Fearless is a new title designed to showcase female Marvel super-heroines and all-female creative team. I find these types of titles weird. Personally, I just want to see the best talent on the market working for Marvel. But, big corporations love this type of thing because it makes them feel good and pandering often works with a large percentage of consumers.
Normally debut issues of new titles post a solid sales number since speculators cannot resist a comic book with a #1 on the cover. Unfortunately, Fearless #1 landed with a thud posting a sales number of an unimpressive 26,813 units. With that type of sales number for a debut issue of a new title, I would expect Fearless to be sub-20K by the third issue.
It will be interesting to see if there is a serious audience for Fearless or not. I am also curious to see how the quality of the stories is going to be with this title. I often find anthology comics to be a bit weak in terms of the writing given that the writers do not get a full issue in order to deliver their stories. I do think that getting these female character over with a larger percentage of readers is quite possible and a good idea. All the writers need to do is deliver fun action and adventure stories with these female characters kicking butt but also being likable and relateable real human beings.
To be sure, there are some excellent characters in Fearless #2. We get Storm, Night Nurse, and X-23. Unfortunately, we also get Carol Danvers. You can’t win them all. Let’s go ahead and hit this review!
Words: Seanan McGuire
Art: Claire Roe
Colors: Rachelle Rosenberg
Story Rating: 2 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 3.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin with Ms. Marvel battling Piledriver from the Wrecking Crew. Piledriver punches Ms. Marvel into a wall. Piledriver asks, “Are you ready to back down, little girl” Ms. Marvel responds by saying, “Stop being a sexist jerk, old man.” (Well, we did not have to get past the first page without a comment about sexism! That was faster than I expected. Also, you would think Ms. Marvel would not be using such a hateful ageist comment like that.)
Ms. Marvel then takes down Piledriver. She then runs home. Kamala’s mom says that Kamala looks tired. That Kamala needs to rest more. That she needs to be like other teenagers and relax. Therefore, Kamala’s mother has enrolled her in a summer camp. (Well, that was fast and out of nowhere.)
We cut to Camp Gloriana, Maine. Kamala arrives at the all-girl camp. We learn that this is an empowerment camp. (Hilarious! Of course, it is.) We see one of the keynote speakers of the camp arrive on the scene. It is Storm. The camp leader thanks Storm for coming. The camp leader knows that such accomplished women are in high demand. (I have a feeling that this story is going to be super subtle.)
One of the campers, Melody, then runs over and hugs Storm. Melody is a mutant who lost her powers during M-Day. Melody is also Cannonball’s sister. Suddenly, a Fantastipod lands on the scene. Out steps Val Richards. The camp leader calls her “Ms. Storm-Richards.” (Huhbutwhat?! Since when did the Richards kids get hyphenated names? This is just gold. Pure hilarious gold. Give me more.)
The camp counselor thanks Val for agreeing to be their STEM keynote speaker. (Man, McGuire is rocking that progressive checklist. We are only five pages into the story and we already have sexism, empowerment, accomplished strong women, hyphenated last names, and STEM programs for girls. That is working faster than even I expected!)
The camp counselor’s name is Kate. Storm and Val greet each other. Storm is here to talk about the environment and conservation. The camp leader then says that this camp has three primary tracks: STEM, environmental issues, and space exploration. Carol Danvers will be the keynote speaker for space exploration. (Damn. I would have preferred that Carol be the keynote speaker for tractor-trailer driving, NASCAR racing, and beer chugging. That was a real lost opportunity there, McGuire.)
The camp leader then takes Val and Storm to their private campers. (Look these ladies may be here to inspire young women, but they sure as hell are not going to slum it with them!)
The camp leader goes into the details about how they acquired the land for the camp and how it was not easy. (Jesus. Land acquisition talk. What’s next? Tax issues the camp faced? So exciting!) The camp leader says that they get 250 campers with 50 of them on scholarships. That about 20 of the girls are open mutants. There are probably more still hiding. The camp leader wanted Storm here so all the mutants would feel comparable coming out.
We learn that campers are between the ages of 16 and 22. (16-22?!?! Whoever heard of campers over the age of 16?! Don’t you become a camp counselor by 17? And then by 18 don’t you go to college or get a real job? And if most of the campers are between 18-22 shouldn’t the camp leader be referring to them as “women” and not “girls?”)
The camp leader says that it is hard enough for the girls to be assertive without the world throwing barriers in front of them. (Where did that come from?! I’ll give it a pass, though. McGuire has a long checklist of buzzwords that she has to shove into this story and very few pages to do it!)
Storm says being a mutant is not a barrier. (Oh, shit! SJW fight! Those are the best!) The camp leader agrees with Storm but says that the world is not fair. That it will always be harder for a mutant to get a job that involves working with the public. (Damn. No fight. Rats.) The camp leader then rolls into how they picked their keynote speakers base on how inspirational they will be. The camp leader then asks them to inspire the girls. The camp leader leaves. (Jesus. That was a truck ton of boring narration dump.)
Suddenly, Carol Danvers kicks open the door and asks if she is late. (Yes! Danvers is like your drunk redneck cousin that you never wanted who just barges into a room like an ox.)
We cut to Kamala in her cabin. Their camp counselor, Katie, says that the girls need to give her their ideas for the camp project for approval. The project cannot be on the forbidden list of things like death rays and biological agents. Kamala then freaks out and wonders if the camp is a training camp for super-villains. (Uhhhhh, why would Kamala ever have this thought based on what we have seen?)
We hop back to our keynote speakers walking to the dining hall. They talk about the schedule for the camp, orientation, and the sound of an owl. (Really. This is all just riveting stuff.)
They arriving at the dining hall. Carol says that this “camp gig” makes them something between being “hobos and being rock stars.” Val says maybe they are hobo rock stars. Carol replies that it would make them the Counting Crows. (What am I reading?! I have no idea what is going on anymore. And did McGuire really just drop a reference to a band that was popular over twenty years ago?! Yes. That is how you write a comic targeting teen girls.)
Carol then laughs in an uproariously over the top fashion. (Love it! Aaaand, I just noticed that Carol is wearing a white t-shirt with short sleeves that are rolled up like a stereotypical redneck truck driver. She is also wearing jeans with a flannel shirt wrapped around her waist like its the 1990s. This is all just too fantastic!)
We learn that Storm is vegetarian. We learn that camp counselor Katie is a mutant. Her power is to make things change colors. (Hey!! Color Kid is going to sue for gimmick infringement!!) Katie says that her mutant power is useless. Storm says that all mutant powers are beautiful. (Yeah….but some are definitely cooler than others. Don’t lie to the poor girl.)
We cut to Ms. Marvel sneaking around the camp trying to find clues that this is actually a camp run by villains. Suddenly, a camp counselor enters the room with our keynote speakers and gives them a tour. Ms. Marvel shrinks down to a tiny size to hide.
The counselor tells them about the Sapiens-Superior Alliance which is a group of mutant kids and human kids working together. The SSA is like a GSA only about genetics than sexual or romantic orientation. (Man, McGuire is just burning through her checklist of buzzwords! Great job!)
Katie then shows off her special camp project. It is made from aluminum and parts scavenged from the most recent Kree incursion. It is a metal ball. When Katie hold it her finger touches a button that activates a red light on the device. Katie sets it back down. The tour group then leave the room.
Ms. Marvel doesn’t know what the device is signaling but thinks that it is probably “bad news bears.” (Ah, another fresh current reference from the 1970s. Hell, even the remake of that movie is 15 years old. We are nailing that teen-age demographic.) Ms. Marvel says that this camp is a trap in disguise. End of story.
The Good: Wow. Just wow. Seanan McGuire’s story is pure gold. I mean, for all the wrong reasons, but still. This story is a gift that just keeps giving with each page. There are times when a story is so bad that the reader can just relish in the unintentional humor that the writer delivers with each page. This story is definitely one of those moments.
Look, McGuire’s writing is pedestrian at best. This story is frightfully dull and boring. I think my Tax Law class in law school was more exciting and passionate than McGuire’s story. However, I still must satisfy the Revolution’s Rule of Positivity. So, let’s see. I do love some of the characters in this story. Both Storm and Val are excellent characters who are quite entertaining when properly written.
Claire Roe’s is resolutely average. This art neither pleases nor offends the reader. I do hope that Roe purposely gave Carol that redneck truck driver outfit knowing full well what she was doing. If Roe did that then she gets a massive gold star. Well played.
The Bad: There is just no getting around it. This story is awful. It is an example where writing with an agenda to achieve leads to a dull story. It is always to first have a creative idea for a cool story full of interesting characters and then gently massage your political or social message into the story. This makes for a far more compelling story and it increases the chance that your political or social message might genuinely resonate with the reader.
Instead, McGuire does the exact opposite. This story reads like McGuire sat down with her checklist of buzzwords and proceeded to write the story while checking off buzzwords from her list. This story reads like a lifeless and dry laundry list rather than an actual piece of creative writing. There is literally no soul or passion anywhere in this story. The story is written in a painfully boring and mechanical fashion as McGuire goes down her checklist of items she wants to shove into this story.
It is obvious that McGuire has never written a comic book before. This story reads like an amateur comic. I understand that McGuire is an accomplished writer who writes novels and novellas. However, being able to write novels does not automatically mean you know how to write comic books. These are two totally different mediums that require different skills and talents. One can excel at writing poetry but suck at writing novels.
I know people seem to discount the talent of a comic book writer, but the fact remains that the ability to write comic books is a unique talent and skill. Marvel’s editorial staff foolishly thinks that they can hire opinion columnists or novelists and have them write comic books. The result is comic books that come across as amateurish and poorly written.
McGuire’s story has zero action to it. I take it back. We get about two panels of action at the very beginning. After that? Just a painfully slow and meandering story that is dryer than a PBS documentary on stamp collecting. McGuire has zero sense of urgency to the story. The story lacks focus. The story never progresses with a clear purse in mind.
Another way that you can tell that McGuire is a novelist and not a comic book writer is the insane amount of mind numbingly boring exposition dump that we get in this story. This exposition dump drones on for pages. This is something you absolutely can get away with it in a novel or a novella. But, you cannot do it in a comic book. It is a complete lack of understanding of the medium of comic books.
Outside of Carol, there is zero character work in this story. There is also no chemistry at all between the characters. This is another problem when the writer operates off simply virtue signaling and hitting a checklist of buzzwords rather than trying to write realistic and fully developed women. The result is that the women all come across completely lifeless. They do not act like real people. They do not have texture to their characters. The women are all written more like the archetype for what is a Strong Female Character™ rather than real human beings. Therefore, the characters have no personalities. There are no character flaws and quirks complemented by strengths in their personalities. There is nothing there to connect the reader to the characters at all. These women all seem more like mere props designed to carry out McGuire’s message.
McGuire’s dialogue is so painfully dry and boring. The dialogue reads more like a laundry list of items than an actual real conversation between real human beings. The dialogue is all so forced and stiff. Again, much like the story itself, there is zero passion or life in the dialogue. Also, outside of Carol, none of the characters have a unique external voice. They all sound the same.
Let’s talk about the only character with an identifiable personality: Carol Danvers. Carol certainly has a personality. Sure, Carol is just a stereotype, but at least she has some type of personality. What is great about Carol is that she is such an awful character that she actually becomes absolutely fantastic. I am endlessly entertained by her.
The more I read Carol’s character the most I firmly believe that Marvel desperately wants Carol to be a lesbian. But, Marvel lacks the courage to make this move. Maybe I am wrong, but Carol is consistently written like a stereotypical redneck lesbian that we have in my part of the country. Marvel should just lean into this and finally, officially make Carol a lesbian and just play up this redneck lesbian gimmick. I mean, Carol’s character has been a total dumpster fire since she became Captain Marvel so she should at least be an entertaining dumpster fire.
McGuire’s Ms. Marvel is about as bland as vanilla pudding. There is just nothing there at all to Kamala’s character in this story. To make things worse, McGuire makes Kamala seem a bit dopey. McGuire also does not do any favors with Ms. Marvel during her fight with Piledriver. It was hilarious that McGuire had Ms. Marvel respond to what she thinks is sexist with an ageist comment. This hypocrisy being lost on McGuire is hilarious. And, in the end, it is Ms. Marvel who loses because she looks a hypocrite, too.
Also, Piledriver is a bad guy. What are we to expect him to say to Ms. Marvel? The fact is that Piledriver is older than her. Ms. Marvel is a teen. And Ms. Marvel is physically much smaller than Piledriver. So, Piledriver calling her a little girl is both factually true and also an example of a villain trash-talking a hero. Piledriver is a jerk. Period. Bringing in the sexism comment simply makes this look like forced pandering. It also serves to water down true examples of sexism that can be effectively employed in a story. This is the type of eye-rolling moment that serves to work counter to the goals of the author.
Roe’s artwork is average at best. Roe’s panel’s lack of any detail in the backgrounds. In fact, Roe’s art, in general, lacks detail. Roe also seems to struggle with body proportions at times as well as with the characters’ faces. Also, Roe’s panel layouts are not particularly creative.
Words: Karla Pacheco
Art: Iolanda Zanfardino
Colors: Rachelle Rosenburg
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin with Night Nurse, aka Linda Carter, using a fire extinguisher to smash a giant dinosaur creature out of her clinic. We cut to two weeks earlier. We see Night Nurse and Dr. Strange enjoying some pastelillos, tostones, and pernil. (Oh, damn. My mouth is watering. This is the food that my wife makes in our house. I think Pacheco is probably referring to the Puerto Rican versions of these foods. In my house, we have the Dominican versions of these items. Still, that is some damn good eating.)
Dr. Strange tells Night Nurse that she needs to have a personal life and actually go on a date for once.
We then shift to Linda using a dating app on her iPhone. We then see her on a date with a guy. Linda asks the guy if he likes working in medicine. The guy replies that he does not like it as much as he loves Vicodin. (Ummmm…oooookay.)
We cut to Linda arriving back at her clinic after the terrible date. Night Nurse finds a lizard woman curled up on the floor. Night Nurse checks her out and sees a collar on her neck that prevents other powers from controlling her. The collar is also causing an infection. The lizard woman is named Melati Kusuma aka Komodo. That in her human form she has no legs. So, Melati used Dr. Connor’s Lizard formula to regrow her legs. This turned her into Komodo.
Night Nurse says that if Komodo turns back into her human form then Night Nurse can remove the collar. Komodo refuses to turn back into her human form because there is someone bad after her and she would be helpless to fight them.
The collar begins burning Komodo again. Night Nurse says that they have to remove the collar now. Suddenly, a large dinosaur type creature known as Stegron enters the clinic and takes down Night Nurse. Stegron picks up Komodo by her neck and says that the collar is preventing him from taking control over her mind. Stegron rips off the collar. Stegron takes over Komodo’s mind and tells her that it is time to go.
Night Nurse gets back up and tells Stegron to stop. Stegron holds Komodo and says that this has nothing to do with Night Nurse. Stegron says that Night Nurse is weak compared to him.
A massive fire has erupted in the clinic. Night Nurse grabs the fire extinguisher. (What is hilarious is that Night Nurse walks across the tile floor and the artist has “click” “click” sounds in the panel. Which would make sense if Night Nurse was wearing high heels. But, the artist already showed Night Nurse wearing flat soft shoes.) However, rather than put out the fire, Night Nurse uses it to smash the front door to chase after Stegron.
Stegron says that he could order Komodo to kill Night Nurse. Stegron says that Night Nurse cannot outrun a dinosaur. Stegron says that he looks forward to beating up any heroes that Night Nurse might send after him. Stegron and Komodo then race off from the scene. Night Nurse says that she can’t outrun Stegron, but that she does not need anyone else to help her.
We cut to Night Nurse at an unnamed facility asking a clerk for the engineering schematics for the American Museum of Natural History. (Where are we? In post-911 America who is going to give some random person the engineering schematics to a large public facility?! This is some rushed and sloppy writing here.)
We cut to Stegron strapping Komodo to a table. Stegron says that if Komodo tries to revert to her human form then he will immediately kill her. We cut to Night Nurse standing outside of the door to an engineering and maintenance room. It is locked, but Night Nurse uses her hairpin to pick the lock.
We hop back to Stegron about to inject Komodo with a syringe. Stegron begins to yawn. We cut back to Night Nurse walking through the American Museum of Natural History. We see visitors at the museum talking about how it got so cold all of a sudden.
We zip back to the room where Stegron has Komodo captured. We see Stegron curled up and sleeping on the floor. Night Nurse kicks open the door and is flanked by two cops. Night Nurse says that if she were a hero she would say a cool line right now, but instead, she won’t since she is just a frail pathetic nurse.
We see Night Nurse and Komodo walking out of the museum together. Night Nurse reveals that she hacked into the air conditioner system and made the museum cold so that Stegron would be too sluggish to fight. Night Nurse is smart and knows that reptiles slow down and get sleepy in the cold. Night Nurse says it was the most peaceful way to resolve things. Night Nurse comments “Do no harm and all that.”
Komodo says that if she had turned into her human form like Night Nurse asked then Stegron would not have been able to control her. Komodo was just afraid that she could not fight back in her human form. Night Nurse says that she has a hard time feeling that she is enough, too. But, it is who they are. Night Nurse then takes Komodo to a place that has the best pastelillos in the city. End of issue.
The Good: Yes! Now, this is the type of story that Fearless #2 should be delivering! This was an excellent short story! Karla Pacheco accomplishes absolutely everything in her story that Seanan McGuire fails miserably to do in her story.
Having these McGuire and Pacheco’s stories together back-to-back is a fantastic learning experience. These two stories serve as excellent examples of the right and wrong way to do things. What a fantastic and unintentional study in contrast.
Both stories are obviously trying to be empowering and uplifting. However, while McGuire delivers a soulless laundry list of buzzwords and virtue signaling, Pacheco actually writes a real story with real fully developed women that remembers that it is a super-hero story. Therefore, Pacheco’s story’s first goal is to entertain the reader. But, then Pacheco is able to wrap that entertaining super-hero story around an inspiring message of empowerment. This allows Pacheco’s message to be conveyed and readily accepted by a far wider range of readers than what McGuire’s story can ever hope to accomplish.
McGuire has to bore the reader to death while mechanically telling them her message in an incredibly predictable, unoriginal, and unsubtle manner. Pacheco never tells the reader anything. Pacheco never preaches to the reader. Pacheco simply shows the reader the virtue of empowerment and self-confidence within the story of a super-hero adventure. Brilliant! This is a massive difference between the two stories.
Night Nurse is a great character and Pacheco does a fantastic job with her in this story. Night Nurse has a clear and distinct personality. Linda comes across as a real woman. She has a fully developed character full of strengths and weaknesses. Pacheco succeeds in making Night Nurse a character that the reader immediately bonds with and wants to root for as she goes up against an imposing villain.
Komodo is also a sympathetic and relatable character. Pacheco succeeds in getting the reader invested in Komodo’s internal struggle. Komodo’s fear about not being strong enough to stand up to Stegron while in her weak human form is something readers can easily relate to. Everyone has fears and moments of weakness. Everyone suffers from feelings that they are powerless against something they see as stronger than them. This happens in work, in school, and in personal relationships. This is something any type of reader can immediately understand and relate to.
It is common these days to see comic book publishers falling for the trap of what is a Strong Female Character™. It is often seen that to be a Strong Female Character ™ that the character must have classic masculine traits and be loaded down with an insane amount of powers. This is basically the Carol Danvers approach.
However, Pacheco masterfully demonstrates a higher level of understanding of what is true strength. Night Nurse is physically weak. Pacheco does not run form that fact. Linda is just a regular human. There is zero chance that Linda could beat up any super-villain in a physical confrontation. However, this does not make Night Nurse a weak character.
Pacheco deftly demonstrates how Night Nurse has confidence, intelligence, grit, and determination. These qualities allow Night Nurse to defeat a far more powerful character in Stegron. Also, Pacheco wisely has Night Nurse purposely using a non-violent manner to defeat the villain is pure brilliance. First, it is in keeping with Night Nurse’s character with her following the Hippocratic Oath of doing no harm. Second, this also shows that violence is not the only way to solve problems. And that physical strength is not the only way to measure a character’s worth.
I also like that Pacheco makes a point of having Night Nurse tell Komodo that it is okay and normal to be scared. That it is okay and normal to doubt yourself. Night Nurse admits that she gets scared and doubts herself at times, as well. Right here Pacheco is making Night Nurse a real woman. Also, Night Nurse’s ability to use her bravery, determination, and grit to power past her fears and doubts and achieve success is exactly what makes her a hero. A real identifiable hero.
Pacheco shows that Night Nurse is a strong female character through her intelligence, self-confidence, and bravery. This is a radically different approach and a much more refreshing approach compared to the stereotypical Strong Female Character ™ approach that comic book companies normally take.
Pacheco serves the reader plenty of well-crafted dialogue. Komodo, Stegron, and Night Nurse all have their own unique external voices. The dialogue has a pleasant and realistic flow to it. The great dialogue and wonderful character work allow Pacheco to whip up quality chemistry between these characters.
This story is also excellently plotted and paced. Pacheco delivers a balanced read that offers up a good blend of action and dialogue-heavy scenes. The story never drags. Pacheco always keeps her focus and has the story driving forward with a purpose.
Iolanda Zanfardino delivers some cool artwork. I like the facial expressions that she gives Night Nurse. It helps to inject so much personality into Night Nurse’s character. I love that Zanfardino also gives us some action lines when Stegron and Komodo run away from the clinic. Zanfardino has a few moments where the art is a bit messy and lacks detail, but you can tell that she has the artistic chops to draw superhero comics.
The Bad: I have no criticisms of this story.
Words: Eve Ewing
Art: Alitha Martinez
Colors: Rachelle Rosenburg
Story Rating: 3 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 4.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin with X-23 and Gabby the official clone of a clone (The height of the X-Men’s stupidity) breaking into Obsidian Industries. The two heroines are investigating that biotech companies are using their DNA for nefarious purposes. Gabby says that if they see any of their clones (Clones of a clone of a clone?) that they should free them. X-23 says that one day Gabby is going to learn that she cannot save everyone.
Our ladies come across some guards. They make a quick escape through the air vent system. They then crawl through the ductwork and come across a room full of children in cages. They enter the room and open the cages. X-23 says that Obsidian is getting a hefty government contract to hold the children here. (Bwahahahaha!! Really? This is so crazy over-the-top, yet topical!)
Our heroines lead the children to a van and load them into it. The two then drive off with the children. Gabby says that they are going to get the kids hope. That no kid deserves to be in a cage. (Subtle.) End of story.
The Good: I think Gabby’s character is beyond stupid. A derivative character of a deviate character. Gabby’s character is lazy comic book creation by Marvel taken to an all-new low. Having said that, Ewing does a great job making Gabby quite likable. Gabby has a cute personality that makes her likable. Gabby also acts like a real teen-age girl which is also enjoyable. I was stunned that Ewing actually got me to like Gabby in this story.
Alitha Martinez’s artwork is solid. I’m not sure Martinez is a great match for classic superhero characters like the X-Men. Martinez’s style of art would be a better fit for a more street-based and darker comic like Moon Knight or an espionage title like Black Widow. Actually, Martinez would also be great for a title like Brubaker’s Captain America.
The Bad: This was a dumb story. But, to be fair, Ewing got only three measly pages to tell her story. Three pages! It is nearly impossible to tell a quality story with just three pages. The editor for this title should have simply given McGuire thirteen pages and Pacheco fourteen pages to tell their stories and not have bothered with a pointless three-page story. That is on the editor not the writer.
Also, what are X-23 and Gabby going to do with the kids in this story? These migrant children certainly have zero idea where their parents are being held. And what are X-23 and Gabby going to do even if they know the location of the parents? Are they going to break the parents out of wherever they are being held? That would make them guilty of multiple federal felonies. Then what would be their plan? Personally return the families to wherever they came from? Or create fake ID’s and fake social security numbers and set them up within the United States? Because that would be several more federal felonies on top of their prior criminal charges.
It all makes no sense and lacks any logic. And that is the problem with awkwardly shoving political commentary into a story where it makes no logical sense. There is no doubt that a writer can definitely work political commentary into a story in a genuine and intelligent fashion. Ewing definitely does not do that with this story.
The dialogue and character work is pedestrian at best. Again, Ewing only gets three pages. It is incredibly hard to deliver quality character work and dialogue when a writer is only given three pages. There is not any depth or texture to the story. Again, it is only three pages. Seriously, why would the editor of this comic think it was a smart idea to roll out a three-page story?
Alitha Martinez’s artwork is heavily painted. It tends to make the art overly dark. It also tends to make the characters have that dead doll-eyed look. Martinez’s style of art is not the best match for a classic superhero story.
Overall: Fearless #2 is obviously a comic trying to do three things at the same time. First, it is trying to showcase female creative teams. Second, it is trying to promote Marvel’s female characters. Third, it is trying to target female readers. That is a lot to ask from one title.
Unfortunately, Fearless #2 fails to achieve these three objectives with the three stories that it offers the reader. McGuire’s story is one that I would only recommend to middle-aged far left-wing feminist readers. Pacheco’s story is one that I would recommend to virtually any reader who likes super-hero comics. Ewing’s story is a pointless endeavor that I would not recommend to any reader. Keep in mind that Fearless #2 is a $5.00 comic book. Yeah, you read that number right. $5.00. That is a high price of admission. For that kind of money, I expect a quality product from cover to cover. Fearless #2 definitely does not deliver that.
Despite how much I enjoyed Pacheco’s Night Nurse story, I simply cannot recommend that any reader spend $5.00 for just a twelve-page story. That makes no sense. There are tons of female super-hero titles currently on the market, most published by DC Comics, that are far more worth your hard-earned money.
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