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A review by mediaevalmuse
DC Comics: Bombshells, Vol. 1: Enlisted by Marguerite Bennett
5.0
In between reading for school, keeping up with current events, and reading prose novels, it’s fun to catch a break with a light-hearted comic like this one. Marguerite Bennett and her team take classic superheroines and villainesses and have some fun with them in an alternate reality - and do they know how to handle the story right! There are women everywhere and as a result, girls have more than one character to follow! The drawbacks of this volume mainly have to do with pacing, but it’s easily overlooked in a book that is mainly focused on bringing together old favorites in a new context.
Things I Liked
1. Female Characters: Bennett wonderfully characterizes her female characters, giving them individual personalities and playing up aspects of their identities that aren’t necessarily focused on in other comics. For example, Batwoman is explicitly lesbian and Jewish, with these aspects influencing her behaviors and reactions to situations in the comics. Wonder Woman is compassionate and devoted to justice, but also struggles with her own worthiness as heir to her homeland. Same with Supergirl - she is Russian in this comic and struggles with her loyalties to her homeland but also her status as an enemy of the government. All of the women have complex motivations and identities, and they’re written in such a way that the women don’t feel like cookie cutters of one another nor do they deviate from the classics we love.
2. Placement of Male Characters: This comic is entirely focused on women, with men playing supporting roles. When men do appear, they on’t overshadow the women’s presence or attempt to take charge. Bennett also doesn’t write in superstars who will steal the show (no Batman or Superman).
3. Art: The art in this volume is quite fun, with a lot of bright colors and dynamic action. The women are also drawn in a way that are “sexy” without being ridiculous about it - there is a lot of cleavage, but at no point did I feel like we were being forced to look at awkward poses or be distracted by women’s bodies rather than their actions. I get that this may bother some people, but I also understand the ways the creators are playing with the “bombshell” definitions.
4. Bunny Constantine: LOL.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. So Many Story Threads: There are a lot of threads to follow in this book, and at times, they can seem overwhelming. Most of this book is exposition, which makes for A LOT of setup (given the amount of characters). While Bennett manages to make it fun, I was also feeling a bit lost sometimes as to what direction the comic would go in terms of plot.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in DC’s female characters (especially Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batwoman, and Harley Quinn), World War II history and culture, supernatural threats, mystical powers, and the bombshell tradition.
Things I Liked
1. Female Characters: Bennett wonderfully characterizes her female characters, giving them individual personalities and playing up aspects of their identities that aren’t necessarily focused on in other comics. For example, Batwoman is explicitly lesbian and Jewish, with these aspects influencing her behaviors and reactions to situations in the comics. Wonder Woman is compassionate and devoted to justice, but also struggles with her own worthiness as heir to her homeland. Same with Supergirl - she is Russian in this comic and struggles with her loyalties to her homeland but also her status as an enemy of the government. All of the women have complex motivations and identities, and they’re written in such a way that the women don’t feel like cookie cutters of one another nor do they deviate from the classics we love.
2. Placement of Male Characters: This comic is entirely focused on women, with men playing supporting roles. When men do appear, they on’t overshadow the women’s presence or attempt to take charge. Bennett also doesn’t write in superstars who will steal the show (no Batman or Superman).
3. Art: The art in this volume is quite fun, with a lot of bright colors and dynamic action. The women are also drawn in a way that are “sexy” without being ridiculous about it - there is a lot of cleavage, but at no point did I feel like we were being forced to look at awkward poses or be distracted by women’s bodies rather than their actions. I get that this may bother some people, but I also understand the ways the creators are playing with the “bombshell” definitions.
4. Bunny Constantine: LOL.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. So Many Story Threads: There are a lot of threads to follow in this book, and at times, they can seem overwhelming. Most of this book is exposition, which makes for A LOT of setup (given the amount of characters). While Bennett manages to make it fun, I was also feeling a bit lost sometimes as to what direction the comic would go in terms of plot.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in DC’s female characters (especially Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batwoman, and Harley Quinn), World War II history and culture, supernatural threats, mystical powers, and the bombshell tradition.