Meanwhile, over in the fringes of the Marvel Universe, we have Jubilee.  Sales figures haven't come out yet, but rumour is that the direct sales numbers for issue #1 were less than impressive.  Hardly surprising, because it's a Marvel Age book, and that imprint seems to be stillborn in the direct market. 

But of course, Marvel Age isn't aimed at the direct market.  It's there to try and open up a new market in the bookstores.  In his latest interview with Newsarama, Quesada expressed surprise that so little attention was paid to Marvel Age, claiming that "Marvel Age is really the most important news of the year.  It's more important than the Ultimate Universe, Avengers Disassembled, Identity Crisis, and Spider-Man Sins Past put together."  And he may well be right, depending on how well the Marvel Age books are actually doing in the bookstore. 

Of course, the only available sales figures for the line are the direct market numbers, which make it look like a corpse; it would be interesting to know how much headway (if any) the Marvel Age imprint has made in the bookstores.  Because if it does open up new audiences for American comics, then that's a major development for the industry.  And it really would be more important than the other books Quesada mentioned, all of which are just exercises in selling different comics to the same old audience - rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

I make the above points for two reasons.  Firstly, they're an interesting diversion, and relevant to what this book is trying to achieve.  Secondly, there's not much to say about the book itself.  We established last issue where this is going - Jubilee goes to school, bog standard high school plots ensue.  Thus far, this really does seem to be an exercise in taking archetypal characters and putting them through archetypal plots.  It certainly isn't bad - on the contrary, it's very competently done - but reading it, I'm overwhelmed by a sense of "Seen it before."

To be fair, there's an odd simmering subplot with Jubilee's aunt, who's clearly up to something completely incongruous.  She appears to spend most of the issue off to the side somewhere, involved in spy stories from a different genre entirely.  Obviously Jubilee's going to get drawn into that thread at some point, and that's where the book could get interesting, since it'll be doing some unlikely genre-blending.  Kirkman is doing a slow burn with that subplot, and that decision may be vindicated in the long run - after all, the target audience for these comics will be reading it in digest format. 

For the moment, though, we've got a less-than-inspiring high school plot while we wait patiently for Aunt Hope's subplot to step forward.  Alright, but no more.

Rating: B-

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