Marvel has been going big with the “Marvel Rising” comics; there’s been at least three #1 issues of its various team-ups and lead-ins. But the comics and show have shown off some of Marvel’s greatest young heroes, so numbering issues are no big deal. With that in mind, let’s take a look at “Marvel Rising” #1 and see what it brings to the table.
Written by Nilah Magruder
Illustrated by Rob Di Salvo
Colored by Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by VC’s Clayton CowlesHEROES OF THE ROUNDTABLE! With the powers of GIRL and the powers of SQUIRREL on their side, Kamala Khan and Doreen Green are an unbeatable team! But that title is about to be seriously challenged — because New Jersey has been invaded by a swarm of knights in shining…suits?! Driving cars armed with javelins?! Uh-oh. Kamala and Doreen are gonna need allies to help protect their home turf — and they know just who to call. Don’t miss the return of the team-up that’s got everyone talking!
There’s nothing quite like a team-up comic, and this one gives us a good mix of heroes we’ve seen working together. Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), and Inferno team up to… take a college campus tour.
This does give us a good opportunity to look a little more into the heads of the characters. Doreen is already pursuing her degree, but the others are still preparing for college. It’s a stressful time in anyone’s life, even without having to be a superhero. Teens are expected to decide where they want to earn their degree, what they want to study, and often times set the course for their lives. We see Kamala struggle with the weight of the decision, and it’s very relatable.
Slightly less relatable is their decision to wander around the campus in their super hero outfits. On one hand, they’re keeping their secret identities safe from each other (at least Miles is keeping his; I’m fairly certain everyone else knows who’s who), but on the other hand, they’re basically broadcasting to the entire campus that three superheroes are planning on enrolling.
In fact, Ms. Marvel even asks Squirrel Girl why she decided to major in computer science. While they’re in the computer science lab. Surrounded by Doreen Green’s classmates. I’m fairly certain anyone there managed to piece it together pretty quickly.
We still get a good amount of character work out of this, as Kamala and Miles discuss their plans for higher education and their anxiety or lack thereof about it. Nilah Magruder captures Kamala’s voice really well and lets us as readers feel what she’s feeling. The other characters feel a little secondary to her, as Miles shows little concern and Dante is practically absent during the conversation, but they still come across well.
Characters aside, the plot kicks off nicely with an amusing hook. The heroes have runaway cars to deal with as their drivers begin jousting and shouting in very antiquated language. That lets us see the heroes do what they do best – save people and stop the weirdness, preferably with some witty dialogue. And we do get that, with the distinct voices maintained for each character. While we mostly see each hero helping in their own way, their teamwork still comes through well.
Then we get to the cause of the troubles, including the return of a classic magic foe. There’s some good character work with the antagonists as well. Morgan Le Fay’s strength of character comes through in her dialogue, compared to the more nervous stuttering and “uh” pauses of Melanie, the girl who summoned her. If anyone thought Melanie was just an innocent caught up in magic beyond her understanding, that’s set to rest with a little Marvel-universe racism when she refers to Inhumans as “freaks.” So her character is firmly established, giving the series a good base from which to start.
The illustration work from Rob Di Salvo is fine; he captures each character’s design nicely, adding in a good amount of detail to their outfits and the scenery around them. Background characters feel a little more flat, but those closer to the foreground still get some great designs.
Continued belowThere’s one moment early on where Squirrel Girl’s face looks a bit distorted, but after that point all the expressions fall nicely into place. The energy comes through nicely in the characters’ body language, and when the panels are closer we get some cute looks on their faces.
Rachelle Rosenberg’s color work adds a lot to the issue as well. We get some nice shading from the colors that add a level of depth to the artwork, and the use of background colors makes the characters and action stand out when needed. There’s a good contrast between the blue colors of the indoor scene and the orange and pink backgrounds for the action outside, which helps cement each location.
While “Marvel Rising” #1 may not be exemplary, it’s a good fun comic with a nice amount of character work and solid art. The narration that caries it also makes for a good jumping on point for new readers. If you have the money to spare and want to see some heroes you love teaming up, give “Marvel Rising” a look.
Final Verdict: 6.7 – A fine, fun issue and a good start to a mini-series. “Marvel Rising” is a good introduction to the characters and their place in the Marvel universe, with plenty of solid action and character work.
