The Marvel Reviews For The Week Of September 04, 2019 – While You Were Away

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, Louis, and Tatiana giving reviews for books for the week of September 04, 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!

AGENTS OF ATLAS #2
“The Portal City Of Pan Part 2”
Written By: Greg Pak
Art By: Nico Leon & Pop Mhan
Colors By: Federico Blee
Letters By: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover By: Junggeun Yoon
Variant Cover By: Sabine Rich
Price: $3.99

Is there more to Pan than there seems to be? I am LOVING Agents of Atlas, it is my favorite Marvel series right now, and Pak is killing it. I have never enjoyed these characters this much before, Silk was always a throwaway, a nuisance really, but in this title by Pak, I adore her, I want more. The newer characters too, I want more of them all. This is a large cast and Pak manages not to lose them in the plot, nor does he lose the plot in them. I also have to admit I loved that he pointed out the difference between Dragon and Wyverns. The art by Leon and Mhan is beautiful, it has a nice fun feel to it that really pops from Blee’s colors. The character’s expressions really help sell the issue. Overall this is a fantastic issue and deserves to be ongoing. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate

Verdict: 4 ¾ Stars

CHAMPIONS #9
“While You Were Away”
Written By: Jim Zub
Art By: Steven Cummings
Colors By: Marcio Menyz
Letters By: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover By: Kim Jacinto & Rain Beredo
Price: $3.99

Blackheart has control of Ironheart and begins to spread through the team dividing the original team from the new members. Zub has been doing a great job on this book, he really took it from a disappointment from the first volume to the highly anticipated book it is now for me. But even good writing can not fully overcome cancellations and forced endings of stories. Sadly this book and this issue do suffer from that. You can tell it from how quick Sam is turned back to their side this whole arc seems to be rushed, but it is still a hell of a rush and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The art is great, Blackheart is super creepy here, giving him just a touch of Death Note’s Ryuk. Overall this is a great issue and should be cancelled. ~ Jay @ComicBookTheate

Verdict: 4 ½ Stars

FANTASTIC FOUR #14
Written By: Dan Slott
Pencils By: Paco Meding
Colors By: Jesus Aburtov
Cover By: Mike Deodato Jr. & Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Variant Covers By: Ryan Brown; Mike McKone & Rachelle Rosenberg; Inkyuk Lee; Tom Raney & Rachelle Rosenberg; Christian Ward
Price: $3.99

The Fantastic Four donate their original rocket, the Marvel-1, to the National Air and Space Museum. After the ceremony, each member of the foursome reflects on the original mission that leads to their powers. This leads to the team deciding to recreate and accomplish the original mission. The plot of this issue is very relatable to everyone. We’ve all had that one goal that we want to accomplish or failure that we want a do-over, fortunately, the FF get that chance. Also, the scenes of Reed and Johnny rebuilding the rocket are fun to read. Both Reed and Johnny agree not to use their powers during production because “it won’t count”. While it might sound egotistical, the way Dan Slott writes this dialogue doesn’t enforce that idea.

The artwork for this is (lack of a better word) fantastic. The character’s facial expressions are very easy to read. Also as Reed and Johnny progress on the rocket, you can see how their excitement and determination grow as the issue progresses. Plus I enjoyed the subtle detail of the Thing’s cast (from his fight with the Hulk last issue). I didn’t even notice the cast until the end of my second read. Overall, this issue is a strong opener. It’s returning to the Fantastic Four’s original mission but makes it feel like a brand new story. ~ Louis @SpiderMan1991

Verdict: 5 Stars

SPIDER-WOMAN (1978) FACSIMILE EDITION #1
Written By: Marv Wolfman
Pencils By: Carmine Infantino
Inks By: Tony DeZuniga
Colors By: Glynis Wein
Cover By: Joe Sinnott
Variant Cover By: Gerard Parel
Price: $3.99

Marvel released a facsimile edition of the original Spider-Woman comic, which launched in 1978 alongside its own TV show, this month. This is an excellent opportunity for collectors or fans who’d like a beautiful reproduction of the original comic, to add to their Jessica Drew repertoire. The story itself is not a particularly strong selling point, but it’s a treat to read about her origins – especially the parts that are no longer canon or frequently referenced. In fact, her dying her hair to distinguish between a woman and Spider-Woman is one of the most interesting bits in the issue. Furthermore, Wolfman immediately took pains to dive into her moral gray areas and thus separate her from other members of the Spider family, such as Peter Parker. This isn’t your average American hero, it’s a desperate person who wants to do good but also might need to steal to eat; a triple agent whose side in a fight is never assured.

The artwork is probably the biggest reason to buy a copy, mostly to have a cleaner and crisper look at the work offered by one of the Silver and Bronze Age greats: Carmine Infantino. Jessica’s expressions are always fascinating, her old costume is fun, and her powers are drawn with fluidity and pure strength. ~ Tatiana @myrcellasear

Verdict: 3 Stars

THE WEB OF BLACK WIDOW #1
Written By: Jody Houser
Pencils By: Stephen Mooney
Colors By: Tríona Farrell
Cover By: Junggeun Yoon
Variant Covers By: Kris Anka; Joe Chiodo; Meghan Hetrick; Lee Garbett
Price: $3.99

Jody Hauser wastes no time with introductions in The Web of Black Widow #1 instead, launching readers into the middle of Natasha’s latest spy mission. While everyone’s favorite espionage extraordinaire spares little explanation, the action of the premiere issue is intense and compelling. And the story is not totally without a backstory, thankfully. Not only are there powerful flashbacks woven delicately throughout, but the appearance of Tony Stark in the present helps move things along nicely. Houser anchors Natasha’s new tale firmly in the Marvel Universe by tying it thematically to her recent resurrection, which is why Stark is the perfect partner for this particular escapade. The last pages set up an exciting adventure for Natasha while also promising to carefully explore the effect that recent events have had on her psyche.

Stephen Mooney and Tríona Farrell paint a perfectly mysterious portrait of Natasha in The Web of Black Widow #1, both in terms of character and setting. The opening sequence, for example, captures the glitz of a charity ball at the same time that it lays down the clandestine nature of Natasha’s entrance into it. And as strong as Houser’s dialogue is, she shows Black Widow off to even greater advantage when she steps back and lets the artwork do the talking. Moments of high-powered action and breathless anticipation alike are choreographed by the artists to look like a ballet – a graceful and deadly one perfectly befitting the super-spy executing it. ~ Tatiana @myrcellasear

Verdict: 4 ½ Stars

Let us know in the comments what you think of The Marvel Reviews for this week!