Carol is back in space and trying to solve her problems by punching them in the face, but she can’t escape the past in this kick-off to an all new series. Is it good?
The Mighty Captain Marvel #0 (Marvel Comics)
Carol Danvers has been through a lot in the past few months. She survived the events of Civil War II, emerging as a hero of the people of Earth, but losing her lover Rhodey and most of her super friends and allies not speaking to her is taking its toll. She’s responding with quick force to low level threats and can’t sleep at night. The massive numbers of alien refugees fleeing to Earth isn’t helping either. So while she may be top dog in Alpha Flight, it’s very lonely at the top.
Is It Good?
Since this is the set up for the new series, not a whole lot happens in this issue. We mostly get a state of the union on Carol, where she’s at and what she’s dealing with, and a short primer on her back story for new readers. So while there are shout-outs to the Carol Corps, this issue is much more aimed towards new readers. So for the Carol fans (of which I am one: disclosure), this was a bit on the boring side. While it’s important to see how Carol is handling the aftermath of Civil War II, we don’t get much beyond she’s avoiding her feelings, as per usual, and taking it out on poor defenseless satellites.
I’m a fan of Margaret Stohl’s writing, so I was definitely interested to see how she would take on a character that’s had a tough transition since Kelly Sue DeConnick stepped down. It looks like she’s decided to build off of DeConnick’s work, using key phrases from her run that have played particularly well with the fan base – just Google “Captain Marvel Higher Further Faster More” and you’ll get the idea. This can be a double-edged sword; while fans love DeConnick’s Carol, drawing a direct comparison can invite, well, direct comparison. And while I like Stohl’s writing, this issue did feel like she was trying to emulate DeConnick’s style. I’ll be interested to see what she does with the book going forward.
I’m not familiar with the two artists credited on the book, Emilio Laiso and Ramon Rosanas, but overall the art for this issue is fine. Just fine. I don’t personally like the super thick outer outline style that they use and frankly, there are a few shots of Carol when she’s in her full Captain Marvel suit that feel a little too cheesecake for my tastes (was it necessary to give her a very prominent thigh gap while she’s flying off to punch a spaceship?). There’s also just a LOT going on in most panels, so it can be tough for your eye to follow the main action.
From what I can tell, Laiso seems to be the main artist for the issue with Rosanas tackling the flashback, and the flashback sequence was the art that I really responded to, which makes me feel more confident for the continuing series, since he’s the main artist. Rachelle Rosenberg does a nice job with the colors, with excellent differences between the flashback and present sequences.
As a member of the Carol Corps, I love Carol Danvers, and I go into every book with high expectations. It’s been tough for most of the creators to follow the high bar Kelly Sue set for Captain Marvel, and this issue just didn’t knock my socks off. It just felt overall like the team is trying a little too hard to get the fans to buy in to this new series. But I know this is a #0, and I’m saving my real reactions for issue #1.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.