Marvel’s been playing around with reviving some of their long-neglected characters for a while now, and they put a new twist on the idea by bringing back Millie the Model.  I admit I don’t know a lot about the original book, just that it was sort of a romance/comedy story, remembered fondly by some.  I’m most interested in the idea that model comics were a viable property at Marvel for so long.  Whether they’re still a viable property, I don’t know, but if this is Marvel’s only experiment dipping back into the model comic pool, it’s already proven to be an enjoyable one.

This book may have been overshadowed by the ‘Marvel Divas’ series.  That series has been pretty well-received, after initial skepticism, but the combination of frivolous romance talk with movie-of-the-week disease story didn’t sit that well with me.  Of course, I’m perfectly happy for there to be more than one gal-pals book in the Marvel Universe, it’s just that this one is definitely more up my alley.  The women sparkle with personality (this may be my favorite depiction of Patsy Walker/Hellcat ever, as she goes off on a mugger and the others gossip about how she’s really a superhero).  Paul Tobin’s writing is fun and witty (it reminded me of ‘Banana Sunday’, his collaboration with Colleen Coover, more than his previous Marvel work, though I’ve enjoyed that, too.)  The art by Vicenc Villagrasa is a great part of the story, as well, showcasing fun and slightly ridiculous fashions, on female body-types that aren’t the top-heavy Barbie doll/superhero standard, and Val Staples’ colors really shine.

I was already won over by the main story, but most of the attention about this issue focuses on the backup starring real-life fashionista Tim Gunn — who I guess is on Project Runway?  Sorry, guys, I fail at reality-TV.  In any case, the backup story was a hoot, even for someone who isn’t a ‘Runway’ fan.  My only nitpick about the whole book is about the art in the backup.  The story featured Gunn giving a faux historical-lecture about fashion in the Marvel Universe.  As somebody who will never get tired of making fun of superheroes’ clothes, I found this very entertaining, but the way the story was laid out didn’t particularly showcase the costumes he was talking about.  So I was a little frustrated trying to match the visuals with the text; but that’s a small complaint about what was a very fun book.  If you’re looking for something a little different, give this a shot.  (Also, for the ever-elusive ‘comics I can give to my girlfriend’ question, you can do that here without insulting her intelligence, because this really is a smart, fun story.)