All of you wonderful and beautiful people come here to iFanboy.com every day to comment on the comic books issues and news and events of the day. Sometimes you're brilliant and funny. Sometimes you're smart and insightful. And sometimes you are wildly incoherent and wrong. Every week we are going to pick out the best comment from the previous seven days and honor it as the iFanboy Comment of the Week!
For years, every time a super hero role comes up to be cast for a major motion picture there has been an outcry from the online geek community to cast the much beloved Nathan Fillion (no matter how wrong he would be for the part). Well, now that the rumor is that Fillion is actually being considered for Ant-Man…
skeets's comment:
guys i think i'm hallucinating
Hey skeets, you just won the iFanboy Comment of the Week!
Make good, interesting, insightful, funny comments, people, and you might be next!
One of our favorite things at iFanboy is to watch people rush here to write User Reviews after reading their comics. We love seeing people excited about spreading the comic book love (or, in rare cases, the hate). Every week we are going to pick the best User Review from the previous week's worth of comics and honor it as the iFanboy User Review of the Week!
ohcaroline's review:
Her-Oes #2
Pick of the Week!
This mini, which carries a “Women of Marvel” banner hasn’t garnered the attention of some of the other titles in the Marvel Women project (and it isn’t helped by a title that’s simultaneously weird and generic), but this is a thoroughly delightful book that deserves to find an audience.
Her-oes tells the story of teenager Janet Van Dyne, and her best friend Jenny Walters. Jan and Jen have all the usual teenage worries — school, parents, romance, mean girls. But they also have to come to terms with being different from their classmates. Really different! Because, as Marvel fans know, Jan is the Wasp (who shrinks down to insect size and grows wings), and Jen is She-Hulk (you wouldn’t like her when she’s angry!) These aren’t the versions of the characters we know from other comics, though, and they don’t try to be.
That’s the real strength and charm of Her-oes: it’s a retelling of the basic “young superhero” story that we all know, and it isn’t afraid to stand on its own two feet. You don’t read this comic looking for winking references to stories from other comic books. You just read it to find out what happens to these girls, because they’re fun and funny and interesting characters. In a lot of ways, this is basically the Spider-Man story — the talented teenage misfit with secret powers — but it’s tailored not just to girls as an abstract audience, but to Jan as a unique character. She’s impulsive and sassy and sometimes makes bad choices, in a way that reminds me of a slightly grown-up Ramona Quimby. And sure, I could grumble that instead of being interested in science, like Peter Parker, Jan is interested in fashion. But fashion here is Jan’s mission; she wants to be a designer for the school play — it’s not a girl thing, it’s a Jan thing. Also, she wears fishnets with combat boots. It looks awesome!
I wasn’t familiar with Grace Randolph’s writing before finding this series, but I’ve been converted very quickly. Her scripts capture the uneasy dynamics of high school friendships — and enemyships — and how quickly those tides can turn. Issue 2 also injects some darker subtexts, when it seems that Jan’s apparently loving but absent-minded father may be keeping some secrets. Craig Rousseau’s art is also a perfect fit for this book. I first admired his work on my beloved, departed X-Men: First Class, and here it gets fantastic finishes from colorist Veronica Gandini. (That cover, also awesome, is by Sara Pichelli). So much talent and love obviously went into this book and, while it might be aimed at (and perfect for) teen and preteen girls, this is just great comic-booking that anyone can enjoy.
Congratulations, ohcaroline, you wrote the iFanboy User Review of the Week!
Make 'em good, people, and you might be next!
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‘guys i think i’m hallucinating’
Am I missing a gag?
@Mart: Read the paragraph above that explains the comment.
Oh, awesome, thank you! I really enjoyed writing that review. I think Grace Randolph is a writing talent to watch, and Craig Rousseau always does great work as well.
@conor I did, honest! Just thought I was missing something, as I so often do! Anyway, nice one Skeets and ohcaroline.
Great review, Caroline. Her-oes is a book that I didn’t really pay attention to, possibly because I’m a little put off by the bad pun of a title… but your review actually shares a pretty intriguing premise. I do think we need more books that get away from the depths of continuity and aim for a broader appeal while maintaining the ‘spirit’ of the Marvel characters, and it sounds like this book does just that. And with a new/unknown writer! That’s very cool.
@daccampo The title is terrible — they could just call it "Wasp & She-Hulk" and at least people would know what it was about! And Marvel doesn’t seem to know how to market it in general. I hope they get the TPB/Digests in with junior high book clubs/libraries or something, (supposedly that’s what has kept Amazing Spider-Girl going) so that it actually finds the audience that will enjoy it.
There have been several times that I’ve not picked up a comic for some reason, and ohcaroline’s reviews have made me go back and pick them up. Awesome choice.
Oh hey, look at that. 😀
Yeah man you’re bigger than sliced Jesus.
Love the review, OC – you do make that book sound rather good; it’s the title that put me off two. Even the equally pun-some ‘Sheroes’ might have been better, though as you say, ‘Wasp and She-Hulk’ would have done the job. ‘High School Heroines’. Anything!
@akamuu & @Mart — Thanks!
Great review ohcaroline.
Her-oes sounds like a really good title for teenage girls. Maybe a good idea for an animated series?
I would so watch that animated series!
Though I emphasize the appeal of this comic isn’t limited to teenage girls any more than Ultimate Spider-Man is limited to teenage boys. It’s just good art and good storytelling.
I’m definitely going to keep my eye out for the trade. Sounds intriguing.
@skeets – Congrats.
@ohcaroline – That is one convincing review. I’m going to grab a copy of that trade for my preteen niece. (I’m also getting her I Kill Giants.)
@stuclach I will definitely make a fuss about it when the trade comes out. Another good Marvel book on these lines is the recent "Nomad" mini-series, which should be out already in the small-TPB format.
@ohcaroline – Thanks. I’ll look for Nomad, too.
Oh how a bad title can spoil a comic. I am intrigued now, thank you 🙂
The title doesn’t even make sense! Is it supposed to be pronounced Hur-oes? She-roes makes more sense but is just as bad.
Yeah, "Her-Oes" sounds like a breakfast cereal…but a breakfast cereal with an interesting story concept. Great review, ohcaroline, I don’t think I’d really have any interest in this title otherwise!