OK, clearly, at some point, DeConnick was going to have to have Carol have a chat with Monica Rambeau, the other (other) Captain Marvel. She makes a good call having that conversation occur earlier in the run, serving as part of Carol's official whistle-stop coming-out tour. DeConnick brings something to dialogue that I still can't quite name, structuring conversations in a way that doesn't make them really read like typical comic-book conversations. She tends to avoid the more emotional extremes -- threats or gushing-- and Carol and Monica's conversation is a great example of that. It proves to be tense yet still professional. They don't feel like friends exactly, but more like colleagues who respect one another. After all, Monica essentially calls Carol on the carpet for her lack of professional courtesy in not calling her before announcing that she was taking on the moniker. Other authors might've turned it into a cat fight, but DeConnick avoids that trap by injecting the conversation with humor and wit, from Carol teasing Monica when she discovered that she had a Google Alert attached to her former codename to their conversation about their previous multitude of codenames. Again, no one hugs, but no one hits either. It's like comics for grown-ups, by grown-ups, about grown-ups. Actually, maybe it's exactly the approach that provides that unidentified "something" that I mentioned that I feel DeConnick brings to conversations.
Of course, these conversations all help fuel the plot. Monica has asked Carol to help investigate a series of ships that disappeared off New Orleans, fearing to go into the water not only because of the unpredictable effects that the water has on her powers but also the PTSD she suffers from her fight with Leviathan in "Avengers" #293. DeConnick's appreciation for the past goes beyond just Monica's troubles, bringing in Frank Gianelli, a former colleague from Carol's days at "Woman" magazine, to serve as this arc's dude in distress. Gianelli agrees to photograph the ships if Carol agrees to check out the levees that he feels are unsound. The exploration, of course, goes poorly, but we get to see Carol and Monica strut their stuff, with Monica creating small light globes to light Carol's way as she tries to save Frank from a sudden whirlpool. (The "Captain Whiz Bang" and "Captain Lite Brite" jokes were, I have to say, pretty damn funny. It feels a little forced, but, still, I'd rather forced comedy that works than forced comedy that doesn't.)
My only criticism of this issue is the fact that Frank seems a weird agent for arguing about the levees. He appears to be an investigative photographer, if such a thing exists, so I'm not exactly sure what he wants to happen. How is he going to get photos of unsound levees? It's not like they show wear on the outside. To be honest, even if he had been an investigative reporter, I'm still not sure it would've worked. He just happens upon the two Captain Marvels and demands that they check out levees immediately, as if they're going to burst any second? Conversely, it seems weird that Monica blows off his concerns so easily, even if she's right that she's not in the business of fixing levees. As Frank himself says, it seemed a little short-sighted on her part to focus only on her family business, since, if the levees break, her family won't even have a home.
But, in the end, I still find myself more willing to look past this sort of problem than I am in other series. Something about DeConnick's style appeals to me, even if it occasionally presents a plot that's a little difficult to follow or a character that seems a little unbelievable. I'm honestly excited about seeing Carol go toe-to-toe with the giant robot, so I'm going to consider this issue a win.
No comments:
Post a Comment