and a great use of cosmic weirdness in backgrounds. Paired with color artist Triona Farrell, this story is awesome to kick things off visually. All the renditions of superheroes are well done, and it’s fun to pinpoint which eras they’re from.
Next up is “Witch House” by Sarah Rees Brennan and Arielle Jovellanos. This tale plays around with the weirdness of magic and other realms. There’s a compelling idea introduced where we learn the Scarlet Witch has a safe place to go to, and maybe even other Scarlet Witches go there too from time to time. The plot is a little simple, but it’s a fun time with Wanda and Darcy.
Great opening tale!
Credit: Marvel
Erica Schultz and Giada Belviso tell a delightful heist tale with Black Widow. It opens with her scoping out a location that she must infiltrate. There’s a super cute reason for her infiltration, and she’s a total badass when she has to deal with security. Belviso draws Black Widow with great agility, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of her soon. She has a highly detailed style that suits superhero books. A double-page splash of Black Widow dancing across the pages is very well done.
“The Endgame” by Nao Fuji is a one-page adventure with Squirrel Girl. There are a lot of cute animals in one panel that’ll put a smile on your face.
Roché then returns for a great primer on Monet St. Croix. It’s quite good at capturing the character’s complexity and her storied past—a recommended read for one of the most powerful mutants around.
“The Future is Here” by Celeste Bronfman and Leila Leiz are closing out the anthology. This tale has a double-page showstopper layout featuring many female superheroes, possibly previewing what’s to come. The tale involves Madame Web, whose power is exploited by a big Spider-Man villain. One might assume there’s more to this tale going forward, but we’ll see.
Overall, Women of Marvel #1 is a worthy read well worth the price of admission. It features fun tales, some a bit too short for their own good, but a nice curation of heroes doing their thing.
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