Monday, July 6, 2009

Marvel Divas #1 (of 4)

Over the years I've read all kinds of comic books, but I have to admit that I've only read a few romance comics.

And I've seen several episodes of the TV show Sex and the City, though I'm certainly not a big fan.

None of this is to disparage the fans of the above - it's just that I have limited experience with them, so that may color my review of Marvel Divas, which has been billed as "Marvel superheroines meets Sex and the City."

The comic focuses on four characters - Patsy (Hellcat) Walker, Felicia (Black Cat) Hardy, Angelica (Firestar) Jones and Monica (Captain Marvel) Rambeau. (Hey, didn't she change her name to Photon or something like that?)

Anyway, the four have become pals, so they hang out a lot, talk about men, their escapades and rarely appear wearing anything other than normal clothes (in other words, no costumes). Which makes the cover something of a cheat.

The focus here is on romance and real life, not superhero antics - in fact, the story would work about as well if the four were not super-powered.

So the description is pretty much spot on, and it makes for a breezy read. The script by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is solid, and I really like the art by Tonci Zonjic - it's fresh and modern, and serves up an attractive world of beautiful women and the handsome men they're involved with. It evokes the real world without trying to be photo-realistic.

This comic certainly isn't for everyone - the only fight scenes are a couple of one-panel flashbacks - but if you're willing to stick a toe into the pool of romance comics, you could do worse.

Grade: B+

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