I guess you could say that I'm closing out my comic-reviewing year with a bang. This trade is pretty darn amazing. I'm sure by now most people know that Captain Marvel, more than likely Carol Danvers but still unconfirmed, is getting her own movie. All the more reason to pick up this trade, so, I did. It was just after the announcement, too, and I saw that this would be probably the comic that would still be running through to the movie.
Barring the possible Marvel reboot coming next year (because apparently company-wide reboots are cool now) of course, but I hope Marvel doesn't make that mistake.
Side-note: it'd be ironic if the same year Marvel reboots everything DC decides to tie everything back together, which it appears they are, with "Convergence." Talk about flipping the proverbial coin.
Anyway, back to the trade. It collects the first six issues of the new run of Captain Marvel. I'll admit that I'm completely blind going into this, so I've got no idea what our friend Carol Danvers has been up to the past couple of years, other than the fact that she is well-established as Captain Marvel and that Ms. Marvel has gone onto a new character (one which is nominated for several comic book awards online, go figure). Like most comic trades, it showcases a mini story-arc for our main character while introducing, or bringing back, past characters. In the case of this book, that character brought back is actually an interesting one for new readers: Peter Quill's father, Emperor J'Son. Suffice to say, he isn't a very good guy.
Now I won't be reviewing this like normal, since there are seven issues to cover, so I'll go at this like I did my review of this year's Darth Maul comic (which you can read here by the way), just talking about what I like as well as some interesting things about the comic.
First: Carol Danvers is portrayed in an amazing way by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. In the last few years, she has definitely come far and made the character her own. Carol is a very strong character with discernable leadership skills but is also very human and very funny in her own way. The way that she talks with her cat and computer are hilarious, the way she talks to basically everyone is great, and she just carries this charisma about her, this overwhelming confidence. Over and over again she brings up that she is an Avenger, but just isn't just an Avenger, she is an Avenger. One of their strongest members characteristically. This comic shows what makes Carol Danvers so darn special and so darn cool.
She is a very likable character, and very relateable. The way that she interacts with her cat, the way that she puts him on high, is something that a lot of people do. Her worries and concerns are humanistic yet at the same time she always has this human elements of having to think before she acts. That isn't to say she isn't without her hot-head moments, which are another reason she is so great. If someone punches her, she is punching right back and getting in their face. Again: she's human, she's no perfect robot that's going to pretend like it has no emotion.
But it's not all about Captain Marvel. For half of the trade, the Guardians of the Galaxy feature prominently, and are there to facilitate most of the coming plot as well as be there for comedic purposes (Rocket trying to kill Carol's cat is a treat, as he thinks it a huge threat that will lay eggs and kill them all). Part of me thinks that they were thrown in there for the purposes of the movie, but then another part of me remembers, "Oh yeah, she's on the freaking team."
Her and Venom, what great additions!
The Guardians, normally, would steal the spotlight from Carol but given the fact that we've seen a pretty good amount of her character and how she is going to walk and talk throughout the trade, their introduction only helps her character grow, able to bounce off of other heroes IN SPACE. Her interactions with the Guardians are standout moments in the trade and are moments you walk away remembering.
She does come to form a little band of misfits on her own, serving as the leader, and they're pretty cool too. The focus of the book is on Carol's rebellion alongside a dying alien planet against the Spartax Empire, since everything is out of whack following the strike by the Builders (see "Infinity" for more on that). Nobody really wants to fight them but nobody really wants to leave, so it's up to Carol to save the day.
Her arrival on the planet reminded me a lot of Star Wars. I mean, She's with a group of misfits and is in a place that looks, or is at least colored this way, like Tatooine. While she doesn't go to a Cantina, the vibe is still there, yet another positive to walk away from regarding the book.
There's also a great amount of action in the book, some of it caused by Carol's overall recklessness. She takes on entire legions of ships at a time--which also makes for a great space adventure as well--with or without her ship thanks to her awesome powers. I do like the whole space-epic story of Captain Marvel.
Let's not forget the artwork, though. Part of what makes Carol standout so much as a character is the way she is drawn. Her expressions match her dialogue perfectly, which sets the tone to the very note for each and every panel. There aren't too many splash-pages and two-page spreads, but that's fine. The action is quick and the art within these brief panels is great. Every character is unique and none of them blend together.
This trade hits every note right, and then gets some extra points, too. Our main character is very lovable throughout the story and you're always anxious to see what she'll do next. The space-environment is a welcome one and I really enjoyed seeing the various worlds and people Carol would meet. The inclusion of the Guardians was a great one, that made sense thankfully. Each character's expressions were drawn to a point and the action was drawn very well.
If you haven't already checked out this trade, or series, I 100% recommend you do. If the movie is going to be anything like this (heck, I wouldn't mind seeing this trade exactly turned into a movie), then we're safe and sound with it. You're really missing out if you're checking out the adventures of Captain Marvel Carol Danves and her Ferken cat, Chewie.
If you want to stay up to date on when I post, follow me on Twitter @seanovan13 and on Instagram @seanovan10. Thanks for reading!
See you next year for more comic book reviews!
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