by Marvel Various
Publisher: Marvel
Format: Paperback
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Superheroes
Release Date: March 15th, 2022
Goodreads
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Things I loved about this graphic novel: some of the one-shots were really fun, and I liked the fact it was women across Marvel for many of them, with varying stories. What I absolutely loved more than anything else, however, were the interviews with different women who have worked with and for Marvel, and the focus on various women who have been involved with the company in ways that have been overlooked.
However, there were more things about this graphic novel that bugged me than didn’t. Let’s start with Wanda, who features on the cover: we didn’t actually get a Wanda story. There’s so much there regarding her character, so many different things that could be done, yet…nada. Weird choice.
There were some fun, interesting stories here, and I really liked when we got the opportunity to see the different women across Marvel interacting with each other. However, it felt like maybe a couple too many of the stories were about hair or beauty, there were a handful that were about male characters in Marvel, and like the hair/beauty thing were a bit too many in overly cartoony/cutesy art style. These things in moderation would have been fun to include but it started to feel a touch patronising.
2010’s Girl Comics are included in here too, and I think that’s where a lot of this as a whole started feeling a little flat to me. I would have liked to have seen more actual comic issues that focused on women characters like She-Hulk, Wanda, Storm etc-I-could-go-on, or even ones where the different characters could unite against a threat, but overall the anthology is a very mixed bag. It felt like I’d really get into a one-shot, and enjoy it, then end up feeling let down by the next one.
Overall, that was how I felt towards the book – let down. Again, the interviews are great, and it’s really interesting to see how many women work and have worked at Marvel, with their contributions acknowledged, but the one-shots themselves were all over the place and it felt like some might have been rushed at the last minute. I really wish this had just been done a bit better, but on the other hand I am glad to have read it and glad I now have a copy here.
Unwrapping Words 