Bombshells 1: Enlisted

Originally conceived as a series of statue collectibles, the Bombshell line imagined the heroines of DC as 1940's era pinup and propaganda models a la Rosie the Riveter. DC expanded the pinup style into other collectibles and variant comic covers before expanding outward into this new comic series dedicated to the concept. Written by Marguerite Bennett, DC Comics Bombshells keeps the style choices of the original statues and spins off from there into a creative What If universe where there are almost no male superheroes and the world is currently engulfed in World War II. With Nazi Germany seeking to bolster the power of its armed forces with dark magic, the DC heroines join forces under the US military program "the Bombshells" and enter the war on behalf of the Allies. The first volume introduces this What If version of the comic's mainstays: Wonder Woman, Mera, Supergirl, Stargirl, Zatanna, Batwoman, and Harley Quinn.Honestly, this book has no right to be as good as it is. I first read it at the library as I was intrigued by the premise but didn't put much stock in the title as it seemed like a cheap cash in on the original statues (which already were a bit odd to me due to their "pin up" nature). However, Bennett and the creative team knock it out of the park thanks to fun new interpretations of the heroines' origin stories and the unique setting of WW2 (reminiscent of the old Captain America and the Invader comics from Marvel). The stand outs to me are Mera, Wonder Woman, and Zatanna. Mera (aka Aquawoman) is the fun loving, free-spirited character she should be in the main comics if she weren't worn down by her tragic upbringing. Wonder Woman's story is the most in line with the classic comics as she still meets Steve Trevor and then endeavors to leave Themyscira and help end the war. Zatanna is currently stuck behind enemy lines in Nazi Berlin where she is acting as burlesque show dancer/magician trapped in the employ of the Joker's Daughter (always a terrible character in my opinion, but intriguing enough here as she acts as a Nazi liaison to dark magical forces). Zatanna also gets one of the hands down best team-ups I've seen in awhile as she tries to prove her loyalty by outing Ally spy John Constantine... only to transform him into a magician's rabbit who can still talk and chain smoke like a good Constantine should.Supergirl and Stargirl are conceived as adopted sisters in Soviet Russia (Stargirl's family takes in the alien Supergirl and their father constructs Stargirl's Cosmic Staff so she can fly like her sister). The duo are at first used as Russian propaganda against the Germans before they question their country's honesty and defect to the Bombshells. It is a cool story but a bit too similar to the classic Superman: Red Son story arc and thus feels like a slight recap of that. The only major let down in the first volume is Harley's story, unfortunately. Harley starts out as a normal psychiatrist before randomly transforming into her Harley Quinn alter ego and traveling to Nazi-occupied France to team up with Poison Ivy. So far their story feels too detached and random (like many Harley stories do), but hopefully it gets better later on as the writers explore the nature of the Joker in this What If universe. Overall, a tremendously fun read that was one of the biggest surprise hits I've seen in awhile.

OK this was an absolute blast, and I have already wishlisted the next two volumes because DAMN. Loved seeing all these badass DC ladies shifted to a different timeline - the changes in their backstories (and the occasional lack of changes in some ways) just fit so well. Love us getting a multi-national diverse cast this way! Also, how had I not known how queer this was?? Definitely a pleasant surprise to my queer little comic reading self for the end of Pride Month!

Great comic. I bought this expecting it to be a cash in on the Bombshell line of figures. I was surprised as to how entertaining it was.The story is okay, which is a shame since they could have done A LOT more with what they set up. The origin stories are great and fantastic twists on already great characters. Their personalities match their setting, except for wonder woman who is overall the same character despite the pallet swap. The art style is great, if youre into this kind of style. For others it may seem off. It switches styles in between parts. Regardless, I loved them.Great comic. Cant wait for vol. 2

This volume is all about set up and it left me looking forward to reading more. While I know she is extremely popular right now, I felt that Harley Quinn was the weak link in this book. Her powers and background are very unclear, and I'm not sure where the writers are going with her story.Still, a fun comic with good art that I look forward to coninuing.

gave my kid people to look up two

What a great twist on some of DC's female characters. Set during WW2 Batwoman, Wonder Woman, Mara and many others are asked to join forces. A super natural force is rising and it will take all of them and more to fight it. The background stories for the ladies are really interesting, using parts of their usual histories and adding little twists and turns. As a Batwoman fan i couldn't be more thrilled with how she is handled. Highly recommend this for comic lovers and history lovers.

Just finished reading it. It's an interesting take on many of the D.C. Comics female characters. I was worried it would be over sexualized, but as a female reader, I think they did a good job. Some characters are batwoman, Wonder Woman, supergirl, stargirl, mera, Amanda Waller, catwoman, zatanna, Harley Quinn, ivy, and more

I bought this mainly to have a hard copy version of the series -- a digital reimagining of many DC heroines (and the odd hero) during an alternate 1940s. The writing is a lot of fun, and the artwork is generally quite good, while the alternate versions of characters are quite beautiful, and sexy in a rather subversive way -- for all the cheesecake, these are characters with interesting stories behind them, and fun stories ahead.

Beautifully illustrated and great fun, this is as simple as you think - reimagined DC women taking on the Nazi regime. Nothing that says that male heroes and superhumans don't exist in this Elseworlds universe, simply the focus is on a set of heroic tough-as-nails women soldiers, pilots and spies. This book is the set-up for the greater story arc so isn't super-exciting (gets more exciting in the next TP), but focuses more on the intricacies of the Bombshell world, and introduces the characters.This all started off after Ant Lucia's Bombshell pin-up poster and figurine series sales went through the roof (Bombshells are DC women rendered in 1930s pin-up or strong-woman propaganda poster artwork), and the subsequent cash-in comic writing project was luckily given to the brilliant Marguerite Bennett (who recently did amazing writing for Catwoman and Batman Eternal), so although this comic could have been a flimsy cheesecakey stunt by DC, it turned out to be a great idea. The ladies are all totally badass and don't sacrifice their standard DC personas one bit (e.g. Kate Kane is still with Maggie). I'm not the biggest fan of Marguerite Sauvage's artwork, but it worked nicely here, and of course the covers by Ant Lucia are breathtaking. I'd recommend this for teens/girls as well as adult readers since it's got very positive role models and a compelling (albeit fantasy) historical narrative.

A fun read that tackles stories of a world where there are costumed heroines but not heroes helping out during World War II. It tackles many stories of the various characters so there is not really a main character. The main heroines spotlighted in this story are:Kate Kane: a baseball player (under her own alter ego no less) and vigilante who fights crime with her baseball who is in a relationship with Maggie Sawyer. Her story is good enough but I have to admit I stratch my head of a universe where the main Bat hero or heroine basically uses a baseball to fight crime.Supergirl and Stargirl: Kara and Kortni are adopted sisters in the Soviet Union (I am sure the idea of a Soviet Supergirl was inspired by Superman: Red Son) who joins a Soviet female squad of fliers called the Night Witches but their lives are changed when their superiors learns of Kara's powers. They end up as propaganda icons but after learning the truth of a mission they have to go on the run.Wonder Woman: Diana finds pilot Steve Trevor on Themyscira and after some time with him as her prisoner she helps him escape along with weapons that she uses as Wonder Woman when the army recruits her. I admit I like this most of all due to it being the most familiar to the main universe, essentially a reworked version of her origin story.Other recognisable characters like Harley Quinn, Zatanna, John Constantine and Amanda Waller (we have not yet seen any indication she is as ruthless and almost evil as her main universe counterpart but since this is Amanda Waller we are talking about, I don't doubt that she can end up filling her usual role) appear.All in all, a fun enjoyable read.

I usually don’t like reading D.C and Marvel cause nothing feels like it changes but this alternate universe series is really good and great for queer representation

Got for my daughter she loves it. She loved it so much had to buy the others in the set. will also have to buy the hard copy of this one soon to complete them for her.

Builds on the characters well loved. Enjoyed the story, the style and female heroes. I'm late to the world of graphic novels but that's half the fun. Will look forward to reading more.