Sunday, September 22, 2013

Captain Marvel #14 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Wow.  As Sana said, I did not see that coming.

First, the idea that the Magnitron was using the Kree Sentries to amplify the power of the piece of the Psyche-Magnitron lodged in Carol's brain was brilliant.  The fact that the Magnitron was doing so to create "New Kree-Lar" on top of New York City, punishing Carol by wiping out her city with the city that she robbed him from seeing for all these years, was even more brilliant.  It shows how carefully constructed this event was, given how tight the emotional motivations and the technical descriptions were.  I can't remember another cross-over event that left nary a loose end and resulted in the main character in a completely different (though still unrevealed) place.  Bravo, Kelly DeConnick.  Seriously, this event should be taught in comic-book school as how you construct a multi-part story.

Now, let's talk about Carol.  First, DeConnick reminds us how she's an absolute, flat-out hero.  She realizes that Thor won't be able to use Cap's shield to interrupt the Sentries' amplifying signal in time and sacrifices herself to disrupt the Magnitron's power source.  It's a powerful moment and the Avengers' reactions to her sacrifice show how well respected  and well loved she is.  Presumably, the part of the Magnitron that was in her brain is now gone, but it's unclear what sort of damage that its destruction has done to Carol.  I don't see how you read this issue and not be waiting impatiently for issue #15 to see where we go from here.

Now, can I make a request?  Can we get a super-star artist on this book, stat?  We have some moments in this issue where the story that DeConnick is telling is undermined by the art, like the scene where Carol is fending off a Sentry so her friends can get to safety, but looks so nonchalant about it that she might as well be drinking a venti Frappuccino while doing it.  (I'm not even discussing the scene where Cap's jaw is so big that you wonder if Jay Leno stole his costume.)  This series deserves a Ryan Stegman or a Humberto Ramos and I hope that Marvel gives it to us at some point.

Overall, though, I just continue to believe that this series is one of best plotted and scripted ones on the market today.  Excellence abounds.

(Also, honestly, after reading this issue, I absolutely don't understand how Marvel has room for an effing "Ant-Man" movie but not a "Captain Marvel" one.  Is it because it thinks that all fan-boys are sexist?  I just don't understand.)

No comments:

Post a Comment