Erika Hardison reviews Marvel’s Voices #1…
As a fan of comics and books overall, I would be lying if I said it has never crossed my mind to write a book or comic. In fact, I am willing to bet most fans who read comics feel the same way. Marvel’s Voices #1 is a diverse collection of some of Marvel’s diverse creatives who were given the opportunity to write about their favorite character any way they wanted to. As a fan, this sounds ideal because as readers, it’s typical for fans to sometimes write better fan-fiction than the actual designated writers. Seeing a podcast that is comprised of interviews and talents talking about their favorite superheroes turn into an actual comic is pretty cool and impressive.
The best way to read this issue is to not read it straight through. It is a collection of different stories and times and should be treated and handled like an anthology. In fact, I had to read it a couple of times to really digest all of the content. Some of the stories are just one page while others are two-to-three and more. Each story is its own world and should be regarded as that. If you love quick, flash reading you will enjoy these short and in-the-moment stories.
One of the cool things about this issue is, of course, the art. Marvel doesn’t disappoint with the visuals and with Brian Steelfreeze Anthony Piper, Evan Narcisse, Roxane Gay, and rapper Method Man all contributing as writers, it at the very least gets fans excited to see what they are writing.
There are some stories that stand out more than others which is natural. Race with Shuri and Forge is fun, Wolverine against Hulk, and Emma Frost and Black Widow take you on a heartfelt ride and adventure. With Vecchio’s queer kissing superhero tribute, Marvel’s Voices #1 makes for an interesting mix of diverse content that really needs more time to evolve. I think if this continues as a series, it will be a great project that fans will really enjoy. As a one-off, it feels like a tease to fans who are looking for more fan-fiction. I think Marvel Voices comic can be even more interesting if they included more up-and-coming writers. This isn’t to say that the writers that are listed are bad, however, if we are pushing for diversity, we should encourage new talent as well.
Rating: 6.5/10
Erika Hardison