Kelly Thompson’s long run on Captain Marvel has been emotionally engaging and rightfully celebrated. For 50 issues, Carol has been surrounded by delightful friends, often compelling conflicts, and occasional reunions and separations.
The series conclusion, which is collected in Revenge of the Brood Part 2 this week, feels tragically flat in comparison to the whole. Despite the much-needed reunion with the X-Men and an adventure revolving around the Brood, the scuzzy little aliens who were so formative to the character, what should have been a ringing celebration ends with shrugged shoulders and implied – but neglected – resolution.
This is a surprising development because Thompson and company have been so precious in examining the character and her history; the X-Men and Brood are only the final examples of this. That wrinkle of the narrative reflects the Claremont era of the late ’70s and early ’80s, from which the costume and power set belonging to the somewhat new supporting character Binary is also drawn. That’s fifty years of history being plumbed for surprising narrative resonance; the final four issues struggle to find equal resonance within themselves.
This isn’t to undermine how fun the book is – Carol’s final comeuppance against a Brood queen (illustrated in massive, distressing detail by Sergio Davila) is cool to see. Much of that coolness stands against a feeling of manufactured drama and unconvincing self-sacrifice. Like so many of the key moments in this story, the final conflict occurs without convincing struggle, and in the blink of an eye.
When Binary dies in order to repower Carol, it doubles down on the concern that the character was introduced (back in issue #34) for this exact dramatic purpose. Later, in an unprovoked monologue, Rogue sets forward a sort of State of the Union address for her relationship with Captain Marvel; it’s only the first of several sloppy bows to be tied before the volume’s end.
The final issue – the mammoth issue #50 – feels labored, smothered beneath a barrage of quick, one-page encounters between Carol and her massive (and beloved) supporting cast. This isn’t an uncommon practice in final issues, by any means (look for Captain America: Finale, for example), but its familiarity of structure isn’t refreshed by its usage here. The quick, snapshot conclusions of dramatic threads don’t often feel earned, nor does Carol’s begrudgingly bittersweet acceptance of them.
Revenge of the Brood Part 2 isn’t a bad book – beautifully illustrated, packed with character and semi-sweet interplay between its characters, it’s a volume that all but announces that if it only had a little more time, all this promise could be paid off with the delicacy with which its creators seeded it over the course of three years.
It isn’t enough; its many parts need just a tiny bit more air to breathe.
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