Review: The Life of Captain Marvel #2
Grew up reading comic books in the 90's. Marvel fan at heart. Hulk, the Midnight Sons, and Marvel's cosmic universe are my favorites.
Since 2012 Carol Danvers has used the moniker Captain Marvel. During that time Carol has been through four relaunches and two mini series. The Life of Captain Marvel marks the latest book for Carol and perhaps her best so far. ComiConverse contributor Mitch Nissen takes a look.
Review: The Life of Captain Marvel #2
Carol Danvers has gone through many changes since her first appearance in March of 1968. Though existing in the Marvel Universe for 50 years, the character only first achieved real and lasting stability with the 2006 volume of Ms. Marvel by Brian Reed. Carol received a major status boost in 2006 and another in 2012 when she became the latest Captain Marvel.
But since 2012 Carol Danver’s solo book has been relaunched four times (a fifth if you include last year’s Marvel Legacy rebranding) and has stalled twice opting for the mini-series instead, Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps and The Life of Captain Marvel.
Bestselling novelist Margaret Stohl has been Carol’s lead scribe for nearly two years now. Enduring multiple restarts, forced tie-ins with Marvel events every four to six issues, and fluctuating artistic teams, Stohl has had a lot stacked against her while trying to develop the character.
The Life of Captain Marvel appears to be the moment both Danvers and Stohl have been waiting for.
Synopsis:
Carol hasn’t quite been herself lately. Pulled in several directions, a member of various super teams, and suffering the loss of friends and loved ones again and again, Carol decides it’s time to get away from it all. She heads back home to visit her family, finding yet more turmoil lying in wait. Her reality starts to unravel when long buried family secrets rise to the surface, just as a threat from the stars makes planet fall.
The Breakdown:
Since taking over Captain Marvel in late 2016 Stohl has seemingly been on a mission to deconstruct Carol Danvers’ character. The writer has been working toward exploring Carol’s connections with the Kree, not her connection with Mar-Vell but the Kree race as a whole. While at the same time Stohl is having Carol rediscover who she is as a person and as a hero.
Margaret Stohl has had an uphill battle with this mission. Dealing with plot threads from a dozen other writers and events, enduring constant relaunches, rebrandings, and event tie-ins have hindered Stohl’s (or any other writer’s) storytelling. Essentially taking Carol away from the rest of the Marvel Universe with this latest series is just what both the character and the writer need.
Too often nowadays with mainstream comic books the characters are constantly on the go, from story to story, from one action set piece to another. Stohl’s Captain Marvel was caught in a similar cycle. With The Life of Captain Marvel, Stohl gives Carol some much needed respite from this cycle.
While The Life of Captain Marvel has slowed the story down it manages to feel fresh and different from many of Marvel’s other books. Stohl brings a little reality back to Carol as a result including real life family drama. But the wild threats haven’t disappeared as the writer teases a forthcoming alien confrontation.
It’s an example of how taking a much needed vacation is just what one needs to revitalize their mind, body, and soul.
The Art
As a regular reader of Captain Marvel one of the frustrations with the last six years of Carol Danvers’ books has been the art. Even during Kelly Sue DeConnick’s initial run the artwork has fluctuated from realistic to abstract, high stylized to flat and cartoony. Marvel appeared reluctant to assign a powerhouse artist to the book. I’d go as far as to say Captain Marvel hasn’t had a truly spectacular artist since Dexter Soy, Michele Bandini being the most satisfying since.
The Life of Captain Marvel has two artists attached, Carlos Pacheco and Marguerite Sauvage. The book intercuts between present day and flashbacks with Pacheco providing the pencils for the present day sequences. Despite barely showcasing Carol in her costume and virtually no action sequences, the artwork is fantastic. Carlos Pacheco is the artist Carol’s needed for years now.
This is the best Carol’s looked in her own book since her days as Ms. Marvel.
Marguerite Sauvage is in charge of the flashback sequences. Sauvage infuses these sequences with softer pencils and a more liquid appearance. Sauvage maintains enough reality to resemble Pacheco’s style yet possess a dreamlike quality. Had Sauvage been rendering the entire book, and with this style, I’d be inclined to chalk this one up as another artist misstep by Marvel. As it is, Sauvage’s art is employed expertly.
Bottom line: The Life of Captain Marvel is on the cusp of being Carol Danvers’ finest hour. Margaret Stohl’s perseverance looks to be paying off. As long as the remaining three issues reward readers patience and deliver a dynamite conclusion this may be the book we fans have been waiting for.
This is shaping up to be the best Carol Danvers story during her time as Captain Marvel.
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Mitch Nissen is a Contributor to ComiConverse. Follow him on Twitter: @NinjaMitche
Boiling Carol Danvers Down
Marvel is finally giving Carol Danvers what she needs: an uninterrupted story and a great art team. Marvel appears committed to fulfilling writer Margaret Stohl’s mission of redefining the character. The storytelling is traveling at a slower pace but in that pacing Stohl is showcasing real character development. Carlos Pacheco is nailing it in the art department despite the lack of super heroics and action.