Ms. Marvel Volume 3: A Review
Written by: by Brian Reed
Illustrated by: Aaron Lopresti, Roberto de la Torre
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Marvel
Language: English
Jan 2008
Genre: Comic/Graphic Novel
A new beginning for Ms. Marvel Carol Danvers made herself a promise to be "the best of the best" - but after the events of Civil War, has Ms. Marvel lost her way? As the stress mounts and Carol finds herself less and less sure about what she's doing or why, a crossroads is reached and a decision is made - a decision that will change the course of Ms. Marvel's life - and possibly the Marvel Universe Brian Reed (New Avengers: Illuminati) and Roberto De La Torre - plus guest-stars Iron Man, Arana and Wonder Man - kick-off the new era Collects Ms. Marvel #11-17.
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I have heard a lot of good things about Ms. Marvel but never really got around to reading anything with her that was anything really more than passing or small references. As the opening month for Comic Book 101, I decided that the girls needed to read what most people think of when they think of comics: caped crusaders and masked heroes…yep superheroes. So this was the perfect time to go and explore some new heroes. Plus it was awesome that the local bookstore had a 5 for $20 sale on all of their used books which meant hello graphic novels…whoo hoo.
I think what draws me to Ms Marvel is she is a woman who has exceled in a very male dominated military world and hell she is Captain Marvel now. Maybe it is also because my friend Lada has done cosplay of her along with so much more. She looked interesting and a name that comes up quite often when discussing women in comics.
Carol Danvers wants to be more than just Ms. Marvel. She wants to be something more not only in her professional life, but in her personal life. She is strong, but has self-doubt. She wants normalcy in her private life and tries so hard to go on a date and have that slice of normal, but desperately wants to get past her demons and become something more than she has been as Ms. Marvel. Civil War apparently messed her up pretty badly, so she has things to prove to herself and others. She gets her chance when Iron Man asks her to be the leader of the new Avengers team he is putting together as he has too much on his own plate running SHIELD. But she wants to do it her own way and instead assembles her own Lightning Storm Strike Team (including a mini-carrier) which will take the offensive against serious threats like A.I.M. before they get to Avenger like threat levels. It’s not a bad team consisting of Wonder man, Machine Man, Sleepwalker, Agent Sum, and Arana. We even get to see M.O.D.O.K. (Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing).
Things I loved: As per usual Marvel does a great job of giving you a brief synopsis of recent history exposition at the beginning so I wasn’t lost. Of course, I had no idea that I was also reading Volume 3 instead of Volume 1. The art is also nice though it is penciled by two different artists; Roberto De La Torre (11-12) and Aaron Lopresti (13-17).
While I haven’t really read any Ms Marvel before, I didn’t feel too lost. Granted I am still unsure of what her power set really is, I really liked the dynamic between her and her companions. Carol is a strong female character and while, yes, her off time is spent going on the mysterious Mr. Wagner I love that she has doubts that this guy wants to date her because she’s Carol and not because she is Ms. Marvel. I think that is interesting question that is posed. Does he like the woman or the superhero and cant he like both?
It has a nice blend of letting me to get to know some new characters that I have not been introduced to before and the plot blends everything from zombies to your traditional drag out fights. The Cliffhanger ending made me want to read more and grab Volume 4 the next time I hit the bookstore. I also really liked having A.I.M. in there as the baddies.
Things I didn’t love so much: Some of the art style wasn’t exactly my cup of tea though Carol’s got some great hair I must say and while yes I feel like I wasn’t too lost, I really do feel like I should have started with Volume 1.
Buy or Borrow: Borrow. This may not be the best place for newbies to start, but I was pleased enough that I want to read more.
Part of: A series. Start with Best of the Best
3.25 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks
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