Writer: Kelly Thompson / Artists: Carmen Carnero, Tamra Bonvillain, Amanda Conner, Paul Mounts / Marvel
I have been critical of the Captain Marvel run thus far. Tough Love is in my DNA, I’ll admit that. At the same time, my praise is hard earned, so you can believe me when I say with this issue…everything changes. I don’t know if it is just that Carol finally gets a foe worthy of her powers, or if her sidekicks kicking ass on their own finally gels or what, but I do know this issue is worth your read.
Rogue is Back, Sugar!
For new readers who may not know, Issue #4 does a solid job of recapping why Rogue and Carol…don’t get along.
Mostly, that’s because in one of Carol’s first big de-powering/amnesiac events (and there have been plenty) Rogue was the culprit. This was in her Brotherhood of Evil Mutants days back in 1992. I get it, I was deep in my evil mutant phase in ’92 as well.
What follows in this issue is an effective journey with Carol. She manages that past trauma and shame, overcomes her own fear, and then reaches out to find an ally where she once saw her nemesis. The two women work together in surprising ways to try to overcome Nuclear Man’s annoying plot. He really becomes the second villain behind Carol’s own past.
Meanwhile, Jen and Jess get the women together for a well-coordinated attack/rescue. Without Carol in the picture, these women just *work*. By the end of the mandatory “getting ready for battle” montage, I was all in for this team of fierce women who engineer, save, fight, and still have cool post-apoc outfits. If this is the future, I hope I get to pick good face paint too.
I haven’t talked enough here about the art of Carnero and Bonvillain. It is an intriguing combination of grunge and candy. It has taken some time, but I’ve come to like it, especially as every single crowd scene has different, unique folks in it — and yes, that means bodies, skin color, and hair styles. I’m in support of that kind of artistic effort. Plus, the way the art team uses panels inside to indicate motion never gets old. In fact, it only gets better.
Truly, I’ve been waiting for this kind of showing from the team. It has all come together here in Issue #4 and I’m looking eagerly forward to how Carol gets out of this one with Rogue and the others.
7.8 “That’s My Girl” out of 10
Want to keep up with Captain Marvel? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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