Marvel Rising: Omega #1
Writer: Devin Grayson
Artist: Georges Duarte and Rob Di Salvo
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Review by Melissa Prange
With Marvel Rising: Omega #1, we’ve sadly reached the end of Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel’s team-up. The duo have fought to save Ember Quade a.k.a. The Emulator together and this issue draws that battle to its conclusion.
After being stranded in Arcade’s Terror Trap, Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, America, and Dante attempt to fight their way to freedom. Ms. Marvel continues to use her video-game knowledge to guide the team, with Squirrel Girl enthusiastically helping along the way. America and Dante, unfortunately, come to the conclusion that video games are the worst, but that doesn’t stop them from fighting dragons and robots when necessary.
Outside of the Terror Trap, Ember Quade struggles to help the endangered team. Arcade continues to siphon off her powers, but she’s not ready to give up yet. After being manipulated by her so-called friend, Ember can’t allow the people who wanted to help be killed in a video game.
Marving Rising: Omega #1 concludes Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel’s adventure. The duo worked so well together throughout the Marvel Rising series that it’s sad to see their time together come to an end. Kamala Khan and Doreen Green complement each other well, as their strengths lie both in their compassion and in their superhero abilities. This wasn’t a team up of opposites but rather of two young women who believe strongly in the same things. Hopefully, we’ll see them together again in the future because Marvel Rising: Omega doesn’t truly feel like the end of their time together.
The story in this issue, meanwhile, is a bit wacky as the characters are forced to fight upside-down dragons, navigate choppy obstacle courses, and challenge Arcade, while he’s dressed in a gorilla suit. The wackiness is fun but it’s, thankfully, grounded by the very real threat to the characters’ lives. Also, Ember’s struggle to fight against Arcade’s imprisonment adds a layer of risk to the issue. She’s really grown into a full character over the course of this series, and it’s been fascinating to see Ember develop from misunderstood girl to villain to someone to root for.
As for the art in Marvel Rising: Omega #1, the Terror Trap and its monsters look fantastic. The bright colors and slightly pixelated appearance give just the right amount of video-game flair. The characters, on the other hand, get a bit lost among all the dragons and plant creatures and obstacle courses. The faces just don’t have enough definition, and when there are multiple characters in a panel, everything feels slightly out of focus. Marvel Rising: Omega #1 has a fun look overall, but the art here isn’t the strongest of the issues in this series.
The Verdict: Buy It.
Marvel Rising reaches a satisfying conclusion with Marvel Rising: Omega #1. Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl use video-game knowledge and compassion to save the day, giving the series its lovely mix of heart and geekery to the very end. Ember Quade’s development over the course of the series also works well. Hopefully, this won’t be the last we see of one of Marvel’s newest Inhumans. Definitely don’t miss the last issue of this fantastic series!
