Can't Stop, Won't Stop (Captain Marvel #9 Review)
CAPTAIN MARVEL #9
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Carmen Carnero
Color Artist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Mark Brooks
Publisher: Marvel
Rating: 8/10 Giant Space Krakens
Carol Danvers is having a week. Not only has she been dealing with her personal image as a hero and a member of the Air Force being sabotaged by someone, but her powers are also weakening. It’s safe to assume that being seemingly replaced by a new girl on the scene, Star, probably wouldn’t make things worse? At this point, Earth’s mightiest hero should be on her way to making it over this slump and that’s just what we're going to find out in the newest issue by Kelly Thompson.
From James Rhodes getting out of his Thirst Suit Mark 1, searching for clues in villainous locals, to hanging out in the Carol Cave, there is a lot packed into this issue. We follow both Carol and those that care about her wellbeing as they try to determine what's going on with her powers. As clues start to line up more and more, the only thing they can do is follow them to the one person that might know, Minerva. Last we saw this former frenemy of Captain Marvel was extending an offer for help to Carol. What answers is this Kree going to cough up though?
This series continues to rise Higher, Further and dare I say, Faster on my top favorite Marvel reads. This is thanks in large part to Kelly Thompson who furthers my growing love of this character. In a cinematic universe and current subscription where you are either the quipster or the serious person, Kelly finds a perfect balance for Carol that really stands out for me. She maintains that down to business mentality for Carol while slipping in almost casual moments of comments or responses that give her almost a perfect real-life personality. I found myself reacting so much to moments in the issue that really made it a good read.
Scenario: Carol finishing up a video call with a colleague, precedes to comment on her now fully dressed boyfriend...
Reaction: “Carol, I can’t believe you said that. So spicy.”
Scenario: Carol revealing a secret lair to her friend, who was blown away they didn’t know, only to met with casual throw away responses and jokes about letting mosquitos in.
Reaction: Rolling my eyes with a smirk. “Yeah... okay, Carol.”
Aside from the writing, the art also does a great job of lending to my appreciation for this series. While Carmen Carnero does an amazing job detailing everything from the expressions on the character’s faces, to the backgrounds, to even Rhodey’s abs, Tamra Bonvillain is there to bring it all together. Bonvillain’s colors shine to match up the moments of heroism, with some especially great shots of light shining just overhead of someone. They also switch it up pretty well bringing in the darker colors to really help drive the tones of mystery and to show how hard it can be to see when the plot thickens.
The series’ current arc might be a “Falling Star” currently, but to me, overall Captain Marvel has become a rising star. If you weren’t a fan of Captain Marvel before but are curious, like I was, then this is a great series to pick up. The creative team and Marvel are really wanting to put Carol Danvers through some tough stuff right away, but you get the feeling that it is with love and they are going to come out the other end with something marvelous.