Captain Marvel #1 Review

Captain Marvel #1

writer- Kelly Sue DeConnick

artist- Dexter Soy

Who doesn't love Carol Danvers? She's been in the Marvel Universe since Marvel Super-Heroes #13 in 1968 and she's rubbed elbows with everyone from Mystique to the original Captain Marvel. She was created by mega veteran Roy Thomas and designed by legend Gene Colan, and since her first appearance as a United States Air Force officer, she's undergone several costume changes, some ability changes, and even a few name changes. This time, she's going by Captain Marvel.

The story is a great first issue. For readers who aren’t familiar with Carol Danvers, they'll find that this issue is the perfect introduction. It's a bit of an origin story and it's a new beginning for the character. It also features a couple of guest appearances by Spider-Man and Captain America. Writer, DeConnick, starts this title off just right. Carol finds herself under some pressure. She's sporting a new costume, and a new hairstyle, and there's a little bird in her ear telling her that it's time to graduate from Ms. Marvel and take the title Captain Marvel. Of course she's reluctant to do that because the man who had that name originally was a good man, a good warrior, and he died fighting for what he believed in. And she feels it would be a dishonor to take that from him. She obviously takes the name, as we can see from the title of the book, but the journey getting there is an interesting reflection of Carol’s character and how she feels she's standing up to the standards of her heroes.

I really enjoy DeConnick's writing. She writes from her and her heart and she does it as the character of Captain Marvel. I spoke with another writer earlier about how we all put a part of ourselves into our characters and it feels like she does that in this book. Even more so, it feels like she puts all of herself into Carol Danvers and that gives the character life. As Kelly Sue DeConnick pulls us into Carol’s past a little and gives us a look at her heart, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic. I'm reminded of Ms. Marvel's first battle with Rogue, her transformation into the energy being Binary, and the death of her namesake- the original Captain Marvel. DeConnick has me loving the first issue so much, I'm already shopping for other things she's written.

Having artist, Dexter Soy on Captain Marvel is a very pleasant surprise. His artistic style has a painted look that you almost never see in a regular comic series. It's solid and colorful and he doesn't cut corners when he's laying out an image. The whole panel is filled with his art. There's almost nothing else to say about it other than it's really cool. His painted style loses any fine detail that depicts those subtle facial expression in the characters, but it's not really that important here. The art is beautiful and the story telling conveys what emotion doesn’t come across in the art. By the way, I'm not saying Dexter Soy can't express emotion. When Captain America and Absorbing Man get mad at each other, you know it.

Pick up Captain Marvel #1. It's a fascinating look at a character with a lot of history.