Advance Review: Captain Marvel #32 (Lgy #166)

The last issue of this book was a kind of a break of pace for Carol, though it did look to set up the next arc. This type of planning has been in place as standard operating procedure for Kelly Thompson. Another quirk in her writing can be starting arcs in mid battle. With that said, you know where we stand heading into this issue.

On a nice day out, just roaming the skies, Carol is attacked by her old Vox Supreme suit. Carol being Carol, reacts in the way you would expect before the true horror of her situation stands revealed.

This is the first issue of the Last of the Marvels storyline, which looks to pit Carol against her previous killer look suit, or does it? As we remember, the suit is actually a prison forcing its wearer to take on heroes. When you consider the format of arc, break then next arc, its can easy to think that Kelly Thompson is just going through the motions. With the re-inclusion of the Vox Supreme suit, Thompson shows that she was indeed planning for the long game as she weaves plots from sub plots and back again, all the while looking to demonstrate her knowledge of everything Carol. Star is mentioned as is Rogue but there is more history to be revealed down the line. The monologue is fun, demonstrating the usual Carol sass, which is curbed by the impacts of her action in the third act. It’s a great start for what could be an interesting switcheroo. I am not too thrilled by a certain new power if truth be told, but I will see (no pun intended) how it plays out.

Sergio Dávila joins the book fresh off his Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade book. Here his art is a mix of different things to be honest. It seems that Carol’s hair has the ability to shrink and grow at will! Does she have a fringe or a parting? Maybe this is another new power? Joking aside, I liked the art quite a bit, though there are too many inconsistencies to fully appreciate it. At times Carol looks quite dynamic, other times she looks frumpy and others looks like Gwen Stacy! The action scenes, of which there are plenty work well as does the setting of Carol’s interaction with Tony Stark. Sean Parsons ably assists Dávila via an ink job that looks to establish Carol in the forefront of every panel. Colors are supplied by Jesus Aburtov who uses a brighter scheme than seen in most Marvel books, which is a nice change of pace and reflects Carol’s mood at the start fo the book. VC’s Clayton Cowles provides a plethora of text boxes, though with usual style in play, they do not detrac from the art in any way. There are a range of covers to choose from; the Lee Garbett cover is the winner for me.

Captain Marvel has been one of more consistent books from Marvel; all credit for this has to go to Kelly Thompson who always seems to be on her A game with this character.

Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 4 stars

Overall – 4 Stars

Written by; Kelly Thompson
Art by; Sergio Dávila
Inks by; Sean Parsons
Colors by; Jesus Aburtov
Letters by; VC’s Clayton Cowles
Published by; Marvel Worldwide Inc.

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network