“The New World” is a brand new story arc kicking off this week in Captain Marvel. It features the collaboration of Lee Garbet and Kelly Thompson in a story set in the far future according to the preview. This issue not only features time travel, but new characters as well. Considering Thompson has already done fantastic work with reality-altering storylines with this series we’re likely in good hands, but as far as this new arc goes, is it good?
This issue opens with Captain Marvel and War Machine totally making out and her teammates Spider-Woman and Hazmat totally wanting to barf. They’re on a new mission and it appears things are getting very serious between Rhodes and Danvers. This relationship plays a part in the emotional journey before Captain Marvel further cements the fact that Thompson never writes a script with extra fat. In fact, this issue is packed to the gills with reveals, interesting moments, and heroic feats as well.
As is custom in fish-out-of-water tales for heroes, this issue offers a lot of cool possibilities for the future. Thompson and Garbett maximize the time jump in the issue with creative hero reveals and some surprises too. Avoiding spoilers, but if you loved Captain Marvel: The End you’re going to love this. Full stop. Go buy the book now and stop reading this review. Garbett does well with this scene-changing plot, with plenty of interesting costume designs for the dystopian style the heroes are going for. There are plenty of heroes plucked from different corners of the universe as well, and anyone who loves their mutants will want to check this out too.
When it comes to color by Tamra Bonvillain, there always seems to be some extra layer to the visuals thanks to her work. Check out the panel below, for instance, where there’s a green stream of light cutting through the trees. It creates an eerie vibe that works well with how the scene plays out.
Never make kissy sounds when a microphone is near your mouth.
Credit: Marvel Comics
As far as plotting, this issue opens well with a reminder of the bond Carol has with her compatriots, cuts to some mysterious twisty sci-fi stylings, moves on to some good action, and slows things down for some expository setup. Everything is set up so things can move on from here and so we can be at peace with the narrative being untethered from continuity for this arc. If there was ever a hero who could pull off a story like this, it’s Carol Danvers.
Dialogue is as strong as ever, and it pairs well with Garbett’s animated facial expressions. No matter how dark a scene might look, or how simple either, Garbett’s expressive faces shine through. That helps in battle and in surprise beats in the story, bringing you closer to the characters. The natural dialogue also captures the characters’ personalities very well. Dialogue can get heavy here or there, but you’re never trudging through wishing for it to end. It certainly slows down the pacing, though.
Aside from Captain Marvel’s teammates in the earlier scenes, this is also new-reader friendly. You’d be better off reading previous issues to understand Carol’s relationship with Rhodes and Hazmat, but this issue effectively drops Carol and the reader into a new situation with a to navigate for the first time.
If you’ve been along for Thompson’s ride on Captain Marvel, you’ll love this issue. It builds on previous stories and continues to set a high bar for dialogue and good ideas. If you’re interested in big event-level storytelling (and maybe X-Men doesn’t do it for you), you’re going to want to check out this new story arc.
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