Review: MSHA: Captain Marvel – Halloween Spooktacular #1
Marvel Super Hero Adventures gives us our first Halloween special with many stories to entertain a younger audience.
MSHA has proved a few times before that it can deliver amazing crafted stories for both children and adults alike. Last issue, First Day of School, was a perfect example of that. It wasn’t too dark for kids, but neither it was cheesy for a more mature audience. The action, comedy, and story could all entertain anyone who read it, just like an MCU movie is always an experience suitable for people of all ages. But other times, MSHA is created with one purpose: to give a younger audience a fun time. And that’s the case with Halloween Spooktacular #1.
This issue tells two different principal stories, one of which involves other three different sub-plots. Both of them are a bit silly (especially the first one) but they are a fun read just to pass time. The comic also contains fun activities like mazes, juggles, and the ability to create your own comic-cover. Overall, it will keep children very happy for quite some time.
Spider-Man’s scary tales
The first story involves Spider-Man telling 3 different spooky stories. Each one of them features different heroes doing different activities. Jacob Chabot, the writer for this section of the comic, uses some of Marvel’s most super-natural characters. So the likes of Scarlet Witch, Vision and Doctor Strange’s house appear. They are all perfectly chosen for this Halloween special considering their abilities, and each one of them have their own sub-plot. Still, other heroes like Miles Morales and Captain America appear too (even if it’s just for a little).
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But perhaps the stories are too short and superficial for their own good (Especially the one with Vision and Captian America). Don’t expect a first, second or third act in any of them, which is kind of a letdown. Other issues like the Spider-Doctor do contain a full narrative that has more depth than what is told here, even when it tries to accomplish more or less the same while having the same target audience. Like I said earlier, this issue is mostly just to pass some time and to entertain a very young public. However, it succeeds at it, even if it isn’t as good as other entries in the saga.
Sanctum Spooktorum
The second main story of this issue of MSHA is Sanctum Spooktorum. This one has Spider-Man, Shuri, Nova, and Ms. Marvel venture to the depths of the Sanctum Sanctorum. A magical house owned by the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Doctor Strange. This story is as long as the first one, but it has the benefit of dealing with just one narrative. As a result, I found this second part of the issue more entertaining, with Shuri and Spider-Man getting the most chance to shine.
But what really feels off about MSHA: Captain Marvel – Halloween Spooktacular #1 is that Captian Marvel herself only appears in two pages and just five panels in the whole issue (with almost no substantial thing to do). Her appearance in First Day of School was much more important, with her doing most of the work in that story. As a result, I could’ve accepted that issue to have “Captain Marvel” in the title, but in this one, it feels really forced.
Next. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse set to feature two Peter Parkers. dark
Overall this issue is a fun read, but not a necessary one. It has fantastic illustrations and great activities for kids, but the narratives themselves aren’t something as engaging like other MSHA issues. While The Spider-Doctor, Webs and Arrows and Ants, and especially First Day of School have managed to memorable on their own, this Halloween special doesn’t quite hit the mark.
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C+. . Jacob Chabot, Jeff Loveness, Mario Del Pennino, Matt Yackey, VC’s Joe Caramagna. . MSHA: Captain Marvel - Halloween Spooktacular #1
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