CAPTAIN MARVEL: VOLUME 1 - COMIC REVIEW
Written by: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Illustrated By: Dexter Soy and Emma Ríos Comic: 136 pages
Publisher: Marvel
Language: English
January 2013
Genre: Comic/Superhero
“Hero! Pilot! Avenger! Captain Marvel, Earth's Mightiest Hero with death-defying powers and an attitude to match, is back and launching headfirst into an all-new ongoing series! As Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Carol Danvers, comes to a crossroads with a new life and new romance, she makes a dramatic decision that will alter the course of her life and the entire Marvel Universe in the months to come. It's time to go HIGHER, FURTHER, FASTER and more in the most super-powered comic around!”
The "Mightiest" of Earth's Mightiest Heroes is back! Ace pilot. Legendary Avenger. One hundred percent pure bad-^&*. Carol Danvers has a new name, a new mission - and all the power she needs to make her own life a living hell. As the new Captain Marvel, Carol is forging from a challenge from her past! It's a firefight in the sky as the Banshee Squadron debut - but who are the Prowlers, and where has Carol seen them before? And how does secret NASA training program Mercury 13 fit in? Witness Captain Marvel in blazing battlefield action that just may change the course of history! Avengers Time Travel Protocols: engage!
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Carol Danvers is dealing with a lot of changes in her life. Her friend, Captain Marvel, the Kree warrior Mar-Vell has died and Carol has taken up the Captain Marvel mantle. But she feels like she has something to prove, to make sure that she deserves to take the moniker. She is still as snarky as ever though as she and Captain America take out the Absorbing Man. She is feeling insecure, unsure about this new identity, unsure of what comes next.
On a simple flight to honor a good friend, remind herself of where she came from, and clear her head a bit, Carol suddenly finds herself in 1943 facing down the all-female Banshee Squadron to fight the Prowlers during WWII. Bijou Kawasaki, Daisy, Rivka, and Jerri technically aren’t military, but they are pilots willing to serve the cause. And they are now facing an enemy they are not sure that they can combat. Luckily Captain Marvel is willing to help and find a way to get back to her own time.
Things I liked:
Captain Marvel is one hell of a bad ass and I am already a proud member of the Carol Corps. Carol Danvers is an interesting lady. She isn’t sure where she wants to go with her life. She knows she is something more and wants to do something more. But what exactly is that ‘more’? In this first volume Carol has re-emerged not as Ms. Marvel but as Captain Marvel. She has always been Ms. Marvel, but not that the man who indirectly made her a superhero has died and she is trying to redefine herself. This is an exploration and one that involves new hairstyles, new costumes, and a new sense of identity. Oh and time travel.
I love Carol. She is the sort of woman you aspire to me. She is funny, independent, and completely bad ass. When I think of strong female superheroes she will always be in my top three. Obviously having the amazing Kelly Sue DeConnick at the helm makes me love Carol even more. Captain Marvel has character development. She is a feminist. She deals with personal relationships and self-doubt. She is sexy and kick ass. Seriously I love her. She’s a superhero, not just a lady superhero. In fact I love how she reminds Captain America that she now outranks him.
I really liked the Banshees, as I did all of the characters. So many strong ladies: feminine, powerful, and independent. Guh. This is why I like DeConnick. It’s why I even liked the role of women in the military theme that was throughout this first volume. When we go through Helen Cobb’s story we see how so many qualified pilots were left out of aerospace programs due to their gender. Gender roles be damned. Carol has always been a military woman and now she outranks Captain America. She is an ace pilot, a hero, and a competent and respected leader who happens to have lady bits.
The final story of this volume made me smile. Carol comes to terms with who she is. It could have happened quite differently. Carol makes her choice and even has a nice revisit to her origin story for those who are not acquainted with her. When she emerges from the tear through time, she truly is Captain Marvel. You go girl!
The artwork: I tended to like Dexter Soy’s work in the first half of the book more than Emma Rios’ though neither detract from the story. For me Rios’ art was a bit too stylized for my tastes and yet beautiful in its own way.
Things I didn’t like so much:
As I said I liked one artist more than the other but that is just personal preference in art style so not really a dislike. I think sometimes the voices slip a little, but this is a very minor gripe. I thought it was a great return to the Carol-verse for me which has been a little bit. I would highly suggest newcomers to start here if you don’t know Carol because let’s face it, she is one hell of a woman.
Buy or Borrow: Buy. Whoo hoo Carol Danvers. So worth checking out.
Part of:Continuing series
Also Recommended: As a Marvel Fangirl, I would also recommend any graphic novel trades of Carol’s other life as Ms Marvel or the current Ms Marvel Kamala Khan. Saga by Brian K Vaughan is excellent, Fray by Joss Whedon, Rat Queens by Kurtis J Wiebe, Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman, and Black Widow: The Name of the Rose by Marjorie M. Liu are also great reads.
4 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks
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