Comic Review: Marvel Team-Up (2019-) #1

Marvel Team-Up #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Eve L. Ewing

Artist: Joey Vasquez

Marvel Team-up #1 started as big question mark for me. I’ve not read either of the creators past work, and I had no idea what the premise was beyond what you’re told by the title. I was taking a bit of a chance on it, but I like to open myself up to new voices. This issue demonstrates why it’s important to take that risk because otherwise, you could miss out on a book that is this well-crafted.

Initially, upon seeing the cover I rolled my eyes. Not due to the cover art itself, but at the message at the bottom. “Special Flip-Book Format!” I expected this to just be a gimmick that would distract attention away from the book itself. As it turns out, it actually works in its favor. One end of the book starts with Spider-Man’s perspective, then flip it over for Ms. Marvel’s. We see the start of their days up until they meet in the middle. This seems fairly standard on the surface, maybe even unnecessary, but it’s more than it seems. The two storyline’s convergence actually reflects and enhances the reveal at the end of the issue (or in the middle, technically).

My first time through Spider-Man’s perspective did reveal a few things that I found confusing at first. Whether it was a story or art concern, I dismissed each one after reading the opposite perspective. This was intentional, as each story fills in certain holes by making the stories overlap. These overlapping scenes don’t at all feel cheap, as Ewing and Vasquez make a concerted effort to reveal new and interesting things on each side. It makes for an immensely satisfying and re-readable book.

Joey Vasquez is not an artist I’ve ever come across before, but he blew me away. At first, his art doesn’t seem all that unique. That is until you flip to the first page with some action. He nails the fight sequences, creating some amazing and dynamic action. His portrayal of movement is so clear and concise, on top of being gorgeous to look at. Even more impressive is the way he draws the same scenes twice from different perspectives and doesn’t take a single shortcut. He redraws the scenes entirely, always with something new that makes it worth the inclusion.

Additionally, Eve Ewing does a bang-up job with the character work. Peter feels like Peter and Kamala feels like Kamala. There are some questionable dialogue choices that fall heavily into “fellow kids” territory, but it’s not so prominent that it bogs the book down too much. Of course, this book isn’t specifically for my demographic, so that’s not an inherent flaw. Aside from that, the story she’s crafted is exactly the way it should be: simple, fun, and accessible. This could easily be an out-of-continuity story, as it only requires a basic understanding of the characters. Even then, it does a great job of demonstrating who they are with very little space. This is a book you could hand to anyone, regardless of age or gender.

Marvel Team-up #1 is wonderful. It contains some of the best art at Marvel right now, which is amplified by the flip-book format. The occasional eye-rolling dialogue aside, the writing is very strong and puts its faith in the artist to make it sing. This is the kind of book that reminds us why we love superheroes and comic books in the first place.