Sometimes, comic book tropes can be exhausting. Characters die and then they’re back in a month or two. Aliens are invading New York…again. An evil scientist is building yet another death ray. If not executed properly, it can all wear thin very fast. On the other hand, if it is executed properly? Well, the old standbys are standbys for a reason. Sometimes it’s just fun to watch superheroes beat the crap out of each other. In “Captain Marvel” #14, reigning champ Carol Danvers is taking on all comers. Let’s get ready to RUMBLE!!
Written by Kelly Thompson
Illustrated by Lee Garbett
Lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Colored by Tamra Bonvillain
“THE LAST AVENGER” PART 3: DESPERATE MEASURES. Two down. But time is running out, and there are Avengers left to kill. Can Captain Marvel finish off her former friends before the clock runs down — and all is lost?
This arc kicked off with Captain Marvel taking Thor’s head. In the previous issue, Carol left Tony to die in icy cold outer space…just kidding! To the surprise of absolutely no one, Carol’s heel turn was all for show. She’s still a good guy and is simply hiding Thor and Tony in a pocket dimension. It’s all part of her plan, as she explains to her fellow Avengers. Yep, all part of the terrible plan…
When compared to the last two explosive issues, “Captain Marvel” #14 definitely slows down the pace a bit. Still, the pages with Thor, Iron Man and Captain Marvel just talking in a circle manage to be plenty engaging. Kelly Thompson has a firm grasp of these characters and it definitely shows in the dialogue. Thor is all bombast, as emotional as you would expect a god of thunder to be. Tony tries to assert control and is analytical, pointing out any holes in Carol’s plan. In his defense, it really isn’t a good plan.
Captain Marvel, for my money, is the most engaging when she’s shown to be flawed. Carol is a weird mix of powerful superhero and a mess of a person. She can absolutely take on all the Avengers in combat. She can even hide them in a pocket dimension (great to see that Carol keeps in touch with Singularity)…but that’s as far as the plan goes. What’s the next step? Your guess is as good as hers. She’s using clone bodies for corpses and she doesn’t even have all the right clones! It probably wasn’t meant to be a joke, but I let out a genuine chuckle at Carol bringing the Hawkeye clone just in case. Still, the titular character manages to stay plenty cool under a truly astronomical amount of pressure.
This issue’s antagonists, Vox Supreme and Black Panther, are just so-so here. Black Panther puts up a pretty decent fight, I think. I’m not sure to be totally honest. The guy can control zombies and has a battle strategy for Galactus of all people, you would think he could handle Carol with some decent prep time. On the other hand, I don’t really expect him to go more rounds than Thor did. T’Challa can be a hard character to pin down. He’s like Batman, you know? Sometimes Bruce is taking on White Martians that gave Superman trouble, sometimes he’s getting his butt handed to him by a murderous party clown.
Though I prefer this to whatever the heck he was doing in “Death of the Inhumans”, Vox doesn’t leave that much of an impression. He’s all ‘Kill the Avengers or suffers the consequences!’ and that sort of thing. Standard villain fare. To his credit though, the guy’s not dumb. He knows that Captain Marvel’s trying to play him. Plus, the hints of his plan that we do see are interesting. Is he making Avengers clones into Kree assassins? Only time will tell.
Lee Garbett’s artwork is really good in “Captain Marvel” #14. The fight between Carol and T’Challa is engaging and kinetic, worthy of any action flick. The action only ramps up when She-Hulk tags in to get a piece of the action. Jennifer looks awesome on the last page, cocky and ready to smash, that awful costume aside. Carol’s costume on the other hand is pretty impressive. It’s menacing and powerful, especially when she’s wearing the full faceplate. It reminds me a bit of Darth Vader, in a good way. I know she has to go back to her standard costume but they can take their time if they want. Furthermore, when Garbett draws the Avengers, their personalities shine through. Thor’s a barrel-chested giant, practically roaring in outrage. Black Panther looks sleek and mysterious, deadly when he pounces. Tony looks kind of ridiculous in his bachelor bathrobe but it definitely fits the character. Carol is no-nonsense and radiates confidence, never letting on that she might be shaken. Let’s hope that confidence helps her take on She-Hulk next issue.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Mama Vox Supreme said knock you out!
