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A review by davchards
DC Comics: Bombshells, Vol. 1: Enlisted by Marguerite Bennett
5.0
At first blush, this seemed like such a light, thinly-conceived comic that it took me a while to understand why I find it so consistently rewarding. Bombshells is based on a line of World War II-themed figurines and character designs by Ant Lucia, in which DC superheroines are redesigned for that era. It’s derivative twice over, and might be dismissed as a mere merchandising tie-in. But writer Marguerite Bennett takes full advantage of the book’s conceptual distance by weaving a rousing, inspiring tale of women assembling, like a league of superpowered Rosie the Riveters, to save the world in a time of ultimate crisis.
(Note: This review was based on a copy provided to me by DC.)
The characters are reimagined but recognizable, telling familiar stories while simultaneously making those stories their own. Wonder Woman is still the Amazon warrior-princess who nurses pilot Steve Trevor back to health (albeit after first knocking him out of the sky). Batwoman is a Gotham crimefighter recruited here as an Allied spy (and hobnobbing in Europe with Catwoman and Lex Luthor). Supergirl crashlands to Earth (this time in the Soviet Union) and keeps her alien identity a secret while flying as one of Russia's Night Witches. And Amanda Waller is the top-level government spook who’s going to bring the whole gang together.
Bombshells accomplishes a lot with its premise. Like Astro City, it is an unapologetic remixing and reconstruction of classic superhero tropes. Like Marvel: 1602, it is a work of speculative alt-history in which familiar superheroes are set loose on an earlier age. Like Y: The Last Man, it is a tale of female empowerment in an un(super)manned world. Bennett is clearly having a good time, and that sense of fun shines through the art (by Marguerite Sauvage and a rotating cast of other artists). Whether it’s an aerial dogfight between fighter planes and eagle-mounted Amazons, or whales attacking a zombie-crewed U-boat, or a chain-smoking, magically-bunnified John Constantine bantering with Zatanna in a cabaret club, or a gleeful Harley Quinn (in a scene straight from Dr. Strangelove) plummeting out of the sky astride a literal bombshell, Bombshells excels at the kind of big, bold, comic moments that leave the reader giggling with joy.
(Note: This review was based on a copy provided to me by DC.)
The characters are reimagined but recognizable, telling familiar stories while simultaneously making those stories their own. Wonder Woman is still the Amazon warrior-princess who nurses pilot Steve Trevor back to health (albeit after first knocking him out of the sky). Batwoman is a Gotham crimefighter recruited here as an Allied spy (and hobnobbing in Europe with Catwoman and Lex Luthor). Supergirl crashlands to Earth (this time in the Soviet Union) and keeps her alien identity a secret while flying as one of Russia's Night Witches. And Amanda Waller is the top-level government spook who’s going to bring the whole gang together.
Bombshells accomplishes a lot with its premise. Like Astro City, it is an unapologetic remixing and reconstruction of classic superhero tropes. Like Marvel: 1602, it is a work of speculative alt-history in which familiar superheroes are set loose on an earlier age. Like Y: The Last Man, it is a tale of female empowerment in an un(super)manned world. Bennett is clearly having a good time, and that sense of fun shines through the art (by Marguerite Sauvage and a rotating cast of other artists). Whether it’s an aerial dogfight between fighter planes and eagle-mounted Amazons, or whales attacking a zombie-crewed U-boat, or a chain-smoking, magically-bunnified John Constantine bantering with Zatanna in a cabaret club, or a gleeful Harley Quinn (in a scene straight from Dr. Strangelove) plummeting out of the sky astride a literal bombshell, Bombshells excels at the kind of big, bold, comic moments that leave the reader giggling with joy.