Ms. Marvel #38

Dark Reign is a time when bad guys rule the Marvel Universe. This concept spills over into actual titles too. Some villains get their own miniseries, but if a villain is replacing a similar hero with his or her own title, that villain will take over the series for a few issues. Moonstone is currently impersonating Ms. Marvel in the Dark Avengers and so this title will be following her for a bit.

It's a little disheartening to have one of your favorite characters replaced. After all, I wasn't reading a Moonstone comic every month. Brian Reed makes it work though. His take on her is actually a nice change of pace from the struggles Ms. Marvel was going through.

Reed writes a great character piece for Moonstone. He establishes her as a physical threat, which never seemed to happen in Thunderbolts, in the first few panels. He contrasts her with Ms. Marvel quickly by showing Moonstone killing bad guys and then winning over the public for it, ironically, something Ms. Marvel always strove for.

The best part of the issue comes from Moonstone's past. Reed fools readers into feeling a little sympathetic for Moonstone when describing her mother issues. But, just when we start to feel a little sorry for her, he throws an awesomely clever plot twist at us. The twist actually made me cheer out loud a little bit.

Rebekah Isaacs does a great job with the art as well. She draws fluid transitions when Moonstone is stuck in her hallucinations. Isaacs also conveys Moonstone's frustration in those panels and her joy in panels where she is killing. I wouldn't mind her taking over art duties permanently.

After being hesitant to Moonstone taking over the series for a little while, I am now agreeable to the transition. Reed and Isaacs work well together telling an interesting story about a little known character. The series seems like it will be quite enjoyable until the inevitable showdown between Moonstone and the real Ms. Marvel.