By Brian Reed (Writer) and Sana Takeda (Artist)
Some Thoughts Before The Review: For as much as I’ve enjoyed the last few issues of Ms. Marvel, I’m more than ready for the War of the Marvels to be over.
The Story: Ms. Marvel battles Ms. Marvel throughout Los Angeles. There’s lots of violence and trash talk.
What’s Good: As an all-out action comic, Ms. Marvel #42 is a hell of a lot of fun. The catfight between the two Ms. Marvels is surprisingly brutal, visually engaging, and full of the type of trash talk that makes superhero fights so entertaining. Also worth noting is how Brian Reed and Sana Takeda successfully give the battle a true sense of scale by having Karla and Carol punch, kick, and blast through a number of locations. It seems like there isn’t a place in L.A. that is safe from the two Ms. Marvels.
What’s Not So Good: While Sana Takeda’s work is quite stunning most of the time, it occasionally looks cluttered and confusing. Simply put, there is far too much going on in certain panels. Couple that with the fact that some panels are oddly shaped and you have a situation that breaks the flow of the action in a way that proves to be quite distracting.
My biggest complaint about the writing is that the trash talk heads into “camp” territory far too often. It’s fun in small doses, but small doses is not what Brian Reed delivers. Try not to roll your eyes at some of the dialogue. I dare you!
Conclusion: Ms. Marvel #42 is all about two blondes in LA, talking smack while trading blows throughout the city. There really isn’t much more to it than that. Sound like your cup of tea? Then be sure to check it out.
Grade: C+
-Kyle Posluszny