MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: Women of Marvel (2024) #1 REVIEW

Happy Women’s Month to all! It’s a great way to start March, since we’ve got so many titles to look forward to this month. Coming from the Madame Web movie last Valentine’s Day, centering on the powerful set of ladies of the Spider-Man family, this week we are treated to a comic book celebration of ALL our favorite Marvel superheroines! And, true enough, we even get a solo Madame Web story starring Julia Carpenter!

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS PREVIEW:

Published:

February 28, 2024

Cover Artist:

Carmen Carnero

CELEBRATING THE MIGHTY WOMEN OF MARVEL! Because they worked hard for this and they deserve it! But who you callin’ “doll”?! Marvel’s most powerful heroines take center stage in an anthology that will inspire, empower and motivate fans from all walks of life! Whether it’s the Boss of Space pummeling back an alien invasion or the Scarlet Witch weaving a magical protection, the women of Marvel have got your back. Featuring a story by industry legend Gail Simone and more to come!

PROS:

• The Madame Web short story is really awesome, though extremely short. The premise is simple: Mister Negative has her captive (or so he thinks) and is basically forcing her to show him the future. By doing this, Mister Negative hopes he can use the knowledge and information in order to shape New York City according to his own vision of what t should be. The unfortunate fact of the matter for the popular and infamous villain is that all Madame Web sees is a strong line-up of mighty marvels ready to take him and any threat down when it comes to it. It’s a nice, bad-ass, albeit concise tale that both shows how Madame Web is a force to be reckoned with, but also shows us, readers, that the Marvel Universe is in good hands with its amazing roster of women.
• The first story of the collection, which acts as the main feature, is also a light but fun one. This delusional villain called the Mighty Mitigator randomly takes women away from their realities, creating a bit of a running joke, as all the ladies tell him he is pretty much running a “WHAT IF?” scenario in real-time. He doesn’t like the reference, obviously, but in his head, his plan seems ideal. It’s a crazy story, but it does end with a nice, heartwarming message. The ladies of Marvel end up explaining that, in reality, we all need each other. And just on that note, I will go on record and say I would NOT know what to do with my life if I didn’t have all the lovely ladies in my existence. A lot of women from the Spider-Man universe get good exposure and action in this story, with the likes of Aunt May, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman, and others making their presence felt.
• The cover is just simply beautiful. And I know this might be controversial, as evidenced in prior reviews of mine… but can we get more Jackpot, please? Okay, everybody, I hear your feedback! Let’s throw Paul off the ship!

CONS:

• I would have been very willing to spend more on longer stories, if given the chance. Each installment in the anthology had very strong writing and art, and may have been hampered by the amount of space they got within the entire volume. But I’ll definitely look forward to more of their adventures in their own titles moving forward. I just really wish I could have witnessed the pain that Madame Web was going to unleash on Mister Negative at the end of her story. She seemed really furious about being taken prisoner. I don’t blame her. It really looked like the end of the road for the poor guy.

FINAL GRADE: A

So, after a quick February, we are starting March with good vibes and undeniable positivity, giving the Women of Marvel the recognition and spotlight that they deserve. We really hit the jackpot with these ladies! Plus, it is also the start of my birthday month, so I am going to once again reassess everything I have been doing in my life so far, like I do every year. But without a doubt, it has been great to be a part of this community, and I am excited to spend many more years with the Crawlspace family, whether it be as a contributor, or even just as a fan and reader. Cheers!