Sean ParsonsRecensioni

I'd not previously read Chelsea Cain but really enjoyed this take on Bobbi Morse, as I've been a fan of her since her first days as Mockingbird.

The only disappointment I had with this was seeing Cain's work with Mockingbird end so soon. Such a solid, entertaining, and funny take on her that yet never lost sight of the core character.

Den andra och sista volymen med Mockingbird: My feminist agenda visade sig ha ungefär samma styrkor och svagheter som första delen: fantastiskt tecknad och färglagd, men berättandet är konstigt: det har i botten en ganska allvarlig historia, där Bobbi hoppar på en kryssning till Bermudatriangeln för att få tag på bevis som kan fria hennes ex Hawkeye i någon rättegång, och på detta hamnar ett annat ex som inte förstår ordet nej, men sedan behandlas det mestadels som humor.

På båten är det något nördkonvent, så Bobbi spelar brädspel, springer in i en viss brittisk spion, hittar sin kontakt mördad, leker detektiv och hamnar på en strand. Det hade kunnat vara kul, om inte bakgrundshistorien varit så mörk.

I volymen finns också ett par gamla nummer av New Avengers, när Bobbi låg skadad och fick superserum; det är även det mörkt, med ultravåld, ilsket grälande, möjlig död och mycket skuggor; kontrasten mot huvudserien är stor och fick mig inte sugen på att gå tillbaka och läsa gammalt material.

This was awesome! Bobbi is my new favorite. She's ridiculously intelligent competent, and uses snark and wit as well as guns and her fists.

The plot was twisted and really well thought out. I really want to read the issues out of order to see what new things I can discover.

I'm still bitter that this series got cancelled because it's so good. It's smart, and snarky, and unapologetically feminist. Bobbi is THE BEST and I love that she's allowed to be the kick ass scientist Avenger instead of the former Mrs. Hawkeye.

This volume follows Bobbi on a nerd cruise looking for evidence to save Clint, who is on trial for the murder of Bruce Banner. So tangentially related to the whole Civil War II debacle, but it's not necessary to really know what's going on in the rest of the Marvel-verse to read this. Lance Hunter shows up again, as well as lots of corgis.

One of the things I love about this series is how funny it is. There are jokes hidden everywhere and I love finding them.

I was less enthusiastic about the re-prints of the two issues of the Avengers storyline where Bobbi gets the serumed since the greater storyline was incomplete and it was blatant padding to reach a higher page count. I really wish Marvel would stop that in their trades. It's really annoying.½

What a fun, confusing, set of episodes. I'm in though!

I wish there would be more. I love Chelsea Cain's take on Mockingbird. I hate when stories are not given enough time to find their audience. Oh wait--this appeals more to women. I get it now. Sigh. Marvel, you lose me a little more everyday. I'll soon be gone.

The first 2 issues are great, but the third is a bit eyeroll-y and 4 and 5 are just okay. A mixed bag overall.½

fun and funny

I'm so sad Mockingbird only had 8 issues total because this second volume is even funnier than the first and the adventure is truly banana pants and involves a nerd cruise to the Bermuda Triangle. Need I say more? The volume also includes some issues of a broader Avengers arc that covers some of Bobbi's arc that led to her being Mockingbird but they lack in sparkle when compared to Cain's story arc.

Follows the adventures of former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Bobbi Morse as she deals with the ramifications of being dosed with experimental serums and has various adventures.

I loved every second of these Marvel comics. Funny, feminist, and full of adventure, I immediately picked up the second volume.

Jag hade rimligt hopp om att detta skulle vara bra läsning. Jag gillar kvinnliga superhjältar, nörderier och en portion självdistans. Att Mockingbird – Bobbi Morse, S.H.I.E.L.D-agent, injicerad med superserum, fil. dr. i biologi, kampsportare och infekterad med ett mystiskt virus – bär diverse fetisherade utstyrslar (förutom åtsittande superhjältedräkt även läder och korsett samt våtdräkt) hade inte med saken att göra (för rättvisans skull bör här kanske påpekas att det även förekommer två manliga spioner som vi huvudsakligen ser utan mer än underbyxor på sig).

Men, nja: de enskilda äventyren (Bobbi infiltrerar Hellfire club i London i dominatrix-outfit och räddar drottningen, försöker tala vett i en trettonårig flicka som utvecklat superkrafter medan media kommer och stör, och befriar sin exman Hawkeye ur en undervattensbas) är var och ett för sig tämligen underhållande. Sammantaget och med den ramhandling som plockar upp detaljer och förklarar dem, så blir dock det lite tröttande. Jag bryr mig inte om Bobbis önskan att få superkrafter, eller hennes kärleksliv. Jag bryr mig väldigt lite om att hon ogillar teorier om parapsykologi (lever man i en superhjälteserie tycks det tämligen egalt exakt vilken typ av kraft man fått och hur), eller varför hon ser en massa bleka vandöda. Jag vill se henne sparka röv och komma med roliga kommentarer.

Den stora behållningen är istället det bildmässiga: även om det sällan är något revolutionerande i hur rutorna arrangerats eller hur de för fram handlingen, så är linjeföringen tydlig och nästan alltid väl genomförd, och färgläggningen fantastisk, i synnerhet i avsnittet om den unga flicka som fått krafter som låter henne manipulera färger.

Så: kommer jag läsa vidare? Vet ej. Det gavs ju trots allt bara ut nog med material för en samlingsvolym till, och så illa var inte detta att jag alls inte vill läsa mer. Å andra sidan så känner jag heller ingen direkt lockelse att göra det.

Mercorgis. What else is there to say? Plus that cover. Where do they sell that shirt...?

Freaking hilarious.

I like that Marvel is trying more of these lighthearted takes on its female heroes. Unfortunately, this is more of a [b:Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat!, Volume 1: Hooked On A Feline|27415870|Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat!, Volume 1 Hooked On A Feline|Kate Leth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466479930s/27415870.jpg|47464942] swing and miss than a [b:The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 1: Squirrel Power|23732096|The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1 Squirrel Power|Ryan North|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440092318s/23732096.jpg|43344260] home run. Like Walker, Bobbi Morse just has too much ludicrous baggage to try to integrate; a full reboot might have been a better option.

Chelsea Cain almost makes me care about this longtime B character, and I'd be willing to check out the next volume to see if she can drag me over the crest of that hill.

I read this because I am a huuuuge fan of Chelsea Cain's Archie Sheridan mysteries. I loved the art and the jokes. Very punchy. And Cain can write a mystery, no problem! I enjoyed this more than I usually do with marvel superheroes. But I just can't get into 'em. Too much of a... like... "superhero landing! kick kick punch" and... "my motivation is... uh, look at my intense facial expression! I'm a hero! (though I maybe reluctant sometimes because being a hero all the time is too obvious)" and "i'm not perfect! i have like... one flaw!" and I'm like eh.

Chelsea Cain did a great job with this reintroduction to Bobbi (don't call me Barbara) Morse. I need to read some from the past, so I can enjoy this even more. And, well, Hawkeye & Hunter (shirtless!), and corgis! What's not to love?

Hey, this was a fun read! I confess I was completely unfamiliar with Mockingbird, but it turns out she knocks boots with some characters I know about, so I felt pretty comfortable with the universe right away. Hi, S.H.I.E.L.D! And she's pretty badass, although she doesn't have powers per se--she's been infected with a virus that has some powers but that seems to kill everyone else it infects, and maybe she should just find a cure?

Not certain where this arc is heading, exactly, but I'm anxious to find out.

Mockingbird Volume 2: My Feminist Agenda As with the last volume, this was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it also carried through the same problems as the last one too.
This series had been advertised as feminist, which I am obviously a big fan of,  but again, this is a clear example of white feminism and not the all-inclusive kind I'd rather see or be a part of. The feminism itself wasn't as in your face on this one as the last, though. Not that I see in your face feminism as a bad thing, but again it was a bit of the execution.
The plot of this volume takes place at a convention that is meant to celebrate Hawkeye, and having been to some conventions in different parts of the country, it's completely possible to end up at one that just is predominantly white. I had started the series with some erroneous preconceived notions about Mockingbird and Hunter from the Agents of SHIELD tv show, which I watch regularly. I had mostly dealt with them in the first volume, but they persist as a distraction here. The idea of Mockingbird as Hawkeye's ex-wife is a little odd, given the recent MCU revelation of Hawkeye's family in addition to that Mockingbird had been married to Hunter previously in the show. It's distracting that the comic versions are so different. I'm over it, but I feel like that needed to be pointed out for the sake of this review.
The story itself was fun. This is the Civil War II tie in for Mockingbird and it takes place after the events of the Civil War II volume. If you recall that volume ends the conflict but this one picks up some of the aftermath, what with Hawkeye being in prison still and all. Like Spider-Woman, Mockingbird was trying to escape the hoopla, given her own close ties to those central to the conflict. She also gets roped in anyway, this time by someone claiming to have evidence that might exonerate Hawkeye.
Things go awry and it's interesting to see Mockingbird do her thing and to see the way Hunter is portrayed in the series. I enjoyed the way it ended and figuring out who the villain was. Since I hadn't read much of anything with her in it before the series, it was a real surprise.
It's also great to see her continue to be used as a SHIELD agent in a capacity that is similar to that which she was on the tv show. She had been an Avenger at one point and the volume shows that too, just not in the main storyline. The series itself was cancelled before they could really have a full second volume, only having published 3 issues for it. They added the two New Avengers issues that contained the story of her transformation from a regular agent who could hang with the supers to an enhanced person by way of the super-serum/infinity-serum combo. She mentions in the first volume that this is what transformed her. Still, she had managed to be an Avenger before that.....
I love the image of Mockingbird with her "Ask me about my feminist agenda" t-shirt that had been the cover of the last issue. It was a lot of fun. I don't know whether or how much feminism or white feminism contributed to the cancellation of this series, but this volume is also the last of it. There's even a note in the Mockingbird #8 that points out that they knew it was going to be the end when it was written, so maybe that influenced some infuence on the way they ended it as well.
Altogether, it was a fun issue. The problem that I have with the make up of the series, despite it's short run, is that if we were going to have a full on feminist character headlining her own series and pointing out feminist issues, I'd want it to showcase the intersections that feminism has as well as women working together. This does neither of those. It gave us a loner who treats men like they're disposable, a female character who "acts liks a man" in almost every way.
It's fun, yes, but not the personification of what feminism really is. For that, I'd refer a reader over to Spider-Woman who does things to help other women (and men. She's a leader of heroes, you might say) in her series and she regularly interacts with other heroes in positive ways. She's got agency. She decides for herself when she's going to have life-changing events and while she knows she doesn't necessarily need a romantic partner to help out with those changes, she isn't too afraid to ask for help or give it when needed to those around her. I also find it exciting to have a hero who is a mom too. Because of her loner ways, Mockingbird only showcased one way to be a woman with agency and spends much of her time comparing it to the way that men do it instead of finding her own way. She's the kind of character that has been a point of a concern for many of the feminist blogs and websites that I've seen take on the "strong female character" trope, of which this is pretty much the personification.
None of this makes Mockingbird a bad hero or superhero, I love her appearances in Silk. Her series itself is just not the best example of feminism in comics, which is what it was touted as before I read it. If you're into those who would easily fall into the "strong female character" then this will be as fun for you as it was for me. If you'd like to see superhero comics with headlining women that include dealing with issues of race, ethnicities, religion, and accepting the lifestyles of others (I haven't read an LGBT hero yet but there are LGBT characters that show up in other series, like Silk's besties are a lesbian couple), then I'd refer you to Invincible Iron Man (Ironheart), Ms. Marvel, Silk, or Spider-Woman.
 

Mockingbird Vol 1: I Can Explain This was so much fun! But I'll warn you that some of the rest of this review gets pretty feminist and a little rantish at times. Okay, mostly. the things is that it was so much but it was not intersectional and I'll get into that in a minute.
 
I walked into this one knowing that it had been touted as feminist and having read the 50th Anniversary edition already. If you have not read the S.H.I.E.L.D. 50th Anniversary edition, go ahead and check out all five titles, four of which are amazing female leads with the only male lead among them being Nick Fury. And his is pretty awesome. I  reviewed them together here. If you plan on ready those AND this volume, I'll include that her anniversary edition is also at the back of this volume, so you know. Also, I knew that  the series had been discontinued already, which is a bummer. It was actually the discontinue notice that brought the series to my attention because it was not yet one when the anniversary editions were released. In fact, it was the overwhelming success of her title there that caused them to create this in the first place, according to Marvel. That said, there are only two volumes of this awesome comic. It was an article announcing it's cancellation that brought the comic to my attention in the first place.
It's not linked because attempts to locate this article again proved fruitless and I tried to scroll through the #standwithchelseacain on Twitter to find the source of the cancellation again, but no. I spent twenty minutes looking for it in that feed amidst all the old tweets and blog posts and articles denouncing the harassment that Cain received after the cancellation. It breaks my heart that I found this after the fact, not that I think I could have done anything about it on my own. It just may have been nice to read it with the feeling that the comic would go on. Anyway, I won't go on about what the cancellation may mean or why because I can't find it.
In my search for  the article, I did come across a lot of praise and criticism of the comic itself. And I totally  get it. Personally, I loved it, including the feminist agenda. Due to the climate of feminism in the world right now and particularly when the comic started last year, it seemed fitting that at least one of Marvel's female leads be an outspoken feminist who comments on the world this way. I understand some people complaining that it was this very thing that made it a bad comic in their opinions, but for those of us who often feel the way that Mockingbird does in this comic, it was a value add. It was made for us.
Yes, it was made for everyone, as all comics are....
Okay, really though, it was made for those of us who feel the way that Mockingbird does. Those of us who try hard despite what people think we are capable of, who work in male dominated fields, who work to dispel the idea that women can't do whatever it is that we want,  who want more, and who aren't afraid to try for it but also those who are afraid because she was a model for the way. I know, fictional role models have it way easier than real ones because they can be orchestrated to win all the time or to only lose small, but you get the idea. It needs to start somewhere.
Anyway, whatever the reason was that this series was cancelled, I'm glad for the books we got. This was super fun for me. I was among those that wanted to see more after the 50th Anniversary edition and then was totally hooked at #1 when she kept coming in to the medical lab with strange and awesome outfits.
I especially loved #3 and the girl because yes, girl problems. As I've learned in my own working life, there are work problems, girl work problems and guy work problems and then it goes on in other intersectional ways. What's the difference? Those things that are universal and those things that are pushed on us by our social locations while we're still at work. For my specific purposes here, it's that the guys that I work with do not have a problem with people asking them for extra favors and making faces at them in plea or thinking poorly of them for saying no. It takes a pretty exceptionally gifted guy to be asked to bring food for the group while we can easily fall into the trap of being asked to bring food just because. Or why we don't. These things have happened to me over the last ten years. Seriously. So, acknowledging these issues on the Marvel world was entertaining for me.
And then, there is the obvious problem here. Despite all the beautiousness that is the feminist agenda of the volume, it is a distinctly white feminist agenda. No one of color comes into the comic in a big way until she runs into Spider-Man, aka Miles Morales. There's a nurse in the first one, a few of the girls in the bubble and then a few sprinkled into her school in the third one, a few other heroes in the background of a few panes, a couple in the "other things that people thought might work" page and Spidey in the fifth one. That's it. That's also ridiculous. While the series has fun, it does not make special effort for inclusiveness. Yeah, I get that it has a white female protagonist and has the potential to be inherently feminist, but there could have been things done to promote inclusiveness in comics for all of feminism's issues, like being intersectional in its feminism. There could have been heroes of color in the waiting room instead of Tony Stark and Natasha Romanov. There could have been some mention of it in the Y-chromosome diatribe, some snarky little comment that points that she had that going for her or that she didn't have to fight racism too along the way. But no. Not a peep. Not even one of the Y-chromosomed males were of color. So, feminist, yes; intersectional, not in this volume. And you know what they say about feminism that isn't intersectional, right?
Still, I have high hopes for Riri Williams and World of Wakanda. To be clear, the hopes are high, not the expectations. The first of issue of Riri Williams' Invincible Iron Man comes out next weekend!!! Get it from Amazon here. It's just under $3 for the issue and available for purchase already. Support the creation of new diverse superheroes!
The first issue of World of Wakanda came out last week and is also available at Amazon already for about $5. I don't know if you recall, but this one has a story written by Bad Feminist Roxane Gay and I believe it's the origin story of the Midnight Angels. In this case, you would be supporting the first ever black female comic writer for Marvel and an amazing voice in feminism and getting into what is probably a totally awesome story.

Mockingbird issues #6-8:
Bobbi Morse mysteriously gets sent a free ticket for a Nerd Cruise, so duh she's going to go. A vacation is just what she needs to distract from her ex-husband Hawkeye's trial for the murder of The Hulk. There is something nefarious going on on the cruise, of course. The secret source of Bobbi's cruise ticket, who claims he has information to exonerate Hawkeye, ends up dead and no one is around who can solve the murder except Bobbi. She's assisted by that sexy dork Lance Hunter, who is attending a corgi cruise on the same boat.

The New Avengers issues #13-14:
Bobbi Morse is gravely injured in battle, and the Avengers have two choices: watch her die or inject her with a version of the Infinity Formula, which will make her immortal but could have disastrous side-effects.

Aside from the obvious differences in representation of women, these two art and writing styles could not possibly be more different. Mockingbird is bright and colorful and funny. It's full of sight-gags and background jokes and silly infographics. Every character's face is clear and unique. Here's page 3, note the diverse and detailed background characters (they are nerds in cosplay of course), pro-Clint Barton paraphernalia, and how freaking gorgeous Bobbi looks:
https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d5/1e/d51e3127c64dacb636f63796f51434b4171...

The New Avengers is everything that kept me away from comics for most of my life. It looks like terrible video game CGI. All of the faces are half or all in shadow, the men's bodies are all weird muscle shadow, and the women are all boob. Because no one's face is visible their costumes (which they are always wearing) are the only way to tell who anyone is. Here's page 3, boobs-mcgee in the pink shirt is supposed to be Jessica Jones:
https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/ee/a1/eea1693baf0cd0b636f67796f51434b4171...

I'm giving this volume five stars anyway, though, because Chelsea Cain, Kate Niemczyk, Rachelle Rosenberg, etc. deserve ten stars.

i am not quite sure how to rate/review this because it is (literally) the first comic i think i've ever read, so i have absolutely no comparison or benchmark to go on. i'll say this was totally fun, the art (especially in the first 4) is absolutely fantastic, she (cain and mockingbird) is funny and quirky and strong and confident in her abilities and her intelligence and strength and is a sexual being. all around awesome things that maybe aren't so common in comics? (just a guess based on criticism i've heard.) really fun (except i'm really not into zombies) and if this turns the comic world on its head to have both a woman main character and a feminist to boot, then more power to her (cain and mockingbird), and double shame that this series was cancelled. (but sure would like more information communicated; i guess it's not the way comics work, though.)