This issue reads as essentially "Captain Marvel" #12.1, continuing the cat-and-mouse game that Carol has been playing with her mysterious adversary in that title. In this one-shot issue, DeConnick takes us one step further; Carol is no longer just battling the fear that comes with knowing that her brain lesion could be causing her to lose her grip on reality, but also now knows that she's facing an adversary who knows all about her past and is coming after the people who she loves. DeConnick really nails that fear here, showing Carol as increasingly both unhinged and reckless.
The star of the show, however, is Spider-Woman. Although "Captain Marvel" has been full of humor, it often comes from banter between Carol and her supporting cast. Here, Jessica is funny all by herself, without any banter with Carol. In fact, Carol finds her humor annoying for most of this issue, since she's panicked about finding her homeless friend and finds Jessica's comments distracting. But, DeConnick successfully uses Jessica's humor for most of this issue to throw doubt on Carol's urgency, making us wonder just how much Carol is overreacting. However, when it's shown that Carol was right all along, Jessica turns on her heel, immediately going from the comforting friend to the avenging ally. She shakes Carol from her stupor and tells her to call in the reserves, since, after all, they're Avengers, damn it. It's a great star turn and makes you wonder why DeConnick also isn't writing a "Spider-Woman" comic.
DeConnick has unfurled this story over several issues of "Captain Marvel" and it's a real delight to see her hard work culminate in this arc. As became clear in this issue with the appearance of the Grapplers, DeConnick continues introduce Carol's past to those of us who have never read any previous incarnations of her series. In this way, her series is starting to feel like "Amazing Spider-Man" from the 1970s and 1980s, where the villains might be campy but the problems that the hero faces are real. I can't think of higher praise than that. I can't wait to see where we go from here.
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