Women of Marvel #1 Review

“You fascist scum!” [name redacted..spy stuff..shhh]

Sophie Campbell-Writer

Anne Tool--Writer

Elsa Sjunneson--Writer

Natasha Alterici--Writer

Nadia Shammas--Writer

Joanna Estep--Artist

Kei Zama--Artist

Skylar Patridge--Artist

Sara Pichelli--Artist

Amanda Conner--Variant Cover Artist

Stephanie Hans--Variant Cover Artist

Shannon Maer--Variant Cover Artist

Peach Momoko--Variant Cover Artist

JeeHyung Lee--Variant Cover Artist

Maria Wolf--Variant Cover Artist

Let’s just get the obvious out of the way. This issue is fantastic! I absolutely love when these special issues come out from Marvel. I picked up Marvel Voices several months back and I’ve been looking for this one to come out fo months. I mean, look at this line up of creators..Sophie Campbell, Joanna Estep, Skylar Partridge, Peach Momoko on a variant cover (okay, my personal favorite variant cover) and the whole line up is a who’s who of amazing talent. Yes, they are women and I’m totally here for this book. 

Louise Simonson wrote the introduction to this collection of stories and said something very profound to start off with: “Humanity exists on a spectrum. And each human’s voice is different, speaking from their personal experience in the complex Venn diagram of their own life expressing their individual point of view.” As a teacher, I”m borrowing this quote for my students and will put that up on the board in my classroom tomorrow. But, as a reviewer of comics, I knew that this book was going to be something different and not just playing at inclusion. This book is something special and I’m so glad it’s out. 

This issue is a collection of stories. One involves Peggy Carter..A.K.A. Captain America, in France trying to find a spy...and Nazis happen. Other stories are shorter captions of the life of superhero women. I really liked one story with Emma Frost. Having the powers that she does, I’m just going to say that she probably uses that trick all the time. I’m not going to give anything away here, so you’ll have to read the book. Oh, and the She-Hulk story in this book is just as incredible...see what I did there? 

The writing has been spot on with this book. But the artwork really makes this issue something special. There is an amazing team up of talent. Every story is drawn a little different but it totally clicks. I, for one, love every single page, but some that sticks out is Peggy Carter and [name...redacted...spy stuff] punching Nazis. I mean, who doesn’t like to see that? The original Captain America did it, so Captain Peggy Carter America gets to do it too, but obviously in her own way that is different and unique. Every page in this issue is something special. It is certainly a delightful experience for your eyes. 

I also wanted to touch on the variant covers really quick before you sign off and go buy your copy if you haven’t. The Stephanie Hans variant of Rogue is really cool. When I think of Rogue, that is what I think of. The Maria Wolf variant of Magik really kicks things up a notch because that cover is absolutely stunning. The Shannon Maer variant of Storm certainly has her looking godly or should I say regal because, for a time, she was a queen. All of these variants are amazing and there is one for any type of person in this list. But, my personal favorite, is the Peach Momoko Scarlet Witch variant. This variant is absolutely gorgeous. Hopefully, cons will come back and I get that one signed, authenticated, and graded. Wow!!

Please, go buy this book. This issue is so important. Historically, Marvel was kind of a guy’s club with women playing in a supporting role. I mean, when the bullpen consists of Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, Denny O’Neill and others throughout time, it is pretty obvious. Of course, society at that time was dominated by men. But as humanity has shown to be more on a spectrum, these new voices have emerged and they are stronger than ever. I, for one, am loving having superheroines taking a stand in the comics. This issue is certainly going to add fuel to that fire of getting more representation in comics.