Four more out the door!! Parting is such sweet sorrow. Fear not, there’s a better tomorrow. All will be well once Doom has undone the spell.
Ms. MARVEL #19
“Last Days, pt. 4” (20 pages) G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, Ian Herring, VC’s Joe Caramagna
Time to say goodbye over and over again!! Kamala and Ammi have the most tender daughter-mother moment. Ammi is beaming with pride over her daughter’s secret life and promises to keep that major reveal all to herself. More importantly, Kamala is doing a whole world of good. Bruno is trying to get some alone time with Kamala. He has something earth-shattering to say but she dodges him. Zoe, the most popular girl, makes peace with Kamala. Appearances can be deceiving! Zoe is not the centre of attention. She is the one that envies and admires Kamala. Zoe informs her that Nakia is looking for her. This is the most important relationship to repair. The BFF have been estranged as of late. Nakia has the frostiest shoulder. She warms up a bit after Kamala makes an allusion to Frozen. Nakia was upset at being shut out. All she wants is for her oldest friend to open up to her. An impromptu dance party raises everyone’s spirits. Kamala espies Bruno’s departure. She follows him to the roof. It’s all laid out in the open – Kamala has taken for granted the fact that Bruno knows her heroic identity and has covered her tracks endlessly and altruistically. He musters up the courage to drop the L word. She reciprocates but cannot devote herself to him due to her responsibilities as Ms. Marvel. This makes Bruno admire, respect, and worship Kamala even more. Friend zone it is. They embrace and stare at each other as the white light envelops them. No kiss goodbye??
Warm fuzzies all around: “Something is happening in the vicinity of my heart.” – Kamala’s reaction to Bruno’s confession.
It’s a good change of pace to have this slice of life scenario without Kamala in costume. Some may find that disappointing but there’s a lull in the air. No present danger. Therefore, Kamala seizes the opportunity to patch up things with those most important to her (and vice-versa). The characterization is magnified. Kamala’s various thoughts are clearly laid out in the narration boxes and in the dialogue. Communication is always key and the only way to maintain relationships. Adrian Alphona dutifully sketches each character with distinction. The body language and facial expressions humanize them more than any other two-dimensional beings in a four-color world. The sunset is symbolic. Bruno and Kamala say their piece before the end comes. Fear not, True Believers!! Ms. MARVEL {4th Series} is but a month away!! [8.5/10]
A-FORCE #5
“” (20 pages) Marguerite Bennett & G. Willow Wilson, Jorge Molina, Laura Martin, VC’s Cory Petit
All of Arcadia amasses to fend off the innumerable invaders, zombies and flying sharks among them. Tons of butt-kicking as the ladies let loose!! Singularity scoops Nico and tells her her name. Finally! She flies at super-sonic speed sweeping all the nasties and transporting them elsewhere. She vanishes as well. Such sweet sacrifice. Loki is taken for judgment by Gamora, Sif, and Valkyrie. She-Hulk is pardoned her transgression but she’ll have to live with the losses. A couple of days pass before Jen pays a visit to Nico. Sister Grimm has holed off herself from the outside world due to losing three of her loved ones. Shulkie tells her that Singularity’s gift was to make each of them better. They must apply that to the re-fortification of Arcadia. The last page shows Singularity resting among the stars. The narration implies that she is safeguarding the idyllic island, perhaps containing it within herself.
Hit it, girls!! No less than seven pages feature females fighting furiously!
• Sif, Gamora, Valkyrie, Tigra, Enchantress, Angela, Domino, Clea, ???, Misty Knight, ???, Snowbird, ??? [page 3] [front to back]
• Black Cat, Moondragon, Elektra, Psylocke, Stature, the main cast, Sif [page 5]
• Hawkeye II (Kate Bishop), ??? [page 6, panels 2-3]; Jessica Jones [pg. 6, panel 3]
• Crystal, Meggan, Namorita [page 7, panel 1]
• Sera, Angela [page 7, panel 2]
• Shadowcat, Bruiser (Molly Hayes) [page 7, panel 3]
• Spider-Gwen, Mary Jane, Rogue [page 7, panel 4]
• Ms. Marvel, Spider-Woman, Captain Marvel [page 8, panel 1]
• Jubilee, Lucy in the Sky, Dazzler [page 8, panel 2]
• Elektra, Psylocke [page 8, panels 3-4]
• X-23, Mariko Yashida [page 9, panel 1]
• Mockingbird, Black Widow, Agent 13 (Sharon Carter) [page 9, panel 2]
• Dust, Rescue [page 9, panel 3]
• Storm, Firestar, Phoenix, Scarlet Witch, White Queen [page 9, panel 4]
• Gert, Old Lace, Armor [page 10, panel 2]
• Spectrum [page 10, panels 3-5], M [page 10, panels 3-4]
Guys, get going!! Arcadia is not solely female in population! Here are some men pulling weight.
• Winter Soldier [page 5]
• Hulkling [page 6, panel 2], [page 7, panel 4]
• Luke Cage [pg. 6, panel 3]
• Namor [page 7, panel 1]
• Colossus [page 7, panel 3]
• Gambit [page 7, panel 4]
• Nightcrawler [page 9, panel 4]
• Black Bolt [page 10, panel 1]
• Steve Rogers [page 18, panel 1]
Domain #35: Arcadia
Words to live by: “Smile. Fight. Feel. Give. Forgive.” – Singularity repeats what she said to each of the five main members.
The action was the natural release to the brewing conflict. So many heroines answered the call, enough to make She-Hulk proud and grateful. Nico suffered more than most. The third time’s not the charm in this case. Exile, betrayal, and sacrifice came her way. It was a fan’s delight to see so many citizens combat the undead and get a snippet of screen time. Jorge Molina must have clocked in triple-time!! Aside from all the extensive characters inserted in the forefront as well as background, I tip my hat to him for the skull-faced moon hovering above the broken wall. The mash-upped face of the five females is no easy feat. That is super-symmetry!! The next chapter for A-FORCE has already been featured in ANADM POINT ONE. Read that little tidbit to see what ensues before volume two launches in December. Definitely not the end! [7.5/10]
CIVIL WAR #5
“” (24 pages) Charles Soule, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Sunny Gho & Matt Milla, VC’s Joe Sabino
War has broken out! Tony and Jen escape their imprisonment. It is imperative they inform both sides that the Skrulls are the catalysts. Col. Barnes orders Nitro and Radioactive Man to end the conflict much sooner than later. Both sides will have numerous casualties. He sure has become bloodthirsty!! Tony has summoned his armour and suits up. Cap asks Hulk to make him airborne. The opposed ideologists begin to talk with their fists. Tony tries to get Steve to believe him regarding the shape-shifters’ scheme. He blasts Bucky who is one of the green-scaled finks :0 Emma then taps into Tony’s mind to reveal the truth. The two former friends decide to cooperate. Cap suggests using the Bellcurve Bomb which will expose all the Skrulls but de-power those heroes within range. Hulk is given the task to dive into the Divide to detonate it. There’s a delay. The bomb didn’t go off because it was damaged. The two jump in to investigate. They are overwhelmed by the reptilian rousers. Iron Man suggests Emma Frost broadcast the info to the entire populace. Cap is suspicious but there’s no other alternative. All forces gather and come to the aid of their leaders. As they descend, Cap presses the trigger. The Skrulls kick the bucket. The heroes are astonished by their power loss. Steve and Tony did not make it. Their mutual sacrifice finally brings peace to the Blue and the Iron. Peter Parker and Jen Walters meet to discuss the aftermath two months later. There is no literal Divide any more. Peter is reunited with MJ and Maybelle. Jen asks him if the duo knew that they would have to perish to preserve the peace. Peter does not provide a definite answer. He just states that he doesn’t want to fight over it.
Domain #22: The Warzone
The baddest of both worlds: My jaw dropped to discover that Hulk is Wolverine!! What a twist!!!
The incorporation of Secret Invasion was truly unexpected. The main idea remains the same: foment distrust and suspicion among the heroes to have them fight among themselves before a surgical strike. Given the re-made reality, it’s apparent that this schism had nothing to do with the SRHA. Charles Soule delivered an impassioned intro in the first issue with the most heated debate since [insert your opinion here]. I understand that the war was allegorical. I wasn’t as engaged after Jen’s covert mission as Angie Walker. [6/10]
MARVEL ZOMBIES #4
“Journey into Misery, episode 4” (20 pages) Simon Spurrier, Kev Walker, Guru eFX, VC’s Clayton Cowles
Elsa has a most unhappy reunion with her formerly deceased father. Belligerent, chauvinistic, condescending – such lovely qualities!! When he proposes an alliance against Mystique and her feeders, Elsa decapitates him but the crumbling curmudgeon just won’t sod off!! Ulysses’ resurrection is due to the absorption of various bloodstones from alternate realities of himself as well as descendants. He wants his darling daughter’s scarlet gem. Shuttup is in serious danger. She is the power source for the magic within!! There’s even more of a head-turner: Shuttup is the younger version of Elsa, the purer essence before the horrific upbringing by Ulysses. After a flashback reveals the unimaginable suffering, Elsa and her younger self merge. She is power incarnate!! She obliterates Mystique and her cronies. She even cures her father. It’s time for them to explore the zombie-filled terrain and become reacquainted.
Domain #38: The Deadlands
Dishonor thy father! “You’ve spent eons in the company of an insidious cosmic artifact and a blond mullet. I’m prepared to accept your judgment may have been compromised.” – Elsa to Ulysses regarding his deplorable behaviour.
I already mentioned how Si Spurrier rings out the True Brit!! Cheers, mate! Elsa realizes that being ‘soft’ is no weakness. It allows her to make peace with her true self and shatter the shackles from her progenitor. I’m glad that this was a family affair. The sins of the father are not passed on to the daughter. I have a mild tolerance towards zombies. I clap Kev Walker’s shoulder for making Elsa and Ulysses as disgustingly grotesque as possible. I suppose any time she powers up from this point, she will turn ugly. Literally! Shuttup was an inspiring creation!! Even though she’s ‘gone’, I’m glad to see she didn’t have a grisly fate bestowed upon her. So many choices to decide upon the breakout character of 2015! [7.5/10]
