Written by (See Below)
Art by (See Below)
Compilation Cover Art by Mike Mayhew
SUMMARY:
Released in 2006 by Marvel Comics, this 224-page retrospective compiles the following ten comics, which sometimes doubles as a character’s crime-fighting debut (see *).
- The Amazing Spider-Man # 86 (1970) – “Beware … The Black Widow!” Writer: Stan Lee, with Art by: John Romita; Jim Mooney; & Sam Rosen. Debuting her trademark black jumpsuit, Black Widow attempts to learn the secret of Spider-Man’s powers. Meanwhile, an injured Peter Parker fears that he is permanently losing his powers.
- *The Cat # 1 (1972) – “Beware the Claws of the Cat!” Writers: Linda Fite & Roy Thomas, with Art by: Marie Severin; Wally Wood; & John Costanza. Before she became Tigra and passed on the costume to Patsy Walker’s Hellcat, young widow Greer Nelson was the masked Cat. Seeking to avenge her now-deceased mentor, the Cat infiltrates their psychotic benefactor’s Chicago high-rise to ruin his plans for a mesmerized army of enhanced female Cats. Greer’s origin as the Cat is revealed.
- *Shanna the She-Devil # 1 (1972) – “Shanna the She-Devil.” Co-Writers: Carole Seuling & Steve Gerber, with Art by: George Tuska; Vincent Colletta; & John Costanza. Including her origin, Dr. Shanna Hara is now the compassionate protector of jungle animals. With her adopted jungle cats, she fiercely guards the African wilderness from nefarious ivory poachers out to kill a herd of elephants.
- *Ms. Marvel # 1 (1972) – “This Woman, This Warrior!” Writer: Gerry Conway, with Art by: John Buscema; Joe Sinnott; Marie Severin; & John Costanza. Spinning out of Marvel’s original Captain Marvel series, Carol Danvers is hired as J. Jonah Jameson’s new magazine editor. Plagued by partial amnesia, Carol and her heroic alter-ego, Ms. Marvel, are unaware of each other. Mary Jane Watson guest-stars, as Ms. Marvel must rescue an abducted J. Jonah from the Scorpion’s wrath. Peter Parker and Robbie Robertson appear in Daily Bugle cameos.
- *Dazzler # 1 (1976) – “So Bright This Star.” Writer: Tom DeFalco, with Art by: John Romita Jr.; Alfredo Alcala; Glynis Wein; & Joe Rosen. Alison Blaire needs a quick career boost, as she unknowingly crosses path with a new rival: Asgard’s nefarious Enchantress. Guest stars include: Spider-Man; The X-Men (Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, & Kitty Pryde); & The Avengers (The Beast; Captain America; Iron Man; & the Wasp).
- The Uncanny X-Men # 151-152 (1981) – “X-Men Minus One! / The Hellfire Gambit.” Writer: Chris Claremont, with Art by: Jim Sherman; Bob McLeod; Josef Rubenstein; Bonnie Wilford; Don Warfield; Tom Orzechowski; & Janice Chiang. Taking advantage of Kitty Pryde’s departure, the Hellfire Club, along with multiple Sentinels, attacks the X-Mansion. Among those taken captive are Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Wolverine. Even worse, having secretly body-swapped with Storm, Emma Frost infiltrates the X-Men. Kitty may be the team’s last hope.
- Avengers # 221 (1982) – “New Blood.” Writers: Jim Shooter & David Michelinie; with Art by: Bob Hall; Brett Breeding; Christie Scheele; & Janice Chiang. Seeking to boost the team roster, Thor approaches Spider-Man while Captain America & Iron Man check up on Hawkeye. The Wasp hosts an afternoon party attended by Black Widow; Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew); the She-Hulk; the Invisible Woman; and Dazzler. One of them becomes a first-time Avenger.
- Uncanny X-Men # 182 (1984) – “Madness.” Writer: Chris Claremont, with Art by: John Romita Jr.; Dan Green; Glynis Wein; & Tom Orzechowski. Overwhelmed by Carol Danvers’ stolen memories, Rogue instinctively rescues battered SHIELD agent Michael Rossi from homicide aboard its own heli-carrier. However, Rossi is Ms. Marvel’s one-time lover, and he has no idea of Rogue’s bizarre connection to his beloved Carol.
*Uncanny X-Men # 244 (1989) – “Ladies Night.” Writer: Chris Claremont, with Art by: Marc Silvestri; Dan Green; Glynis Wein; & Tom Orzechowski. Introducing Jubilee, this X-tale has its female members (Storm, Dazzler, Psylocke, & Rogue) enjoying downtime at a glamorous L.A. mall. Complicating the fun is the M-Squad (think Ghostbusters-meets-the original X-Factor team), as these bumbling mutant hunters are hired to capture perpetual mallrat Jubilee.
Note: A sequel, Women of Marvel, Volume 2 is also available in paperback form.
REVIEW:
There’s a welcome surplus of early-to-mid ‘70s pro-feminism inhabiting this collection’s first half. All good intentions aside, these dated adventures deliver some kid-friendly nostalgia that holds up okay by contemporary standards. The visuals are consistently good quality – safely in the mid-B range. The sole detriment that could be construed as predictably sexist are the heroines’ skimpy and/or skintight costumes.
Among the oldest stories, Ms. Marvel’s debut works best, as it presents the partially-amnesiac Carol Danvers as a promising new heroine with instant star appeal. The Spider-Man crossover is an ingenious move by having Ms. Marvel first tangle with a reliable Spider-baddie in the Scorpion. By contrast, Dazzler’s solo debut is hampered by its overload of guest stars, which makes obvious that Marvel lacked confidence in this X-Men spin-off’s sales potential.
Re: the book’s second half, most notably, Chris Claremont’s two-part X-Men tale is a welcome gem from forty years ago. It has everything that X-fans enjoy about that era. Even if it isn’t the best-written, the all-star Avengers romp is undoubtedly the most fun to read, as far as some Marvel-style humor.
That leaves the last two X-Men tales. Short of hardcore Rogue fans, “Madness” is worth exploring once, but its Carol Danvers memory-siphoning plot is creepier than actually being entertaining. As for “Ladies Night,” depending on a given reader’s mood, either the story is an amusingly light-hearted X-caper meant as filler, or it’s just plain insipid – take your pick.
Marvel admirably goes to the effort of freshening up the archival artwork, so one can’t complain about the top-flight production values. For old-school fans, Women of Marvel, Volume 1 works its magic – long before these characters’ lives become excessively convoluted for casual enjoyment.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The covers are re-produced in a full-page format. The artists aren’t credited, at least beyond what little can be read off each image. The last page shows the artistic evolution of Mayhew’s compilation cover.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
