Prepare to enter the no-punching zone! It is pretty rare for a Marvel comic to tell stories that don't involve punching, kicking, or spandex-wearing. Yet Emma Frost by Karl Bollers and Adriana Melo does just that, and does it very well.
For those of you who are not X-Men readers, Emma is the White Queen, a reformed villain who has recently been featured in both X-Men and Astonishing X-Men. She is a tough, no-nonsense, teacher and leader. She is also currently Cyclops' main squeeze. Her own series, however, is far removed from all those angsty mutant antics because it takes place about 8 years or so in the past.
In Emma Frost, Bollers has gone back to show us what made a spoiled rich girl from a very dysfunctional family into the White Queen we see in the X-Men today. Emma's past has been refreshingly free of mutants. Instead, we have seen her deal with her family, her school, and her developing ability to read minds in a very realistic, character driven, way. Or as realistic as a story about a mutant mind reader can be.
This week's issue, #13, is what comics always refer to as a "good jumping on point for new readers." In part one of "Bloom," Emma has left her family, and her hometown of Boston, to attend college at E.S.U. in New York. There, she has to learn to cope with a new roommate, a heavy college course-load, flirty guys, and her continually developing mutant powers. How well does she handle her trials and tribulations? When does she develop her tendency to wear white leather corsets to work? You will just have to read it and find out! (In fairness, there are no white leather corsets in this issue.)
Emma Frost is a great read with a strong central character that tries something very different for a Marvel book. If you enjoy a little soap-opera with your super-heroics, you are sure to enjoy the adventures of young Emma. And now is a great time to give this book a try, since it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment