Yeah, I’m doing a lot of single issue reviews, rather than the big block of a bunch because I know that when I see things like ‘Captain Marvel #1′, I need some moral support to know if it’s going to be worth my hard earned $2.99 ($3.22 with tax in CA, retailers: the price is on the back). On one hand, it’s Captain Marvel, a man lost in time and this particular man hearkens back from a time a lot of comic fans got into the Marvel Universe. For the most part, they seem to be playing him as a man out of his element much the way Captain America was from the Greatest Generation and I can dig a look at how times have changed and how we can account for that.
On the other hand… this was the lamest part of Civil War and I’m counting Captain America’s sudden surrender in #7 and Frontline’s infamous MySpace Debate with that. In what seemed to me, at least, to be a clear grab for extra cash, they threw in a long dead (and “well dead” in my humble opinion as Captain Marvel’s succumbing to cancer is still talked about with some reverence around the store) character back from nowhere to serve in a manner that contradicted itself (wasn’t the evil guy in Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways the warden of 42 or whatever?) and was forgotten about amidst the rest of the Civil War battle. Yeah, I’m bitter, I’m still smarting from that Thor issue, do forgive the irritability.
Anyhow, here we are with Captain Marvel #1 which starts off with a reminder that he was totally in the background of those big shots in Civil War, we just never saw him because he was just off panel looking awesome. And I’ll give the book that; the artwork is really well suited to the words and I rather like the lone shot of what I assume is Captain Marvel’s grave out on a moon. Even in civilian mode, Mar-Vel carries himself well, like an alien officer would and should amongst the rest of us.
As for his story, well…. turns out he’s just as lost as the reader is. Fighting crime when it comes to him, dispatching dastardly crooks as much as he feels like it, and spending his days looking at a painting for some sign of what comes next. Alexander in Babyon by Charles Le Brun to be exact, a painting he thinks has some answer to his recent time-jump and thus, this mini-series. Kind of a neat plot point and an almost romantic look at an editorial decision.
Otherwise, there’s a Church of Hala that’s popped up because a woman calling herself Mother Starr saw Captain Marvel during Civil War and so people are preaching on street corners of his glorious return. Also, there’s a SHIELD agent named Agent Sante who’s sent by Iron Man through some psionic conferencing to find Captain Marvel, who obviously went AWOL after Civil War. Since she was just sent to find him, she finds him and considers her job done. Also, there is a French Whirlwind named André Gerrard, but he wants you to call him Cyclone.
It’s not a bad first issue, but no socks are being knocked off. It’s certainly worth a gander at #2. The story is written rather well, putting Mar-Vell next to you and me in the puzzle of what to do next. The artwork fits the narrative and gives a bit of class to the whole affair, almost an old school look for an old school hero. All you need to know? Captain Marvel is just as confused as the rest of us, but there’s a clue in classic art, take that as you will.
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