The Second Printing $2.99 Challenge: Ms. Marvel #32

Ben has been raving about Ms. Marvel for nearly three years now and with Graig's $2.99 Challenge going out, I thought, "What better time than now than with Ms. Marvel #32?"

Should I have waited until The Afghani put down the sledgehammer? Let's find out... together!

A) In your assessment, could a non-comics reader pick this up cold and enjoy it? Why or why not?

Um, yeah, sure. This issue is very much of a "jumping-on" point. Tony Stark shows up and is his usual charming (womanizing) self. The lead character Major Linda Danvers (the future Ms. Marvel) is easily likable, showing a sense of cockiness not usually shown in a female lead. She's a spitfire, that's for sure. I like her.

B) What age group(s) would it be appropriate for?

Anyone old enough to have seen Saw 1 through 87, would probably be able to handle this one. It wasn't bad just not I'd expect from a Marvel superhero comic. Who put the torture porn in my comic? The torture scenes, I felt were a bit unnecessary. I think the reader could have understood just how tough she is and how tough she came to be without some random Arab guy (who you just know's gonna die because what he's doing is EVIL) torturing her in her underwear for FIVE PAGES!

"Marvel: We won't show Nick Fury smoking a cigar but we will show Ms. Marvel getting tortured in her Vicky's."

C) Are there any aspects that don't make sense to the new reader (or, conversely, are there any that do?) and...

D) What is your overall perceived quality of the book, and could you see the quality being perceived differently if read long-term?

Yeah, though, Ms. Marvel is nowhere to be found in this comic. From thirty-plus years of comics reading, I know who she will be.

If I didn't know any better I would have picked this one up thinking it was some sort of war comic. I don't know how I'd feel coming into this thing "blind" and a few months later, she's tossing around Winnebagos and Wendigos.

E) What was your overall enjoyment of the single issue?

This is a really pretty book. From artist David Yardin's cover to Paulo Siqueira's slick interiors, this book practically screams to be bought. On that alone, I would look for more next month. Not so much for the writing. That, I found just sort of OK, there no real moments of "Wow!"

Ms. Marvel is a good comic. I can't lie I was a bit underwhelmed but I could see why it has it's following.

Although I don't think it's for the over-the-top characterizations and/or torture scenes.