9 Reasons You Should Be Reading Marvel’s MOCKINGBIRD

Promotional Image via Marvel Comics

The Medical Laughs

Anyone who has experienced modern medicine—so pretty much everyone—will appreciate the humor in the first five issues of Mockingbird as Bobbi must return to the S.H.I.E.L.D. clinic so they can monitor her vitals since she is considered “high risk” because of her injection with various super juices. Mockingbird’s snide remarks about waiting rooms, stepping on the scale, and filling out endless repetitive medical forms can definitely be appreciated by those of us who’ve peed in a cup one too many times. Not to mention the humor of seeing Howard the Duck in the waiting room of the medical clinic—or a man who appears to be Tony Stark reading a pamphlet with the words “Don’t Panic” and “Gonorrhea?” written on it.

In issue five, the action of the climax is hilariously interrupted by a diagram of the S.H.I.E.L.D. offices. Along with a map labeling where the primary care clinic, storage, and gift store are, there are counseling offices. On the label for these offices, it reads, “No one takes mental health more seriously than S.H.I.E.L.D. That’s why we have three full-time psychologists on staff. Call for an Appt. (5 months’ notice required.)”

Farce or not, it calls to attention the many uncomfortable realities in our own health care system in a familiar and light-hearted way.