Carol has hit the streets with a new outlook on life, just in time to become the target of a new super-villain. Your Major Spoilers review of Captain Marvel #1 from Marvel Comics, awaits!
CAPTAIN MARVEL #1
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Jan Bazaldur
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher
Editor: Sarah Brunstad
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: October 25th, 2023
Previously in Captain Marvel: Carol has finally come to terms with her friend’s death and has recommitted herself to being a hero, complete with a new costume.
A UNWILLING TEAM-UP
Captain Marvel #1 opens up with Carol in the middle of stopping a building from falling onto the people of Manhattan. After saving the day, the perpetrator of the attack appears, a being calling themselves The Omen. Captain Marvel realizes quickly that The Omen is able to absorb everything that she throws their way. The Omen then grabs Carol and vanishes. Elsewhere, a thief named Yuna is breaking into an apartment. She’s looking for a pair of artifacts when suddenly Genis-Vell, wearing the bands Yuna is looking for, and The Omen comes crashing in. The two fight for a bit before The Omen cuts off Genis-Vell’s hands and impales him. Yuna takes the opportunity to swipe the bands from the dismembered hands but not before drawing The Omen’s attention. Yuna is tossed out the window to fall to her death, but she clicks the bands together and Captain Marvel appears in her place. She and The Omen fight again and this time The Omen retreats, Carol is then pulled back into The Negative Zone and Yuna takes her place. The two are able to speak telepathically with each other and they discuss their new situation.
LIKING WHERE THIS IS GOING
Having a hero trapped somewhere with the only way to release them is by using some sort of artifact is not a new premise. But, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one, especially when paired with the right hero in the right context, and in Captain Marvel #1, it seems like they got the formula right. Over the years, as Carol has been given more of the spotlight in the Marvel Universe some of her more interesting character traits have been dulled to make her a more purely heroic character, which is fine, so to suddenly have her tied to a more morally ambiguous and snarky character is a great move. Speaking of which, Yuna gets a nice introduction here, and while she’s quick with the snark and sarcasm, so far it hasn’t reached insufferable levels. One of the things that is bothersome about this issue though, is that it has a decent plot, it’s just told out of order. On multiple occasions, something will happen without explanation, only for it to be explained after the fact. I’m happy that they do explain things and not just leave them hanging, but the way they do it leaves the moments unsatisfying and comes off as afterthoughts. But, all in all, this issue’s primary focus is to establish the new norm for Captain Marvel and even though it doesn’t take the most efficient path, it does get there.
ANOTHER GREAT REDESIGN
Marvel has been on a roll for the last couple of years when it comes to redesigning costumes. From Elektra to nearly all the X-Men in the Krakoa era, to now Captain Marvel. What makes this work is that it doesn’t take a big swing when it comes to the redesign. It keeps the same color scheme and most of the same elements, but the addition of the jacket and the pulled-back hairstyle are just enough of a change to make this feel fresh.
BOTTOM LINE: THIS LOOKS TO BE AN INTERESTING TIME FOR CAROL
Captain Marvel is a character that creators seem to have a difficult time doing interesting things with. So to see this new creative team take an ambitious approach to the fundamentals of the character is enjoyable. There are some plotting problems here, but for the most part, it succeeds in what it’s trying to do. Plus, Carol looks great. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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Captain Marvel #1
It’s always a risky proposition to take such a visible character and try and do something new with them. But if Captain Marvel #1 is any indication, it looks like the risk is going to pay off.
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At a young age, Jonathan was dragged to a small town in Wisconsin. A small town in Wisconsin that just so happened to have a comic book shop. Faced with a decision to either spend the humid summers and bitter winters traipsing through the pine trees or in climate controlled comfort with tales of adventure, horror, and romance, he chose the latter. Jonathan can often be found playing video games, board games, reading comics and wincing as his “to watch” list grows wildly out of control.