This issue is ridiculous in the best possible way. Recapping it almost seems like spoiling the fun. Let's just say hamster cheeks are used as a metaphor for dimensional pockets.
DeConnick continues to show that she really understands how to write characters on several levels, particularly through her ability to give them distinct voices and make clear their motivations. For example, I loved Rocket getting cranky because he was creeped out when the aliens cut the lights to Harrison, just as I totally bought that he would rally to protect Chewie when he learned she is (like he is) the last of her kind. In other words, everything he does here intuitively feels like something Rocket would do.
DeConnick also really excels when it comes to writing emotions. Tic's speech at the end of the issue -- about Carol needing to be brave enough to love Chewie enough to risk losing him -- could be a real turning point for Carol. She's spent most of these two series fleeing people for fear of hurting them, so it's a big deal for her to decide to open herself to the possibility of letting the people around her make their own decisions when it comes to whether they want to stand by her or not. It's pretty deep for an issue about cats (ahem, flerken).
My only complaint -- something that I feel required to note if I'm writing an honest review -- is that ditching the kitties at the T.D. Polyviv Refugee Rehab and Relocation Center felt a little like a cop-out. If Carol was worried about not being able to keep all the kittens safe, shouldn't she have stayed there to help protect them? Does the Center really have enough guards to protect them from the aliens that attacked her?
But, whatever. It's a small complaint. DeConnick is still the best in the business when it comes to combining humor with emotions, and I really hope they let her write the X-Men one day, because those folks could really use that. (But, it would have to be in addition to Carol. No leaving Carol, Kelly Sue.) Her characters feel real, and I can't think of higher praise than that.
**** (four of five stars)
No comments:
Post a Comment