Captain Marvel #8 - A Review

I'm a deep believer in the Stan Lee dictum that every comic should be written as if it were going to be someone's first comic, because it very well might be.  At the very least, if the story itself cannot recap the action thus far, there should be some manner of summary page at the front of the comic.  Sadly, this lesson is frequently lost in these days of decompressed storytelling and writing for the trade.  Thankfully, Captain Marvel #8 gives us both a summary page and a first page that gives new readers a chance to catch-up.


Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick has made this title something unique and special. Sharing the writing duties this time with Christopher Sebela, DeConnick spins a tale that is action-packed but filled with a lot of wonderful character moments as well.  The odd friendship between Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau grows even stronger as the two are forced to bond in a rather literal fashion.







I've said it before and I'll say it again - Dexter Soy deserves an Eisner nod for his work on this title.  There are some panels that I can't believe aren't painted, such is the level of detail and quality achieved with simple pencils and ink.  Coupled with DeConnick's scripts, this book is a must-read for all fans of strong heroines, big action and good comics.

Captain Marvel #7 - A Review

It amused me when this new Captain Marvel book started, seeing so many sexist little fan-boys complaining about how Captain Marvel can't be a woman, how Carol Danvers taking the title was a slap in the face to tradition and the existence of this book was base pandering to the vocal minority of female comic readers, blah blah blah.  It amused me, because in their grousing they revealed their ignorance.  For this is not the first time a woman has taken the name of Captain Marvel!  And amusingly enough, we find that she's not too happy about Carol Danvers taking the name either in Captain Marvel #7. 


One thing I've loved about this book is the exploration of how super-powers might be used in a capacity other than fighting super-villains.  Other books have explored the concept before but - to my knowledge - none have done so with an Avengers-level hero.  We saw it in the first arc and get more of that in this issue as we see Carol Danvers assisting harbor patrol agent and ex-Captain Marvel Monica Rambeau with a salvage operation. 

The story focuses upon the two heroes as they try to locate several downed airplanes and sunken ships  that were brought down under mysterious circumstances.  Frank, a photographer colleague of Carol's from her magazine writer days, shows up pleading for help regarding New Orleans' decaying levies, thinking that a prominent superheroine might be able to help in some way.  A bargain is reached as Carol agrees to see what she can do if Frank agrees to help them with taking pictures of the wreckage.  Naturally, there are complications and the issue ends with our heroes discovering just what might be responsible for the sunken vehicles. 


The relationship between Carol and Monica takes center stage for most of the issue.  Not surprisingly, given the book so far and co-writer Kelly Sue DeConnick's pedigree, this issue passes The Bechdel Test.  More impressively, Monica Rambeau's backstory and just why she refuses to work underwater anymore (the result of a classic Avengers storyline)  are neatly and naturally explained in the dialogue and marked off with a famous "As Seen As" caption box.  Hats off to DeConnick and co-writer Christopher Sabela for bringing back that little slice of Marvel history!


Dexter Soy continues to wow me with his artwork.  I usually prefer a more realistic style, but Soy's stylized characters suit this book well.  Soy leaves most of his pencils lightly inked, effectively using the shadows in the heavily inked areas to emphasize the parts that are "in light".

If you haven't picked up Captain Marvel before, this is a good issue to start with.  I recommend this book to any who like stories with strong female protagonists, quirky superhero books that look at the effect superpowers might have on the day-to-day operations of a world and quality comics in general. 

Captain Marvel #4-6

I've held off on reviewing Captain Marvel for the past few months because I was, for a time, confused by its' storyline.  The book opened up simply enough, with Carol Danvers being quickly established as a tough, no-nonsense career soldier turned superhero.  Things became a little more complicated as Carol, in the midst of trying to top a flight record unofficially set by her childhood idol (pilot Helen Cobb) became lost in time and wound up partnering up with a group of all-female pilots in World War II against a group of Japanese soldiers equipped with alien technology.


Issue 4 continued the storyline, with Carol continuing to fight alongside the "Beautiful Banshees" until she had a vision of her plane overhead.  Her attempts to catch up with it sent her through time again, this time winding up in the United States at a time when Helen Cobb was fighting for the right of female pilots in the USAF to fly jets and get the experience needed to become astronauts.  Somehow, Carol is able to enlist in the same program and winds up befriending her idol, all while trying to learn the history of an alien artifact that Helen Cobb may have come into contact with.  This adventure makes up the action of Captain Marvel #5.


Captain Marvel #6 sends both women forward in time to the moment when Carol Danvers gained her super-powers.  Where it goes from here, I shall not say.  Suffice it to say, whatever confusion I experienced in the earlier issues was banished by the issue's end.  Kelly Sue DeConnick wrote a great story here, though the latter chapters scan far more easily in one sitting.  If you haven't picked this book up yet, you might wait for the inevitable TP collection.  I think it will be worth the wait. 


The artwork is primarily provided by two different but skillful artists.  Issue #4, whose main story was drawn by Dexter Soy, offers more of the stylized painted artwork that wowed me in the first issue.  Al Barrionuevo and Will Quintana produced the artwork for the flashback sequences at the issue's end, offering a more classic comic book style than Soy.  Issues 5 and 6, penciled by Emma Rios with inks by Rios and Alvaro Lopez, are more Mangaesque in appearance, looking not unlike some of the early Shojo created by the Fabulous 49ers.  It's a different choice for an American comic-book, but an effective one.

All in all, Captain Marvel's been an interesting read.  It might not be everybody's cup of tea but I appreciated the story, which proved quite accessible to someone like me who hears the name Captain Marvel and thinks Billy Batson.  Give it a shot once the trade comes out. 

Captain Marvel #3 - A Review

I have a suggestion for The Eisner Award committee. Start a new category for 'Best Recap Page'. Then give it to Captain Marvel.




No book I've read in recent memory has handled its' own exposition so smoothly as this one. After being informed of the disappearance of Carol Danvers (a.k.a. Captain Marvel) on the first page, the story quickly brings us up to speed on how - for some reason - Carol has been teleported into the past. She finds herself alongside The Banshee Squad - an elite all-women unit from World War II. The plot thickens in this issue as the Banshees discover that the Japanese Air Force is using some very advanced technology. Technology that Carol immediately recognizes as belonging to The Kree - the alien race responsible for her super powers.



Kelly Sue DeConnick proves to be as phenomenal as ever. The action scenes contained within this issue are well-paced and exciting. But this issue truly shines during the quieter scenes where Carol Danvers bonds with a group of women who revolutionized the idea of female soldiers and blazed the trail that she eventually walked down. This scene also sets up a cute gag at the end of the book, where we see what appears to be a "lost comic" penned and drawn by the Banshee Squad's aspiring writer and artist, starring a somewhat familiar looking heroine.




This sequence is illustrated by Karl Kessel and Javier Rodriguez, who provide a picture perfect parody of the Golden-Age superhero style. There is another two-page back-up scene, well-illustrated by Rich Elson and Will Quintana, which seems to be setting up a future storyline for Carol to deal with. The lion's share of the artwork is once again handled by Dexter Soy, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists.

Bottom Line: If you aren't reading Captain Marvel, you should be!

Captain Marvel #2 - A Review

Captain Marvel #2 continues on from where the first issue left off, once again focusing on Carol Danvers as a pilot - not as a superhero. Still thinking of the female pilot who inspired her as a girl, Carol sets out to prove that it would have been possible for her to have broken a record that was never officially recognized. How? By taking the exact same plane out for a ride and tying the record herself before trying to break it!




I have no doubt that Kelly Sue DeConnick could have written an amazing story built around just this concept. Her take on Carol Danvers proves herself worthy of the name Marvel on every page- smart as a whip, tough as a two-bit steak, confident and powerful enough to back up her high opinion of herself. A story about her trying to prove herself as a pilot independent of her abilities as a superhero would be a fine ripping yarn. But things are rarely that simple for Carol Danvers and - naturally - there's complications to the flight that lead to Carol winding up captured by strange soldiers and having a run-in with a most unusual group of soldiers, whose presence suggests Carol may have gone even further astray than she thought.





I'll be sorely surprised and disappointed if Dexter Soy doesn't get an Eisner nod for his work on this book. His character designs are stylized without being inhumanly distorted and his color palettes are perfectly chosen throughout. His artwork perfectly matches DeConnick's scripts every one of his splash-pages is poster worthy.

How to sum up my feelings of this series? Three words: READ THIS BOOK.

Captain Marvel #1 - A Review

I must confess I only bought this book to make a statement. To prove a point. To strike a blow against the male-dominated Powers That Be in the comic books industry in general (and at Marvel Comics in specific) and all the trolls who declared this book Dead On Arrival.

I'm doing this despite my personal ban on most things Marvel in the wake of One More Day. I decided to lift it to support this book. Because some things are more important than my own vendettas. Because while I still can't bring myself to buy Spider-Man comics when the people running Spider-Man believe his defining trait to be youth rather than responsibility, I can buy a book to show that there are readers out there who want stories with strong female characters. That we want books written by female writers.

In saying all that, I must also say this: this book is well worth buying even if you don't want to make a statement, prove a point or strike a blow.



Carol Danvers is not a character I've ever thought about much. I know her back-story - USAF pilot is infused with alien DNA, gaining superpowers in the process. One of Marvel's first ham-fisted attempts at creating a feminist superhero, back in the 1970s. Part of what was easily the most sexist, disturbing storyline in comic book history. And she had a storyline in the Avengers where Tony Stark confronted her about her alcoholism. She's a notable character but not one I've ever been a big fan of.

This issue doesn't discuss most of that but it does lay clear who Carol Danvers is outside of a series of statistics and storylines. She is tough. She is no-nonsense. She is capable. She shouts orders at Captain America and can match him in tactical knowledge. She snarks back at Spider-Man and can hold her own in a fight against him. She loves flying under her own power but missing flying in an airplane.

All of this and more is revealed to us through Kelly Sue DeConnick's masterful script. Broken into four rough acts, we see Carol fighting the Absorbing Man alongside Cap, discussing her new costume and taking up the name of Captain Marvel with cap later, sparring with Spider-Man in The Avengers gym, checking up on a cancer-patient friend and thinking about her hero, record-breaking female pilot Helen Cobb. There is Ethos, Pathos and Logos - all in balance.

The artwork by Dexter Soy is nothing less than amazing. Reminiscent of Tony Harris' work on Starman, though with brighter colors and less heavy inks, Soy's artwork throughout changes palettes as needed. More muted tones are used in the flashback scenes and more vibrant shades are used in the scenes depicting superheroes in motion.




I may have bought this book to make a statement. I will continue to buy it because it is damn good.