Captain Marvel #17 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

OK, Carol moving into the crown of the Statue of Liberty is just about the coolest thing ever.  (JJJ, Jr. telling her that it wasn't his problem whether she'd be able to afford the rent was possibly the funniest thing ever.)  But, the highlight of this issue is Kit telling Captain Marvel that the Captain Marvel lessons that she mentioned throughout the issue were something that she was going to give to Carol and not something that she expected Carol to give to her.  I mean, I totally cried.  I held it together during the "I am Spartacus" moment earlier in the issue, but I'm only human.  This series, man.  It's always been as much about Carol's gang as it's been about Carol, since the former helps show the awesomeness of the latter.  Carol's gang essentially expanding to include all of New York seems the perfect metaphor for explaining just how awesome she really is.

My only complaint is that DeConnick really fumbles the ball when it comes to the villain.  I'm still not exactly sure what Grace Valentine's app does or what it's connection to philosophy (or "absolute objectivism") is.  Moreover, I'm not sure why she needs some second-rate magazine to publish a piece about it for her to have self-worth; after all, as several people mention throughout the series, it seems that the millions of downloads in and of themselves would be sufficient validation.  (Wanting a magazine to publish a piece on you to feel like you've made it seems so old economy.)  DeConnick hints that Grace has something else up her sleeve with the whole data-mining scheme, but her villainy really seems to come from this unexplained need for validation.  As such, she just seems totally unhinged, rather than a character driven to villainy for some sort of valid reason.  Moreover, given that she portrays an image of herself holding someone hostage, I'm pretty surprised that everyone seemed to let that drop.  I mean, shouldn't someone be trying to help her partner?

At any rate, this issue brings an end to this version of Carol.  DeConnick has managed to take us on a tour of the last 45 years of Carol's history, integrating parts of her story that no one really managed to bring together in quite the same way.  Although she's lost her memory, the Carol that we have here is, possibly for the first time, the sum of her parts.  With that firm foundation, we seem ready to see what Carol can really do, something DeConnick clearly intends to do now.  If she can just do a little better job on introducing new villains, this next series should be even better than this one.

*** (three of five stars)

New-ish Comics!: The "Infinity" Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Captain Marvel #16:  This issue wraps up our "Infinity" interlude.  I can't say we really gain a better insight into Carol's situation, but I did actually find myself enjoying the focus on the Avengers trying to figure out a way to escape the Builders.  At first, I was surprised by how callously Carol dismissed the moral implications of destroying an entire sector of space to save Earth, but then I remembered that she's not really feeling emotions at this point, so it works in the context of the larger story that DeConnick is telling.  (I was a little more disturbed by Cannonball and Sunspot going with the plan so easily.  I mean, at least Hawkeye raised some opposition.)  The best moment was her banter with Jessica, whose affectionate teasing about them having to start from scratch showed that she's there for Carol for the long haul.  It made me all the more eager for us to return to the regularly scheduled programming.  But, given that these two issues are probably the only ones I'm going to read about the Avengers' battle with the Builders in space, I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with them.

Infinity #3:   My only real problem with this event -- to my surprise -- is that it's still feeling a little schizophrenic.  I get that the whole point is that Thanos is taking advantage of the Avengers being distracted by their off-world fight with the Builders to make his move on Attilan.  Although the idea is clever, it's still leaving me feel like I'm reading two entirely different events -- a cross-over event about the Galactic Council working together to repel the Builders and a miniseries about Thanos' attempts to find and kill his son.  Although I'm intrigued by both, I find myself wishing that Hickman had treated them separately.  For example, he has to rush through the capitulation of the various galactic empires to the Builders, somewhat underselling the awesome moment where the Shi'ar and the Skrulls decide to throw in their lot with Earth.  I mean, the Shi'ars and the Skrulls!  Dogs and cats, living together!  That said, I'm still happy with both stories, as loosely connected as they are.  Cap's gambit was pretty great to watch unfold, though you have to wonder how they're going to defeat the Builders when even this win seemed to have a limited impact on their overall operational capacity.  I guess we'll see!

New-ish Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman/Superman #3:  This issue would've been great if not for the completely unlikely story involving a young Bruce playing baseball with a young Clark in Smallville.  Pak and Lee have been telling a story that's often difficult to follow, requiring a re-reading (or two) to get a full sense of the story.  However, that effort is generally rewarded with a greater appreciation of the story.  Unfortunately, with the random flashbacks to an imagined childhood, it made this process all the more difficult, since it prevented them from focusing on the story at hand.  For example, I'm still unclear on why the government was developing a crystal meant to take down Superman.  In fact, I'm not entirely sure which Superman (of the two) is the target.  Moreover, the crystal's connection to Darkseid is left virtually unexplored.  Pak really could've used the four or five pages spent on the childhood digression to clarify the actual story.  The whole thing reeks of editorial interference.  Hopefully, we can just forget about it and get some answers next issue.

Captain America #10:  Honestly?  I can think of few multiple-issue runs that were anywhere near the same level as this one.  The only ones that come to mind are the Kang War ("Avengers" #41-#55) and the Black Mirror ("Detective Comics" #871-#881).  Remender kept us guessing to the very last minute, when you weren't sure if the "ghost" helping the Phrox was going to be Ian or Sharon.  The revelation that it was Ian (and the brilliance of branding him "Nomad") literally made me gasp.  Moreover, his resurrection of sorts reminds you just how much Remender leaves on the table.  Dimension Z is a weird place, where you truly believe that a child can survive getting shot at point-blank range and falling into a chemical-fueled river.  If you believe that, you also believe that Sharon Carter may be alive (and possibly Zola's host) or that Steve Rogers might really have lived ten years without aging more than a few minutes.  The consequences didn't just completely disappear at the end of this arc, wrapped into a neat package.

As such, Steve's status quo is completely unclear at this point.  After all, who does he mourn first?  Ian?  Sharon?  Himself?  What are the physical repercussion of his ten years in Dimension Z?  Did he actually age?  When he briefly returned to Dimension Z from the tunnel, the ruins of the destroyed battle-station had already aged, seemingly implying that Steve is a decade older.  How does that work?  Also, how does he handle Jet Black?

But, we have next month to worry about those questions.  For now, it's time to bask in Remender delivering the quintessential Captain America story.  Remender made this storya bout Cap and his faith in himself.  He reminds us of that faith in this issue, when Cap tells his mutate clone that a few derogatory comments about his mother aren't going to make him doubt the lessons that he learned from her.  Moreover, Remender reminds us that this faith in himself is bigger than Cap, that it inspires the entirety of the Marvel Universe; here, this faith inspires Ian in exactly the way that Cap hoped, leaving behind his legacy in Dimension Z even if he's unaware of it.  Moreover, Sharon is perfect here.  Remender treats her as the bad-ass that she's always been, completely in charge of the situation and doing what needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.  Even Brubaker, who freed her from the "Gal Friday" role that she often played, rarely portrayed her as strong as she is here.  It's one of the few times where I've felt sad at losing a character but actually OK with the way that their story ends.

Can we also just talk about the craft on display here?  Remender's amazing narration of the epilogue, where you had no idea where it was going until you arrived at the Nomad revelation?  JR JR's insane landscapes and even more insane Zola?  This entire arc was a tour de force in terms of the talents of everyone involved.

It's a big, crazy, epic story.  You're left wanting so much more; I found myself hoping that we're going to get a Dimension Z series that follows Nomad.  But, Remender isn't rushing anything.  I was hestitant about this story in the first few issues, but Remender has finally give Cap the sort of ongoing series that he deserves.  I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Captain Marvel #15:  The obvious problem with this issue, which Sana herself acknowledges in the letters page, is that you feel like you're not missing one issue, but several.  First, we're presented Carol's memory-loss as a fait accompli, despite the fact that it wasn't particularly clear at the end of last issue that it was the repercussion of severing her telepathic link with Yon-Rogg.  Moreover, Carol is notably not in New York, but somewhere in deep space with the Avengers, fighting the Builders.  I stopped reading "Avengers," but I am reading "Infinity" and I don't remember this ground being covered in issue #1.  (When exactly did Earth join the Galactic Council?  Do they no longer consider it an irrelevant back-water?  Of course, I had trouble following "Infinity" #1, so maybe it's just me.)

But, DeConncik actually, somehow, manages to move you past all that.  She embraces the chaos, showing Carol as somewhat thankful that she's lost her memories, because the lack of emotional investment makes it easier to deal with the insanity around her.  In fact, DeConnick seems to be speaking to the reader and Carol on the same level, promising all of us answers so long as we make it thorugh the "Infinity" business.  It's remarkably clever, just as we've all come to expect from this series.

Scarlet Spider #21:  Buddy's going to be OK, right?  Right?  I mean, everyone's going to be OK, right?  Kaine is going to remember that he's a hero now and save everyone, right?

Unlike the past few issues, Kraven is a villain from Kaine's past whose presence here makes sense.  After all, it's Kaine who led to his defeat at Spider-Man's hands during "Grim Hunt."  Kraven's not likely to forget that easily.  Moreover, under normal circumstance, I'd be totally fine with Kraven posing as Ben Reilly in order to torture Kaine, since it's exactly the type of crazy that you'd expect from Kraven.  However, on the heels of the cross-over event with "Superior Spider-Man Team-Up," I have to say that it didn't work the way that I think Yost hoped that it would.  I spent most of the issue worried that it was a continuation of the Jackal's plot, something Yost clearly wanted us to think to make the revelation that it was Kraven all the more impactful.  But, instead, it proved to be distracting, since it not only reminded me of a plot that I find overplayed but also makes you wonder what the Jackal is doing now that he's returned to the background and when some other remnant of the Clone Saga is going to darken Kaine's door.  So, although it was clever, it would've been even better had it not come on the heels of the "Clone Saga 2.0" story that we just had.

Regardless, I'm definitely anxious to see where we go from here, both in Kaine's confrontation with Kraven and the status of his supporting cast.  Interestingly, unlike the Assassins Guild or the Clone Saga, Kraven is a ghost of Kaine's past as a hero, not as a villain, and I wonder if it'll play out differently than the other stories have.

Thanos Rising #5:  Aaron makes it pretty clear here that he doesn't believe that Death has guided Thanos through the years; Thanos himself is responsible for his actions.  In fact, if Aaron raises any questions here, it's not whether Thanos really sees Death, but it's if his construction of Death is a sign of mental illness or a convenient excuse for his behavior.  In other words, is Thanos mad or, as Monitor says, is he really just selfish?  Either way, we emerge with a more complete and sympathetic view of Thanos here, though one that actually somehow makes him more responsible for his crimes.  It's been a complicated story for a complicated character and Aaron really did a great job of giving us a definitive approach to a character who's too often been used simply as a powerful bugaboo.  "Infinity" is unlikely to add any nuance to the character, so I finished this issue glad for this mini-series and a chance to understand Thanos better.

Young Avengers #9:  Ugh.  Heart-breaking.  I mean, OK, I trust Kieron GIllen and I really believe that he has no intention of keeping Billy and Teddy apart forever.  Moreover, as Teddy himself implies here, Billy's decision to let Teddy go seems to signify that he's not making Teddy love him.  I mean, I don't think that we're ever going to get a definitive answer to that question, since it essentially requires proving a negative, that Billy isn't making Teddy love him.  But, if he were, it would seem unlikely that he would allow Teddy to go.  Instead, it seems more likely that he believes that Teddy loves him and equally believes that Teddy will return to him, a conclusion that we all hope Teddy will also make.  Because I trust Gillen, I also know that Teddy has to go through this journey.  They are, after all, just kids and the people who live the kind of life that they live don't just get to marry their high-school sweetheart and live happily ever after.  For them to be happy, Teddy needs to believe that Billy isn't making him love him and that requires some time on his own for a while.  (I mean, if Billy is really an multidimensional messiah, he can probably make Teddy love him from afar, but, really, let's not go too far down that road.)

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.)

Captain Marvel #13 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

And away we go!  After spending the first two installments of this cross-over event setting up the story, DeConnick really hits the gas here.  She displays an amazing ability to keep control over many characters at the same time, as Carol's crew of civilian colleagues work on figuring out the identity of Carol's nemesis while the Avengers take on the Kree Sentries that Magnitron activated last issue.  DeConnick really has a stunning ear for dialogue, with all the characters here managing to sound distinct (and in character), even if they're given limited "panel" time.  DeConnick also displays her usual wit along the way; I particularly liked Carol's "Star Wars" reference and Cap's ensuing confusion.  (Also, I thought Carol marching her entire supporting cast down the hallway of her apartment building to confront her crotchedy old neighbor was nothing short of hilarious.)  Moreover, in terms of the plot, we're really getting the sense of how deep of a game Magnitron is playing.  Whereas the Brood, "Deathbird," and the Grapplers were distractions, it's clear that Magnitron has kicked it up a notch with the Sentries and you start to wondering whether the Avengers are going to be able to contain the threat before a lot of people get hurt.  Great characterization, witty dialogue, and a compelling plot:  I'm not sure what you'd want that this title isn't delivering.

Captain Marvel #12 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Damn, this issue was good.  DeConnick and Sebela really bring everything together here, from the mysterious villain to the brain tumors to Helen Cobb.  It adds to the ongoing sense that this series conveys that you're really immersed in Carol's life, something that makes you all the more nervous about where it's heading.

First, the authors did a great job of splicing the battle between Carol and Deathbird with the conversation between the two doctors.  Usually, this sort of back-and-forth approach winds up stalling the momentum of the story, as the less energetic tale drags down the other one.  However, here, the doctors' conversation about Carol's affliction heightens the tension of her battle with Deathbird, making it clear that the stakes are higher than Carol knows.  Moreover, the battle itself is thrilling, with Cap's sky-cycle becoming almost a third character in their dance.  Andrade does a great job with these scenes, keeping you guessing how each character will outmaneuver her equally skilled opponent.  By the time you reach the end of the issue, you're on the edge of your seat.

At this point, I'm not entirely sure how whatever Yon-Rogg did to manipulate Helen Cobb into thinking that she took a ride with a former beau would result in her smelling like old gasoline, but the authors seem to be holding out the possibility that Yon-Rogg is manipulating reality somehow.  Moreover, we don't know why Yon-Rogg chose Deathbird to attack Carol, unless it was just that they were pretty evenly matched.  But, the authors don't seem to be rushing the story, so I'm pretty confident that we'll get those answers.  At this stage, Yon-Rogg seems to be draining Carol's powers to survive, which seems, you know, bad.  The upcoming involvement of the Avengers certainly raises the stakes in this story and I'm excited to see what happens when all Hell breaks loose.

Captain Marvel #11 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

As if Deathbird appearing last issue with a seemingly unexplained hatred of Carol wasn't sufficiently random, we learn this issue that it wasn't even Deathbird.  Instead, she appears to be some sort of clone or something (who Carol's friend hilariously dubbed "Newbird") and she's working for a mysterious stranger.  Said stranger appears to be trying to let Carol know that he can get to her family and friends, but it's unclear why he needs Newbird to do that.  Moreover, I'm not sure if he picked Newbird  as his agent because of any particular connection that she had to Carol or if he could simply get his hands on her.  But, at least we get some sort of acknowledgment here that Newbird's appearance is as random as it felt last issue, so I'm more or less a happy camper.

Switching gears, I have to say that DeConnick and Sebela made a good call taking away Carol's ability to fly.  It's bringing out different aspects of her personality, not only showing her stubborn refusal to accept that limitation, but also her creativity in working around it.  These stories can often be clunkers, because the change is often portrayed as permanent, even when you know that it's not going to be (e.g., Bruce Wayne's broken back).  Here, though, DeConnick and Sebela work in the likelihood that someone at some point is going to be able to cure her, so we don't have to experience the typical eye-rolling that comes with this sort of "hero without her powers" story.  It's a temporary glitch, but an important one, since it's not like superheroes can afford to lose an important edge when they're battling super-villains.  Carol only battles regular guys here, so she's able to work around it pretty easily, but we'll see how she does in her rematch with Newbird.

Captain Marvel #10 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue is...odd.  At moments, it has the same sort of feel of last issue, a day-in-the-life story that shows us Carol dealing with the repercussions of her doctor ordering her not to fly.  But, it also has a confusing segment where she prevents a subway train from falling into a sinkhole and then a sudden attack by Deathbird that implies that I should know more about their relationship than I do.  In the end, it just wound up an odd jumble of moments that didn't really come together as well as they did last issue.  I'm not quite sure what else to say.  I'm hoping that we focus on Deathbird next issue, since she certainly merits it.

Captain Marvel #9 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue is just simply excellent.  I could go into all the ways that it's excellent, but somehow doing so would cheapen the excellence.  Overall, I will just say that the excellence comes from the fact that DeConnick really gets the concept of a "day in the life" story, using it not only to show Carol's connections to her supporting cast (and deepen the connections that she has with them and that they also have with each other) but also to show how disruptive the challenges of being Captain Marvel are to the goal of being Carol Danvers.  Even if you've never read "Captain Marvel," you end this issue with an excellent idea of who she is and who she aspires to be.  Excellent.  Just excellent.  (DId I mention that it was excellent?)

Captain Marvel #8 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

DeConnick manages to wrap up this story in a way that somehow combines the weakened levees, the missing boats, and the Captain Marvels.  I'll admit that it felt a little forced, but the explanation that robots formerly belonging to Hogarth Hamontree were slowly recharging and rebuilding themselves with materials available to them while they lay dormant in the Gulf of Mexico is a more sensible explanation than I figured that we'd get, given how these stories often go.  DeConnick doesn't make it feel like a MacGuffin, a nonsensical plot point used merely to set up the conflict.  It felt like something that could happen, even if it seems pretty unlikely.

But, the main draw is her interactions with Monica, who I hope we see again soon.  The action is fast paced, with Carol and Monica's powers complementing one another nicely to create some great sequences.  I enjoyed their good-natured teasing and I could see it getting all the better if Monica really has seen inside Carol's brain (or, even, if she just pretends to have seen inside it).  Moreover, Frank seems like a nicely evolved straight guy, so I'd be happy to see him hang around a little longer.  All in all, this series continues to move along swimmingly.

Captain Marvel #7 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

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.

Captain Marvel #6 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue is beautiful.  I can't say that I understand everything about it, since, you know, time travel.  But, it's beautiful all the same.

All right, I'll take a stab at piecing together the plot.  When the Psyche-Magnitron exploded, back in the day, pieces flew into the time stream.  Since the plane that Carol was flying was a time machine (more on that part in a minute), it seems like she was attracted to those pieces, first on the island off Peru, then to Helen Cobb.  (I think that it's theoretically possible that it's all just the same piece, since I think it might be the piece on the island that Helen discovers.)  In the last jump, Carol (and Helen) are brought to the Psyche-Magnitron itself, moments before its destruction.  Carol is then faced with the possibility of pushing herself from the blast, allowing her to live a normal life.

In fact, it appears that this "opportunity" is exactly why Carol is sent on this journey in the first place.  Using her knowledge from this encounter with Carol, Helen sets up Carol in the future to take this journey.  Unfortunately, I'm still not entirely clear on how she did that.  I assumed that she attached the Psyche-Magnitron piece to the plane to do so, but I don't think DeConnick ever states that clearly.  It seems possible that Helen Cobb found another way to turn her plane into a time machine and set it so that it would be find pieces of the Psyche-Magnitron.  But, again, we don't really address that.  All we know is that, at some point an din some way, Helen's plane becomes a time machine attuned to pieces of the Psyche-Magnitron.  I've learned not to question this stuff too much.  After all, I'm still not sure why a piece of the Psyche-Magitron finding its way to an island off Peru meant that the Japanese wound up using the prowlers that we saw in issues #2-#4.  I'm just going to try to go with it.

The reason that I'm trying not to focus too much on the details is in part because DeConnick does an OK job at least sketching out some sequence of events that makes sense.  If she had been clearer, I would've been all the more impressed with this arc.  But, at the very least, you can piece together some sort of sequence of events on your own.  Most importantly, I'm forgiving this lack of detail because DeConnick accomplished what she intended to accomplish here.  Carol gets to race her hero to claim the mantle that she has never felt sure that she truly wanted.  By the end of this opening six-issue arc, Carol Danvers IS Captain Marvel.  It doesn't matter if someone had that name before her or if she had moments as Ms. Marvel where she doubted what she was doing.  By the last page, she is who she is, and DeConnick got her there.  "And we will be the stars we were always meant to be."  Damn straight.

Captain Marvel #5 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Seriously, I really almost don't care about the time-travel story.  I just thoroughly enjoy DeConnick showing us girls behaving awesomely.

First, I think that it's important to note that DeConnick isn't playing all "difficult" women the same.  Jerri, from the Banshee Squad, is not the same as Helen.  Jerri is tough, but she follows rules.  Helen is tough, but she isn't really into following rules all that much.  Moreover, Carol interacted with them differently.  With Jerri, she acted almost like a more experienced older sister, whereas with Helen she acts almost like the long-suffering best friend.  DeConnick really invokes the best parts of Peter David, the king of taking the time to make sure that every character responds to every other character in a different way, in a way that matches his or her own personality.  I can't think of higher praise than that.

I'm still not entirely sure where we are in the time-travel story.  We seem to have learned that the piece of Kree technology that Helen has is connected to the machine that gave Carol her powers. But, to be honest, that muddies the water a bit, since it means that it's not connected, at least directly, to the prowlers that we saw on the island off the coast of Peru.  Was the machine located on that island then and later got moved before Carol encountered it in the "present?'  That would make sense, since it would show why Carol is bouncing from place to place where the machine had at some point been present.  If not, then DeConnick has to explain the connection.  Also, I'm not entirely sure why Carol's plane keeps appearing.  Is it just one long flight?  Or is it some sort of time loop?

Again, the time-travel story is somewhat secondary to the great dynamic that DeConnick establishes for Carol and Helen here, but I would like to see it definitively addressed at some point.

Captain Marvel #4 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Although DeConnick has done an amazing job of it so far, time-travel stories make my head hurt even under the best of circumstances. This issue made me begin to feel that familiar dull throbbing behind my temples.

I'm not sure if DeConnick had mentioned it previously, but I first noticed here that the island where Cap and the women were fighting is off the coast of Peru, where Helen Cobb found what I'm pretty sure was Kree technology a few decades ago.  It now makes more sense, since she pretty clearly found it sometime after the Second World War, so the technology she found was likely part of the "prowlers" that Carol and the women destroyed in this issue.  We still don't know how the prowlers got there in the first place, but DeConnick seems to building to that reveal.  In the meantime, it seems that the disturbance that brought Carol to that island doesn't just affect time but also place, given that it also dragged the Banshee Squad girls to it, despite the fact that they had been flying to Hawaii.  It seems that they might be stuck in some sort of time loop, since Carol approaches a plane with her in it, clearly before she "crashed" on the island.  I'm not entirely sure how Carol flying at the plane then sent her into the "future," putting her in Cobb's bedroom in 1961.  My guess is that it's all connected to the pieces of Kree technology that Cobb has on her person (and, presumably, she had on the plane that Carol later flew).  I do trust DeConnick to provide answers to these questions at some point, but I have to say that I'm hoping it's sooner, rather than later, since my head is starting to really throb.

The good news is that DeConnick continues to spend time on the characters, giving us some pretty great banter between Cap and Jerri.  All in all, it's still a great issue, even with the headache-inducing time-travel story.

Captain Marvel #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Ooo, color me intrigued!

DeConnick really does know how to keep you guessing.  We learn in this issue that the spaceship that we saw last issue doesn't mean that Carol is in some sort of alternate dimension where spaceships were used in the Second World War, but that the Japanese somehow had access to Kree technology during the Second World War.  Of course, DeConnick needs to explain how they got said access, but she's clearly getting there.  She also starts to tell the story of how Carol wound up getting transported to the past in the first place, revealing in an "interlude" that Helen Cobb apparently stumbled upon some Kree technology during her ill-fated flight to Peru depicted last issue.  It seems likely that Cobb eventually attached this technology to her plane (possibly explaining her speed records) and just as likely that it is somehow connected to the technology that the Japanese were using in the Second World War.  DeConnick hasn't connected those dots yet, but, again, she's getting there.  She's also still exploring the impact of Carol's appearance in the past.  Since Carol is actually in our, and not an alternate, past, her actions are going to have an impact on our future, as we learn through the publication of the "Captain Marvelous" comic strip at the back of this issue.  Although it took me a moment to appreciate what DeConnick was doinghere, I thought that device was remarkably clever.

But, DeConnick doesn't just focus on the plot.  She starts delving into Carol's back story in this issue and I thought she brilliantly used Carol telling the Banshee Squad soldiers about her past as a way to do so.  It's a quiet moment and DeConnick uses it to show how young the women are and how overwhelming the war is.  Moreover, as I mentioned in the above paragraph, we seem to be on the verge of discovering that Cobb may have broken all those speed records using Kree technology.  That revelation is clearly going to have an impact on Carol, given her hero worship of Cobb.  I'm really interested to see where DeConnick goes with it.

Basically, it's another great issue and you should be reading this series.

Captain Marvel #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

DeConnick delivers another fun issue full of wit and action that also reminds us how groundbreaking this series is.

The whole premise of this issue goes to the "fly higher and faster" ethos that I mentioned in my last review, since Carol literally tries to fly higher than her idol, Helen Cobb.  I thought that DeConnick went to a really interesting place having Carol not just try to match Cobb's record, but beat it, since, again, it reminds us that Carol and DeConnick are trying to break barriers here.

But, the plot thickens when Carol suddenly finds herself in Japan during the Second World War.  I loved the all-female squad of commandos.  I mean, sure, at some point, DeConnick is going to have to stop going to this well, but, right now, it's a well whose depths still have to be plumbed.  But, the time-travel aspect of the story is handled quite well.  I loved Carol echoing Spider-Woman's comment that they really need an Avengers handbook as she struggles to remember what the Avengers time-travel protocols are.  ("Don't step on butterflies...?  Something about butterflies.")  I equally loved her then deciding to break said protocols when she attacks the "prowler" that shot Rivka, one of the members of the squad.  But, given the fact that I'm pretty sure that the Japanese didn't have flying spaceships during the Second World War, I'm guessing Carol might be in a different timeline than ours, making her concern about the time-travel protocols overcome by events.  We shall see.

With this issue, DeConnick just really throws us into Carol's world, providing some strong character work ("I don't have patience for this existential crap.") and making me excited to see where or when she actually is.  I can't really ask for more than that in a comic.

Captain Marvel #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I bought this series after loving what DeConnick did with Carol in "Avenging Spider-Man" #9-#10.  I'm happy to say that I'm not disappointed here.

FIrst, a caveat:  I had never been a huge fan of Captain Marvel until Bendis so brillaintly used her as the reader's surrogate during "Avengers Disassembled."  Previously, I found that she lacked any clearly defined personality.  At her worst, she was a constant victim, falling prey to the devious plans of a number of male villains.  At her best, she was excessively aggressive, often advocating positions that contradicted positions that she had previously taken.  Most of the time, at least in the way that she was presented in the various "Avengers" stories, she was indecisive, constantly questioning herself and her contribution to the team.  Bendis, however, started the process of moving her past these characterizations, showing her as the heart and soul of the Avengers in that arc.  She's the one who expresses outrage and pain over Wanda's actions and it's her emotions that keep us engaged in a story that could've quickly devolved into endless action-based splash pages.  Unfortunately, Bendis didn't really do all that much after "Avengers Disassembled" and she's mostly just been there.  Thankfully, with Kelly Sue DeConnick, Marvel has finally found the author who can just jettison the bad from those past incarnations, use the good, and add her own spin, creating a character who can go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man in terms of a compelling past and a committed heart.

Looking at the issue itself, DeConnick does a lot of interesting stuff here, with both form and substance.  First, we immediately find Carol and Captain America in a fight with the Absorbing Man, who's decided to steal a moon rock from the Museum of Natural History in the hope of getting "moon powers."  But, in addition to injecting the story with some action from the start, DeConnick uses both men involved in this fight to address some of the key themes of this new series.  First, she uses Creel's casual sexism, and Carol's witty responses to it, to remind us that this series establishes Carol as Marvel's marquee female character.  If I'm not mistaken, "Captain Marvel" is the only comic that Marvel publishes with a solo female lead and DeConnick shows us the burden that Carol shoulders (and the comments that she endures) as a result of being a standard bearer.  But, she also uses Steve, and later Spidey, to show the support that her teammates have for her taking on this role.  Cap playfully accepts Carol's orders after she notes that she left the Air Force as a colonel, meaning that she outranks him, and he's the one who persuades her to take the Captain Marvel name in the first place, saying that she's earned the mantle.  I really liked the way that DeConnick handled Cap here, reminding us that he's "old-fashioned" but not having that translate as "sexist."  He's pushing her to take the name as an admirer.  In fact, DeConnick does a great job of showing the affection that everyone in Carol's life, superhero and not, has for her.  This series is not going to be about a loner engaging in a mission, like the Punisher.  It's going to be about a regular woman who can do extraordinary things and how she integrates those two seemingly opposite sides of herself.

But, DeConnick doesn't just use men to address Carol's gender and the role that it's going to play in this series.  She also explores Carol's relationships with other women.  In showing us her relationship with her friend suffering from cancer, we begin to see a side of Carol that you don't see in "Avengers," showing us the people who she knows in "real life."  But, more importantly, we also meet, through a flashback, her role model, Helen Cobb, a pilot  who held fifteen speed records and participated in the Mercury 13 program.  It's really this relationship that shows us Carol's inspiration to step from the pack of Avengers and establish herself as a hero in her own right.  In fact, by using both Cap and Helen, DeConnick reminds us of two of the more important aspects of Carol's story:  her military experience and her pilot experience.  As Wacker says in his note on the letters page, DeConnick gives you a sense that Carol has a "consuming need to fly higher and faster than those who came before."  I think Wacker is absolutely right.  With the support of Captain America and the inspiration of Helen Cobb, Carol decides that it's time to take up the mantle and become Captain Marvel, to fly higher and faster.  DeConnick had to address the name change at some point, and I can't think of a way she could've done it better than the way that she does it here.

Perhaps most importantly, though, this issue is FUN.  The fight with Creed is really stellar, full of quips and tensions and dynamism; it's not all gender issues and sociological insight and power structures.  That energy is due in no small part to Dexter Soy.  I have to say that I'm thrilled that Marvel gave Carol such a talented artist, proof that they really mean it this time with her.  It is a gorgeous book, full of gorgeous people who don't all look the same.  Soy's style evokes Leinil Francis Yu's work on "Avenging Spider-Man" #5, since both artists remember things like Cap and Spidey having different body types (something that I'm often surprised how many artists forget).  But, maybe even most importantly, her costume is AWESOME.  The retracting mask?  Awesome.  The fact that she's not half-naked?  Even better.

All in all, it's a great start and I can't wait to see where DeConnick goes with Carol as she continues to get a feel for the character.  This one is definitely staying in my pull list for a while.