Gathering The Keynote Speakers With Fearless #1
by Josh Davison
[Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Camp Gloriana is a summer camp intended to inspire the leaders of tomorrow. They’ve invited three keynote speakers in the interest of doing that very inspiration. First is Invisible Woman, who is currently saying goodbye to her husband, Mister Fantastic. Second is Captain Marvel, who is cleaning corundum barnacles from Alpha Flight’s floating headquarters. Third is Storm, who is currently scaring off illegal lumberers in Canada.
In one of two backup stories, Millie the Model works up the confidence of a Daisy the Model, who previously worked as a social media influencer. In the other backup, Elsa Bloodstone requests the help of Jessica Jones.
Fearless #1 spotlights the powerful women that make the Marvel Universe what it is. It’s not a very action-oriented comic, but it does an excellent job of showcasing the personality and identities of its stars, particularly Sue, Carol, and Ororo.
There’s not much of a conflict either. Carol is reluctant to go to Camp Gloriana, Sue is a little suspicious of how little a footprint it has, and Ororo scares off those lumber poachers. That’s something, but it doesn’t feel especially pressing or threatening.
The Millie the Model story has more of an overarching plot to it, and it is pretty damn charming to boot. It would be have been nice to see it really get into the weird and perverse side of modeling, but that’s not what Millie the Model is really here for. Also, I have Neon Demon, and that does an excellent job of getting into the weird and perverse side of modeling.
Claire Roe, Nina Vakueva, and Carmen Carnero are the three artists that render this particular venture, and each one does a smashing job. Each story has a visual style that sets a fitting tone for each narrative. The comic looks great throughout, and the color work of Rachelle Rosenberg and Tamra Bonvillain is great to boot.
Fearless #1 isn’t an especially exciting read, but it does provide charming narratives with great leads that also do a great job of defining those leads for new readers. It’s not a must-read, but I can give it a recommendation nonetheless. Feel free to pick it up.
Fearless #1 comes to us from writers Seanan McGuire, Leah Williams, and Kelly Thompson, artists Claire Roe, Nina Vakueva, and Carmen Carnero, color artists Rachelle Rosenberg and Tamra Bonvillain, letterer Janice Chiang, cover artist Yasmine Putri, and variant cover artists Jenny Frison and Jen Bartel.
Final Score: 6/10
