Reflections #2 - Ms. Marvel #1

First off, I never knew Jessica Drew smoked, but apparently she does. Obvious proof she's still evil. Second, I may have been wrong about Jessica and Carol working together in S.H.I.E.L.D. Which leads me to wonder how they became friends. Clearly they've known each other for years, their conversation demonstrated that. Could we get Bendis to write one issue covering this question? Just one, after a couple issues of impressive battles. Moving on to a some quotes.

"It's a long story and it involves me, Johnny Storm and a weekend in Las Vegas that - " This is a pretty funny line. Now, if they're suggesting a supervillain battle with some revealing "costume malfunction", that's one thing. If it's suggesting freaky-freaky, please. Carol Danvers is a woman, Johnny Storm dates girls. And green aliens impersonating his best friend's girlfriend. In other words, people who are easily impressed by flame powers, a smile, and an empty head. He and Hal Jordan should swap little black books. Irregardless, Johnny would be way out of his league with Carol, it wouldn't matter how drunk he tried to get her. A human Ben Grimm? He might have a chance.

"The other day Captain America offered me my old job on the Avengers. You know why? Because I'm me. Not because I've earned it. Not because I'm good enough for it." OK, that is a load of bull. True, Captain America didn't go so far as to call her up and ask her to join, he just asked if she'd like to join when she visited, but so what? Maybe Cap realized that a team with a double (triple?) agent, an absent ninja, a nutcase, and Wolverine, could use someone you can count on. And hey, Carol Danvers just showed up! She's been an Avenger, she's shown that she can follow orders and give them. She could really be a help to the team!

I guess I just don't get this whole idea of "I haven't earned it". When it comes to Avengers stuff, the big cosmic-level threats, only Captain America and Iron Man have more experience than her. Wolverine doesn't count because all that Phoenix stuff was really just dealing with Jean (or a cosmic entity pretending to be Jean) being batshit crazy. She's Avengers material, so put her on the team already! After Bendis leaves. Which should be soon.

I have to say a few things about her talking to the publicist. It seems like she's trying to become better known, to get name recognition so she's up in that Pantheon of the top Marvel heroes. But the great ones don't promote themselves. Their actions speak for them. Spider-Man is regarded as one of the best, at least by his peers, if not the unappreciative bastards of New York City (Marvel Universe New York! I'm not dissing the unappreciative bastards who live in this world's New York). It's not because he has a book deal, or appears on television shows. OK, he gets his picture in the paper a lot, but it's usually with a headline like "Spider-Man: Killer Bug-Person!" Still, the heroes know how good he is, and it's because of what he's done. Promoting yourself is such a, a, a Speedball move.

The publicist told her that to get on a Lettermen-type show, she has to have something to promote, like Reed Richards comes on with some device to help underpriveliged children. But that isn't Reed Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four, that's Reed Richards, brilliant scientist. Yeah, his name recognition comes from what he did as a hero, saving the world from Skrulls and stuff, but he's not on the show to talk about that. He's talking about what he does as a person to help the world. It would be like Peter Parker coming on Conan O'Brian to talk about some after-school program he started. If Carol has other career aspirations, then the talkshow circuit might not be a bad thing. But if she's trying to become the "World's Greatest Hero", it's going to matter a lot more that she's doing those patrols (which is a good idea), and saving cities from the attack of the Brood. Yeah, saving the citizens from the aliens that want to lay eggs inside them would be a good way to build some public recognition.

For the record, I'm not disappointed with the book, or annoyed, or anything like that. I gave it a good score because I legitimately enjoyed it, and I'll buy it again next month. It just prompted several different reactions in me. Which is a good sign.