Captain Marvel #5
Writer – Kelly Sue DeConnick
Art – David Lopez
Color Art – Lee Loughridge
Letterer – VC’s Joe Caramagna
Review by Joey Braccino
HIGHER, FURTHER, FASTER, MORE. – Part Five!!!
Mysteries revealed!!! Compromises shattered!!! Kingdoms betrayed!!! And Captain Marvel can’t punch anything!!!
Last issue brought finally brought us as readers back to the future as it were as we relived the chase sequence between Carol Danvers’ ragtag crew of super-refugee-alien-heroes and a troupe of space pirates that kicked off the very first issue of this brand-new volume of Captain Marvel. Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez keep the action going as Carol quickly learns just what the pirates were smuggling—vibranium—and for whom they were smuggling it—the Spartax!!! The concurrent mysteries of the Torfa refugees’ sickness and Spartax King J’Son’s peculiar interest in Torfa suddenly collide in Captain Marvel #5, and the epic space opera that is the “Higher, Further, Faster, More” story arc gears up for its climax as players and traitors and heroes are revealed.
It’s all super epic; Kelly Sue DeConnick has successfully shifted the tone and tenor of the Captain Marvel franchise (can we call it that yet? A “franchise?”) from the down-in-the-streets, establishing-a-name interpersonal drama of the first volume to the intergalactic, operatic, superheroic action-fantasy of this current run. She still maintains the same humor and personality despite the shift in scope, which truly speaks to her grasp of the Carol Danvers character and voice. Whether we’re on Torfa or in Times Square, we’re always dealing with Carol.
David Lopez’ artwork has shifted wonderfully over these past five issues. What started as the more typical, Marvel house style of dynamic naturalism has shifted to a more eccentric, cinematic aesthetic. This may be in part due to the more diverse array of characters that Lopez has to play with, but regardless there is a certain charm to Lopez’ figurework and facial expressions that make this an enriching, enjoyable visual experience. Lee Loughridge manages to center his color palette around a sort of burnt orange tone, which actually accentuates the vibrancy of his other colors when he does choose to incorporate rich purples or blues.
Verdict
Buy it. Kelly Sue DeConnick’s take on Carol Danvers in this current volume of Captain Marvel has truly lived up to the “Earth’s Mightiest Hero” moniker, and this chapter in the “Higher, Further, Faster, More” storyline raises the stakes nicely for the coming climax! Check it!
