“Girl Comics” is an anthology that you might think would be about female characters, but the “girls” referenced in the title are the creators, not the subjects.
So, while we get an intro by Colleen Coover that features dozens of different women, we also get a G. Willow Wilson and Ming Doyle story about Nightcrawler protecting women in a nightclub.
The result is an entertaining collection of short stories across three issues that are harmless enough to be considered canon but aren’t essential.
After the Nightcrawler tale, Trina Robbins and Stephanie Buscema create a story about Venus competing with Hercules to show she’s just as powerful. She gets a job
at a famous fashion magazine but is relegated to copy editor after she’s told she’s too fat to be a model. It’s lots of fun. It actually reminds me of the Greek Myths, where Gods often meddle casually in the lives of humans, treating mankind as if it is completely frivolous.
Then, there’s a pretty dark (and very short) Punisher story where he goes after an online sexual predator. It feels out of place with the rest of the content here (although Nightcrawler fights sexism in his story), but I do appreciate the tonal shift–it’s nice that a book about women creators shows they have range and depth and doesn’t force them all to do fluff. And speaking of fluff, She-Hulk is a pin-up girl again…
…paying tribute to one of John Byrne’s classic covers.
Doctor Octopus goes food shopping and uses his arms to get something off the high shelf.
He is then tricked into eating a sample of calamari…
…And then does his bit for the rights of multi-armed creatures. It’s by Lucy Knisley, an indie creator best known for her autobiographical works about being a new mom. She’s great. Note that she hides her creator credit in the action (see picture 1 of 2 above). It’s been a while since I got to use my “Fun Creator Credits” tag below. Thanks, Lucy!
Next, Robin Furth (who adapted Dark Tower for Marvel) and Agnes Garbowska (best known for DC kid-oriented comics) tell a Franklin and Valeria Richards story that reads like a traditional kids book. It’s fine, but it’s my least favorite of the group.
We’re still not done! Devin Grayson and Emma Rios take us home with a brief fight against a sentinel, starring Jean Grey and co-starring her fellow X-Men.
Throughout are some all-text pieces paying tribute to unsung women in Marvel history. There’s one for Marie Severin (although she’s hardly unsung) and another for Flo Steinberg. I don’t usually go for all-text in a comic, but it’s nice to get the history of some Marvel Bullpen women. We don’t get a lot of that.
Very nice first issue!