CREDIT: Marvel
Rating: 4/5 – One of the Gems of the Secret Wars Event.
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
Before reading Bob’s review of the first issue of Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps, I wasn’t all that excited about this series spinning out of the line-wide Secret Wars event. I wasn’t following the main Captain Marvel series, but here was an opportunity with a limited series and a first issue to give writer Kelly Sue DeConnick’s popular take on the character a chance. I’m sure glad I did. This series turned out to be one of my favorites and even though this issue wasn’t as strong as the three issues that preceded it, it’s a strong conclusion (despite the last page) that’s heavy on the action.
Carol Danvers and her Banshees are being hunted down by the Thor Corps for their blasphemy against Doom. They’re attempting by ship, or with Carol Danvers herself, to see what’s within the void. The void is the space above the sky. From reading this and multiple other series within Secret Wars, you come to find that there are no stars in the sky. Carol and her team intend to prove that there’s something more out there. That fight for the truth was such a strong part of this entire series and although it’s here in issue number four, the pace kicks into high gear and almost every page contains at least one panel of action, pushing that intrigue and investigation into the background.
Writers DeConnick and Kelly Thompson’s script is light on the dialogue, but there are some really intense fighting sequences and, of course, some dazzling aerial dogfights all wonderfully drawn by Laura Braga. Braga’s art is clean and clear. It’s got to be a challenge to make jet fighters fighting against a squad of Thors look just right, but Braga does. She takes the camera out far to show as much as she can in the sky, then brings it in close to be right in the middle of a fist fight between Carol and a Thor. It’s a fantastic and complete artistic package that’s only weakness is in the conclusion, which isn’t because of Braga’s art, but more from the writing.
Readers looking for a satisfying end to this series may be frustrated and may need to find closure within the main Secret Wars title. This certainly isn’t the only Secret War tie-in mini-series that lacks closure in its final issue. Despite the conclusion to this series on the final page, it still delivers an exciting action-packed story and I think it is one of the best series taking place within Battleworld. Now I’m interested to see what I missed with Captain Marvel before Secret Wars.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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