FEARLESS #1
Campfire Song
Writer: Seanan McGuire
Artist: Claire Roe
Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Style High Club
Writer: Leah Williams
Artist: Nina Vakueva
Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Unusual Suspects
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Carmen Carnero
Color Artist: Tamra Bonvillian
Lettering: Janice Chiang
Design: Stacie Zucker
Cover Artist: Yasmine Putri
Editors: Lauren Amaro, Annalise Bissa, Sarah Brunstand, Alanna Smith, Kathleen Wisneski
Publisher: Marvel
Rating: 7/10 Happy Campers
With all the female-led comics I've been reading lately there was no way I couldn't be excited for FEARLESS to hit the shelves. Growing up watching the old X-Men animated or the Fantastic Four or even the Justice League, there were always female heroes that were way more badass than the dudes. Problem was, you really only got to see them as supporting characters compared to male heroes. It's both surprising and a bummer realizing this as time went on. Yeah they were on team books and yes some had their own series, but they didn't have the same notoriety and spotlight as males unless you consider commodifying them like Harley Quinn. Now though, with both the success of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel’s films respectively, things are picking up speed finally and it’s time to see more ladies get the features they deserve.
FEARLESS was an instant order for me. Strong female heroes in the spotlight and an all-women crew to work on making it. I'll be honest and say I'm not familiar with most of the artists but I do know Leah Williams and Kelly Thompson so that was another big sell for me. Other than them though, this was all new territory for me not knowing what to expect.
Earning Your Public Speaking Badge
So what works as the main story, Campfire Songs, is that a camp for young women is having keynote speakers show up. Not just any ordinary speakers but superheroes. It should be important to note that any woman who comes to share their story and advice to the next generation is and will always be extraordinary. The three heroes that are attending are Invisible Woman, Captain Marvel, and Storm. This happens to also be the order of which little moments I enjoyed the most as we get a couple of pages of each hero preparing to arrive at the camp.
Susan Storm discusses the worry of stepping away from the rest of her family in the off chance that a world-ending event occurs and she isn't there to help the rest of the Fantastic Four. I love the support & encouragement that Reed gives Susan to how important of a role model she is and what that means to others. I also love that they put a beard on Reed Richards but that's neither here nor there.
Meanwhile, we see that Captain Marvel is up in space procrastinating and Storm, while protecting a forest from being chopped down, finds herself spending a good page having a conversation out loud to no one. Carol Danvers definitely gives off the vibe to me that she is more or less nervous to go while Storm’s sounds like she would rather be doing something else if it wasn’t out of obligation to a former student. So far the best part of this story was mostly the Susan stuff as where the others had doubt and some might have someone there to talk to, Susan’s didn’t just have someone telling her why they were important but you also got more emotion and thoughts from her about attending the camp. It’s hard to be too critical on this as it is the first part of the story but I am excited to see what all three have to say to the younger audience.
A “Millie” Questions But Only One Answer
So this next story, Style High Club. I’m not really sure what to make of it. The story takes place at a photoshoot with three models and a social media influencer who was invited to be a model for the shoot as well. It’s a lot of chatting between the girls. Asking about rumors, helping to boost one’s confidence, live streaming, you know, that kind of stuff we all do. I learned that one of the girls named Millie in this story is actually an older Marvel character. That’s cool. Style High Club was more like a light middle piece from all the superhero stuff I was expecting to see in this book and unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a grab for me. I did like the ending panel however as it did make me chuckle.
Oh, My Heart Can’t Handle The Cuteness!
This is it. Kelly Thompson kicks it off with a feeling of suspense in the final story, Unusual Suspects. Elsa Bloodstone, Demon Hunter and British badass, is calling in Jessica Jones for a favor owed. Things must be serious as she is asking for some big bailout money that Jess can’t turn down. If I could afford to offer any of my money for what Jessica walks in on I would in a heartbeat. Tiny. Cartoony. Out of control toddler versions of some of Marvel's female heroes. I need to double over for a second because my heart is overloaded with joy. The reveal for Jessica seeing some of her friends now as little toddlers is where we end on a cliff hanger and all I can say is that this was a great way to end the issue on a high note.
Final Thoughts
All in all, I would say it was a decent issue. Unusual Suspects won this issue as the best story in only three pages. Style High Club definitely didn't feel like the after school program for me and Campfire Song was an ok start to the beginning of the main story but it would have been nice to get a little more from some of the other characters. Art in all three issues was pretty enjoyable. Though Style High Club might not have my like and subscribe, I would leave a comment down below on the Nina Vakueva’s art with Rosenberg’s colors as light and had a very relaxed vibe to it. Claire Roe did a great beard on Reed. 9/10. Good scruff. No matter what though I feel like this issue could be a good sign of things to hopefully come. I am ecstatic to see an all-female group work on this issue and my hope is that we see more comics outside of just FEARLESS have the same attention. I feel like this group really cares about what they are putting out in these stories and I have confidence they are gonna stick the landing with the rest of the issues.