REVIEW: Women of Marvel #1 Soars!

3

Well Marvel Blog True Believers, another Wednesday has come and gone, and you know what that means: there’s a fresh new batch of issues at your local comic shop! This week, we can’t urge you enough to pick up one issue in particular: Women of Marvel #1!

Photo: Marvel Comics

Make Mine a Marvel Anthology

The first thing to note about this issue is that it’s an anthology. If you’ve been closely following our comics reviews here at Marvel Blog, then you probably already know all about comics anthologies from our previous coverage of books like Carnage: Black, White, and Blood #1 and Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk #1!

Peach Momoko‘s Carnage: Black, White, & Blood #1 Cover Art. Photo: Marvel Comics

Comics anthologies feature multiple short stories, often from different creative teams. They are great because they can give you a chance to sample different styles of comics and different Marvel Universe heroes, all between the covers of one single issue! And because Marvel Comics puts out so many anthologies, they have a great variety of different styles of compendiums within their stacks and collections!

Plus, here’s a little comic secret, Marvel LOOOOOVES to pull from one-off characters introduced in these stories, as well, and the most successful ones even become household names themselves! You’ll see what we’re talking about later in the review.

Women of Marvel #1

It’s hard to know where to start with Women of Marvel #1, because it’s got so much going for it! First of all, you should know that the lineup is incredible. Featuring legendary, established Marvel creators and new, up-and-comers alike, the creative talent on this book is out of this universe, including the lovely, loquacious, lettering, by all-around amazing letterer Ariana Maher.

Look at this all-star line-up of women creators! Photo: Marvel Comics

While we will leave most of the stories to you to uncover yourself, we will mention one somewhat unusual set of stories: those by Mariko Tamaki (Thor & Loki: Double Trouble). Interspersed between the rest of the (slightly longer) stories, these five single-page tales give us a glimpse into the beauty habits of some of the women of the 616. And for a gal whose favorite panel is a one-off of the Scarlet Witch performing a glamor spell, this was great!

Lady Deathstrike. Photo: Marvel Comics

Marvel Blog True Believers, we challenge you to make it through these five stories without laughing out loud! We sure couldn’t manage! Plus, these stories are especially cool because while Tamaki wrote each of them, a different artist or artist team collaborated with her, so you can get a sense of how much shifting the variables on a creative team can affect the mood of a comic!

Photo: Marvel Comics

The other story we absolutely must shout out features one of our favorite 616* characters: Captain America Peggy Carter! In “Operation Spyglass” by Elsa Sjunneson, Naomi Franquiz, and Brittany Peer, you get to see another story that spins out of this character’s introduction in Exiles #3 (2018) by Saladin Ahmed, Javier Rodríguez, Álvaro López, Chris O’Halloran, and Joe Caramagna.

Chibi Wolverine. Photo: Marvel Comics

*You can read Exiles #3, and the other 11 issues in the series (which may just feature more Carter, Marvel Blog True Believers) on the Marvel Unlimited app, if you want to be extra prepared for the character’s first onscreen appearance this summer in What If…? on Disney+! Is Liliane coming to the screen too? Will we be getting another disabled hero onscreen?

Back Matters

In addition to the excellent comics, this collection also includes some very nice additional content. The book opens with a nice introduction by Louise “Weezie” Simonson, one of the pioneering women who edited Marvel Comics in the 1980s (you can see and hear more of Simonson in the superb “Women of Marvel” episode of Marvel’s 616 on Disney+, directed by Gillian Jacobs).

Photo: Marvel Comics

And somehow, that’s not all! In the back of the comic, there’s a wonderful 2-page spread that puts a spotlight on the many talented women who contributed to Women of Marvel #1.

Then, there’s a 2-page feature by Angélique Roché (who also spoke with many of the creators on the Marvel’s Voices podcast) about some of the historical covers that have spotlighted women of color in the Marvel Universe.

Get Your Copy of Women of Marvel #1

As you might expect from such an exciting release, there are some very cool variant covers to consider if you are picking up this issue!

Variant cover by Amanda Conner and Rachelle Rosenberg. Photo: Marvel Comics

Variants can be hard to locate, because fewer are printed, and the selection available at your local comic shop may vary (not to mention the price). That being said, the Scarlet Witch variant by Peach Momoko speaks directly to my WandaLoving heart! So much so that I have TWO – it was an accident, I promise.

Photo: Marvel Comics

Did you pick up a copy of Women of Marvel #1, Marvel Blog True Believers? We want to hear from you! Let us know in the comment section.

Thanks for visiting MarvelBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Platinum level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!