Join us as the Marvel Reporters turn into the Marvel Reviewers our weekly review roundup. This is where we have assembled to give our thoughts on various issues that are released each week. This week we have Jay, and Tatiana giving reviews for books for the week of June 12, 2019. Check out the reviews below and let us know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter. Welcome to the MARVEL REVIEWS, hope you enjoy the experience!
MARVEL ACTION: SPIDER-MAN #5
Written By: Erik Burnham
Art By: Christopher Jones
Colors By: Zack Atkinson
Letters By: Shawn Lee
Cover By: Christopher Jones & Zack Atkinson
Variant Cover By: Juan Samu & David Garcia Cruz
Price: $3.99
Spider-Man gives his Amazing Friends their webshooters as Kraven tests and observes them. I LOVE this book! Burnham doesn’t miss a beat with the story, ups the stakes with Kraven taking out two of the webspinners, and sets up the big confrontation. But the thing I really enjoyed is how balanced the story is we have the three webheads here yet I never felt one of them were the star, loved seeing both Miles and Gwen’s supporting characters being used and the three of them working together. Jones does no wrong on the art, I love the way he delivers his animated style to the book. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ½ Stars
CHAMPIONS #6
“Dead Ahead”
Written By: Jim Zub
Art By: Juanan Ramirez
Colors By: Marcio Menyz
Letters By: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover By: Kim Jacinto & Rain Beredo
Price: $3.99
The Champions enter The War Of The Realms. I am not too keen on The War of The Realms or the tie-ins (save for New Agents of Atlas) but this was a solid offering. We get to see some of the newer recruits shine here like Falcon, Bombshell. Patriot, Dust, Pinpoint and Power Man, introduce Hummingbird (how I missed you) to the team without ignoring original members Viv and Ms. Marvel. But the best thing is that this tie-in didn’t let the event overpower it, instead, it used it to bring forth the ongoing plot from the title. Zub did a great job with weaving these two plots together. Ramirez continues to impress me with the art and Menyz’s colors compliment it so well. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ¼ Stars
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #7
“Feast Or Famine: Part One”
Written By: Tom Taylor
Art By: Ken Lashley
Colors By: Nolan Woodward
Letters By: VC’s Travis Latham
Cover By: Andrew C. Robinson
Price: $3.99
As Aunt May deals with her cancer battle she faces another battle to keep F.E.A.S.T. up and running. Tom Taylor really brings the neighborhood to Spider-Man in this series by doing these great down-home stories that merge the two worlds of Peter Parker. Taylor expertly uses the flashback in the story by tying an early lesson on charity to the main story which also focusing on it. Lashley does an amazing job on the art keeping it modern and fresh while Woodward throws in the old school feel with the colors. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate
Verdict: 4 ¾ Stars
IRONHEART #7
Written By: Eve Ewing
Pencils By: Luciano Vecchio
Colors By: Matt Milla
Cover By: Amy Reeder
Price: $3.99
With Riri’s painful past, it’s especially refreshing to get a lighter story in her solo run every once in a while. Pairing her with the Wasp guarantees a good time, as we get to see Riri more comfortable with fellow heroes and Nadia is allowed to rattle off her science to someone who can keep up. The idea of a zombie uprising in the Marvel Universe is also a fun change of pace, and Xavier makes for a great sidekick to both girls with him pop culture-based zombie knowledge. At the same time, Eve Ewing incorporates moments of real fear for Riri that bring backtraces of her history and keep her grounded and in character. The plot isn’t particularly groundbreaking and the villain is almost too easy to handle, but it’s a decent start to an enjoyable side quest.
The art team for Ironheart #7 stood out even more than the story this time, with impressive detail and shading that made the so-called zombies seem believable and like a viable threat. The character designs for Riri herself, as well as Xavier and Nadia, are eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing. Finally, while the villain Eclipse may not have been that scary, she looked great and the action sequences involving her were dynamic without sacrificing background particulars. ~ Tatiana @myrcellasear
Verdict: 3 ½ Stars
THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #45
Written By: Ryan North
Pencils By: Derek Charm
Colors By: Rico Renzi
Cover By: Erica Henderson
Price: $3.99
Squirrel Girl #45 opens mid-War of the Realms, and just five short issues before the end of the comic’s run. It’s almost full circle, then, that the story revolves around a team-up between Doreen and Ratatoskr. Not only does it call back to their previous interactions near the end of Squirrel Girl’s first run, but it also offers a look at the growth of a minor character – and Doreen’s reaction to it. The buddy-cop comedy aspect of the issue is the majority of its charm, complete with thinly veiled secret identities that provide a lot of laughs, but there’s also a sweet moral fiber at the center. Doreen believes her enemy can change, and she woos Ratatoskr into doing the right thing just as she has Loki and Kraven in the past. The only problem I had with the issue is that it went on a little longer than necessary, as Robert Frost was the perfect final page. That being said, Ryan North has yet to make a major misstep with this run or character, and the potent combo of him and Squirrel Girl will be sorely missed.
Derek Charm and Rico Renzi pull out all the stops for Squirrel Girl #45. Gorgeous Canadian landscapes were juxtaposed with humorous instances of Frost Giants debating water vapor make for a really fun issue overall. The art also shifts subtly depending on whether there’s banter at the forefront or poetry, but it looks clean and crisp regardless. ~ Tatiana @myrcellasear
Verdict: 4 Stars
Let us know in the comments what you think of The Marvel Reviews for this week!