MARVEL RISING #0
Writer: Devin Grayson
Artist: Marco Failla
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Release Date: 4/25/18
Price: Free
Squirrel Girl meets Ms. Marvel when they end up having to face a bad guy threatening to derail their field trip in Marvel Rising #0.
Plot: Kamala Khan, in need of some extra credit, ends up on a field trip to the Stark Institute led by Doreen Green. An AIM raid jeopardizes the field trip leading to both heroes having to save the day without revealing their secret identities.
Story: While calling something “fun” might seem a little too obvious, it’s an apt description for Devin Grayson’s introduction to the Marvel Rising universe. The writer jumps right into the story, giving only the most essential background on the protagonists, Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel. There is some conflict as we see the heroes struggle to balance their responsibilites with their secret identities. But for the most part, it’s a lot of jokes and action as we see the two team up.
And lest you think this is a forgettable one-shot, the issue even ends on a cliffhanger with a new character introduced, hooking the reader for future issues.
The market for young readers has proven to be huge for comics, so it only makes sense that Marvel has finally decided to reach out to that market. By starting out the Marvel Rising story with two characters who don’t have to be dramatically adapted to work for this lighter kind of tale, it helps ease the reader into the concept that this is going to be an all-ages story and lack some of the bite a normal comic might have
It’s exciting to see Marvel get its own counterpart to DC Comic’s Super Hero Girls, and this issue is paving the way for the upcoming Marvel Rising film as well.
Art: I really enjoyed the Saturday morning cartoon style of the art by Marco Failla that meshed well with the lighter upbeat story. The character designs don’t really deviate from what we’re used to, probably because Failla is no stranger to Ms. Marvel, but still fit in perfectly with the story. Again, I think this goes back to picking the right characters to use in this story so that it doesn’t jar the reader too much to see them in this environment.
What I appreciate most about the art is how much detail is added in to each panel to make it feel alive. The action sequences are very dynamic and the issue feels much more fast-paced because the action is propelled forward by the art. One of the most fun scenes to look at has to be seeing the hordes of squirrels come in to take out AIM.
The colors from Rachelle Rosenberg are vivid and often-times saturated, adding to the cartoon feel of the book. Because the lines are so heavy, the colors have to be bold to make it all work together. It adds to the eye-catching effect that is sure to engage younger readers.
Verdict: The book does an excellent job of retaining the spirit of the characters while crafting a fun adventure. While the book is definitely written more for young readers, there are adults who would be able to enjoy this as well. These two characters, in particular, seem suited for this type of story, so I am interested to see how well that works for the other Marvel Rising characters yet to be introduced.
Rating: 4/5
