Shattered: Ms. Marvel #11 Review

Ms. Marvel #11 brings the Civil War II arc of the series to its heartbreaking devastating conclusion. It’s not all doom and gloom, there are some nice moments of levity, and some satisfying action.

Overall, it’s phenomenal. If you somehow haven’t started this series yet, I cannot recommend it more.

Spoilers beyond this point.

Well, it was always going to end this way, at least between Kamala and Carol. We knew from the beginning that she would inevitably end up on Tony’s side, and going by the covers of this issue and the last few ones, her support of Captain Marvel was not gonna end in a pretty way.

Getting everyone to sit down and watch Minority Report does seem like the best way to solve everything.

And it certainly does not. Kamala’s plan to win her over shows her desperation– anyone who’s been reading the main Civil War II series knows that a fault in her predictive justice system isn’t going to put her off. Add to that the fact that Kamala teamed up with a sort of villain (Hijinx is my favorite new character by the way­– I hope to see more of the Canadian Ninja Syndicate in the future).

Anyone else really want a spinoff?

Add to that the fact she once again battled Basic Becky (whom we thankfully haven't seen the last of, I love hating her) and called in Tony Stark himself for backup, and I think we’ve got a relationship that won’t be healed any time soon.

It gets worse though. Kamala finally stepping up and taking a stance was long overdue, but this comic isn’t afraid to show us the stakes of her delay. Bruno finally awakes from his coma, but we don’t get the tearful reunion we needed to see after her split with Captain Marvel.

The scholarships remark isn't out of nowhere– issue #7 covered how important it was to him.

 Bruno’s rage isn’t unjustified, but it stings nevertheless. We’re used to Ms. Marvel learning from her mistakes every few issues, and things reverting back to the status quo. This change is pretty big. This isn’t just anyone she’s lost, it’s Bruno. Her best friend since the second grade. The one who has stuck with her through thick and thin and, as we discover in the beautifully drawn opening to this issue, is the one who crafted her bangles into a protective vambrace.

This hurts so much.

Overall, Ms. Marvel #11 is unafraid to go where any of the other issues have, and has full on consequences, some disproportionate, others not so, for our heroine’s actions. It’s devastating, and tears will probably be shed. But overall, it’s a damn good comic.

Me too Tony, me too.

Aranwe Quirke is a totally real, definitely not made up name. No, you may not see the birth certificate.

Unraveling: Ms. Marvel #10 Review

Ms. Marvel #10 is another brilliant, heartbreaking instalment in her Civil War II saga, and I honestly can't say much more without going into spoiler territory. Just read it. Really. It’s amazing.

[Spoilers beyond this point.]

Ms. Marvel #9 was a lot about the side characters that make up her life, but this latest issue puts the spotlight squarely back on Kamala, and her reaction to everything that’s been happening, as her senses finally catch up with her.

Every month, I find myself wondering how G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Aphona are going to top the opening flashback sequence from the previous issue, and every month they blow me away. Kamala on her first day of second grade is one of the most adorable things I’ve ever had the privilege of reading in a comic book (keep you eyes peeled for Aphona's fun background details), and her first encounter with Bruno makes the sudden cut to him grown up and unconscious on a hospital bed all the more devastating.

I can't handle the adorable.

A more cynical person than me would call it emotional manipulation. I was too busy sobbing to call it anything.

Her eyes finally opened to the results of the work she’s been doing, Kamala goes off to confront “Basic Becky and the Junior Fascists,” as Bruno dubbed them in the last issue.

Apparently they skipped the morality lessons to spend time practicing that pose.

We get the typical protect/change the future argument, which is rather one sided, morally-speaking, since Becky clearly doesn’t care about collateral damage. As per the norm, verbal fights lead to physical ones, and I won’t deny it was satisfying to see Kamala take her down.

Unfortunately, Captain Marvel swoops in at that moment, and, despite everything, Kamala still doesn’t have it in her to say no to her face as she’s asked to get back to work. She instead resolves to prove that Ulysses can be wrong in her own way, and for that she needs help from a particular Canadian Ninja (never before have I been so glad to see a running joke pay off like this).

He's wearing crocs! With kittens on them!

Everything’s not ok though. Bruno’s vitals begin to crash as Kamala is visiting him again, this time as herself, and the issue ends on an uncertain note regarding his fate. It’s also worth observing that even if he survives, he’ll have lost the use of his dominant arm, which means the story has already had some very real, very heartbreaking consequences.

I can’t take this, have another panel of 2^nd grade Kamala instead.

Winged sloth!

This was definitely a darker issue than most, but one that sets up the finale for this arc amazingly. While her cohorts may not have much character, Becky herself seems to be an interesting antagonist, a darker version of Ms. Marvel (and perhaps even more sinister than that, as it happens). This is also the third meeting between Kamala and Carol in as many issues, and each one has been more abrupt and stiff than the last.

Really makes you yearn for the good old days of this:

She's just so happy!

On a side note: Carol’s completely unyielding attitude towards Kamala isn’t entirely unjustified, as explored in Captain Marvel #8.

Overall, I absolutely cannot endorse Ms. Marvel enough. Even if you aren’t reading any other comics, or are avoiding anything related to Civil War II (not something I can blame you for), read this. It's worth it.

Aranwe Quirke is a totally real, definitely not made up name. No, you may not see the birth certificate.

Breaking Point: Ultimates #10

Right, let's get this out of the way: the good news is, this issue is likely the last one that is directly connected with Civil War II. The bad news is Ewing is officially unable to fix Captain Marvel's character derailment that the event (or, more accurately, Bendis) is forcing upon Carol. The other good news is, with how the issue ends, it probably won't matter, and considering the series continues onto Marvel NOW!, Ewing will likely work towards fixing Bendis's mess.

Now let's get cracking.

PREVIOUSLY ON ULTIMATES:

During the team's recent away mission they encountered and took under their wing Adam "Blue Marvel" Brashear's old friend and nemesis, Conner "Anti-Man" Sims. Conner currently awaits trial for his past crimes at the Triskelion, the team's HQ, in a cage Blue Marvel designed to hold him. More immediately, the Ultimates started working with Ulysses the Clairvoyant Inhuman to prevent extinction level events, including Thanos the Mad Titan's attack on Earth (with him now imprisoned at the Triskelion) and the Infinaut. Not everyone on the team, however, is happy with the shape everything is taking. Meanwhile, Thanos started psychically influencing Sims...

ULTIMATES #10

Civil War II #4 focuses half of its page-count on the last attempt at peace between Carol and Tony, supervised by Steve Rogers (who, unbeknownst to everyone involved, thinks he's a Hydra agent). The other half is devoted to Carol, the rest of the Ultimates and a number of the other heroes arresting Alison Green, a bank employee, whose briefcase contains something that could result in a disaster. At least according to Ulysses. The issue ends with two groups of heroes at a standoff over her, ready for a fight.

Ultimates #10 (and, presumably the other two issues of the series before it becomes Ultimates2) is set before Carol's chat with Tony, covering the arrest and the immediate aftermath. The tensions within the team are getting higher and higher, which isn't helped by Carol's continuing unwillingness to compromise. Try as Ewing might, he can't escape the fact that there are plot decisions made by someone else that he simply has to lead into, no matter how nonsensical or out of character they are. Carol has to be unwilling to see reason, because otherwise there wouldn't be the conflict Marvel wants.

This is taking a toll on the team. Monica is on Carol's side — but the rest of the Ultimates aren't. Adam is the most outspoken of them, while both T'Challa and America are assessing the situation, waiting for the right moment to take action.

If you haven't read the main miniseries, you're probably wondering what's in the briefcase. What devilish device can a bank employee carry that might have unspeakable consequences on the world?

An empty briefcase, apparently. So empty, they scan it on a subatomic level and check for psychic, magical and temporal residue — and they ain't found shit. The world's entire superhero community will come to blows over a banker with an empty briefcase, in a self-fulfilling prophecy. God, I hate this event.

The team confronts Captain Marvel over this mess, with even Monica barely mounting a defense, until Carol puts her foot down. Acting like a self-appointed leader (on a team the members of which are supposed to be equal) she demands to know, before she has to meet Tony, if they are with her.

"America, yes."

It's at this point that America has officially seen enough. Knowing how universes with predictive justice turn out, she takes on the team. It's a moment to behold, with a very cathartic effect, as America pretty much curbstomps all of her teammates and sending the most dangerous one, Monica, to another dimension before she can incapacitate her. The only one not involved is T'Challa, standing to the side and claiming to be assessing the situation.

Unfortunately, they don't know they have an audience. Both Thanos and Sims are watching the whole squabble, which the former uses to paint the entire team as incapable of helping Sims solve the problem of the Cosmic Jailer. Who, by the way, is part of the series' main story arc. Not that, thanks to the bullshit event, we've had any chance to properly delve into it.

I really shouldn't be agreeing with a nihilistic, omnicidal space psychopath, but here we are.

Under Thanos' influence, Sims overloads his cage, killing his guards and causing power failure in the entire Triskelion. And in the seconds before backup power kicks in, Thanos frees himself as well. The check...

Now that the team finally has a common threat, this should allow the comic to finally get on track and shed the idiotic squabbling enforced upon it by the publisher's major event. Thank God for that, because even Ewing is unable to avoid the character derailment and general idiocy that will be the legacy of Civil War II.

On the art side, this is another issue partially drawn by the guest artist, Djibril Morissette, and it continues to clash with the main artist, Kenneth Rocafort. I suspect Morissette's art will work better on its own in the upcoming Image title Glitterbomb, but here I'm afraid his style doesn't work.

We'll be back to Ultimates next month - in the meantime, we've got the other Al Ewing-penned team to get back to, in New Avengers #15. I'll see you then.

Dominik Zine is a nerdy lad from northeastern Poland and is generally found in a comfy chair with a book in hand.

Critical Hits and Misses #10: August 19, 2016

There’s going to be a Supergirl/The Flash musical crossover! For real!  There’s also rumors that Joss Whedon will direct the two episodes, but it so far it’s only just that, rumors. Still, a geek can dream.And re-watch Once More With Feeling. (Tova)

The downside of having Ana debut in Overwatch a month after the game’s release is that she isn’t part of the vast majority of fan videos. Luckily, Instalok has us covered with a song/music videos, Ana Said, featuring Lunity— a parody of Lukas Graham’s Mama Said. (Dominik)

The cast of the female-centered heist movie Ocean’s Ocho just gets better and better. This is a good time to revisit Aya de Leon’s article on Bitch Media, about the opportunities missed through the lack of heist movies with women as the (anti)heroes: “After all, heist fantasies are doubly meaningful for women: The big score isn’t just a way to be set for life, it also offers the possibility of being free from patriarchal control.” (Tova)

As I keep saying, Civil War II is ruining Captain Marvel. (Dominik)

 Laika’s CEO Travis Knight discusses diversity and casting decisions in a measured response to criticism over the cast of Kubo and the Two Strings. (Ivonne)

Feminist professor Renee Ann Cramer talks about why “Bad Moms” aren’t actually bad, and how society’s expectations of women to be perfect mothers are challenged in Bad Moms. (Ivonne)

Civil War II #1 - Let the Character Derailment Begin

I’ll be completely honest – I was not looking forward to Civil War II. I’m not fond of the original crossover event, but at least you could argue that some thought went into it. Say what you will about Mark Millar (and you can say plenty), but at least he came up with what might’ve been an interesting concept for a comic – an allegory for then-recent Patriot Act with superheroes. It failed miserably and sucked horribly – but at least there was some genuine thought process behind it.

This sequel event that even the fans of the original didn’t ask for exists solely as a cash-in to the recent Marvel Studios blockbuster movie. There's no recent event the comic is reacting to – instead it's just looking for any excuse to have two groups of heroes fight it out. But let's give it the benefit of the doubt and see if Brian Michael Bendis can make a better Civil War than Mark Millar.

(Spoilers from this point on)


We begin with Ulysses (the mysterious new clairvoyant Inhuman character that we never met before except for two May preludes and this month’s Ms Marvel issue) running through the woods and being picked by Medusa’s team of Inhumans along with Beast and Johnny Storm. Then we cut to some weeks later and goddammit Marvel.

Seriously? Do you have to tease a much more interesting idea this soon into your crossover event? Yeah, obviously we don’t care about every existing superhero team joining forces to stop a Jack Kirby-like Great Old One. Everyone knows this is less interesting than yet another "heroes fight heroes’ story. Why, you've gone a whole year without one.

The heroes defeat the Kirby Cthulhu and meet the following evening for a party (the ones legally allowed to drink anyway). After a short scene between Tony and Rhodey with the latter complaining about his obsolete armor and the former brushing him off (foreshadowing), a few of the heroes decide to ask the Inhumans how the heck did they know about the coming of the Dreamer of R’lyeh (okay, I promise that’s the last reference). Medusa introduces Ulysses in the most Jesus manner possible in Stark’s crummy kitchen.

Bendis decides enough time has been wasted with fun superhero stuff and jumps right into Carol’s character derailment, with her asking Ulysses if he’d like to join the Ultimates. A guy she just met and learned X-Men’s premiere psychic Jean Grey (still for some reason not back to the past) is completely unable to read his mind. I know she’s been anxious about a potential world-ending event they won’t see coming (from Ewing’s Ultimates #7 and Civil War II #0), but come on. Carol’s not stupid. And if anything, it’s Tony who should be rushing into something like that. Instead here he is, making logical arguments about a guy whose eyes turn scary red when he predicts the future.

$100 for Ulysses turning out to be evil, by the way.

Who we cut to some time later when he wakes up at the Inhumans’ home with a premonition of a coming danger...

And then we cut to Tony Stark a while after said danger.

You see, exactly a month ago, on Free Comic Book Day, Marvel released a special free mini-issue about Ultimates, A-Force, Inhumans and Rhodey fighting a newly arrived Thanos looking for the Cosmic Cube (for more on where he came from – see my review of Ultimates #7). I, as probably most of us did, expected it to be an excerpt from this very issue to tease the new event. Nope – it’s nowhere to be seen. A crucial plot moment has been released a month ahead the comic proper, was available for a single day and still isn’t available for digital release. Yet Marvel demands six dollars for a comic with what is effectively several missing pages.

Oh, and to add insult to injury? The scene with Tony apparently spoils the ending to the current Invincible Iron Man story arc. Classy, Marvel.

Thus we get to the main meal of the comic: the fridging. Not content with filling just one fridge, Civil War II #1 decided it needed two, and starts doing so with Carol present and unable to prevent it. First Rhodey – the poor, unappreciated Rhodey, is slaughtered by Thanos and dead in Carol’s arms. And to make matters worse, as soon as Tony hears the news, he arrives and chews her out as if this is all her fault. Which, admittedly, is in-character for him – but I think there are better ways to do it than yelling at her while she's wounded, still distraught over the loss of her boyfriend and sitting at the bedside of her critically wounded friend.

And now fridge number 2: She-Hulk, who was hit by Thanos’s missile and is in critical condition. As the issue ends, she flatlines with Carol watching and helplessly crying.

Civil War II is already off to a terrible start – and there’s still six more issues until it ends. I’ll see you at the end of this mess, when we can see if all this was worth it.

Dominik Zine is a nerdy lad from northeastern Poland and is generally found in a comfy chair with a book in hand.