The 9-page free Ms. F comic from The Almighties initially seems to be retreading old territory, since the opening scenes have been featured in other versions of the superhero comic; however, it quickly moves into new territory, complete with the tongue-in-cheek, subversive humor that gave the original comic its quirky feel.

If you want to see a female superhero who is strong but still dresses like a sex symbol, Ms. F is a good fit.  Her outfit is skimpy, but relatively practical. (I believe it’s possible for her to fight in her tank top-style crop top and shorts, even if I’d want to be more covered to go after criminals.) At the same time, her reasons for fighting crime stem from a need to create her own agency after years of being stifled by a marriage and husband that wanted Ms. F to fit an image, not be herself. She chooses to be strong and sexy, which can be powerful, and her drive to regain herself helps a fellow superhero find his path in the end.

Some people may feel uncomfortable with the blatantly racist villain in this edition of The Almighties, but the comic’s well-placed asides acknowledge that Mr. Wang is tasteless. I found it insightfully humorous since the creators clearly wanted to show how many classic villains fall into stereotypical portrayals, especially in the very early days of comics.

I enjoyed the Ms. F free comic, but there’s not quite enough to really get engaged.  I did enjoy seeing her as more than just an angry housewife, though, and her bond with The Kruncher helps to keep her from being a man-hater. It’s a nice look at the character outside of the main storyline, and, hopefully, each of the cast will be more developed like this in small ways.

4 Meanings for the F out of 5

The Free Ms. F comic is available at www.drivethrucomics.com.