CAPTAIN MARVEL #22
"Dude! Where's my Kree?"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: ChrisCross
Inks: Anibal Rodriguez
Colors: VLM
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.50 US/$3.75 CAN |
A point I often touch upon in my reviews is accessibility. One of the cardinal rule of comics is that every issue is someone's first. Of course, I've read past issues of Captain Marvel, and I'm more than a little familiar with Marvel Universe continuity, so I was able to play "catch up" with this book after a few months between issues. But if I were someone just signing on, I'd imagine I'd have been quite lost.
Rick Jones is bummed out. He's lost an arm and has been artificially aged by decades. Genis, the super-hero known as Captain Marvel with whom Rick is physically linked, decides to do what he can to get Rick out of his funk, and since encouragement doesn't work, he decides a visit to the Kree homeworld and the advice of the Supreme Intelligence are in order. Meanwhile, Lorraine, the ghost once linked to Rick's wife Marlo, is once again among the living, much to the disbelief and shock of those that once loved her.
ChrisCross's art is as strong as I remember it. He achieves an excellent balance between the humanity of these characters (ranging from their goofy moments to their most emotionally agonizing) and the cosmic nature of the circumstances and conflicts constituting the plot.
Rick Jones as a bearded, one-armed geezer? Um, it's a bit much. Rick Jones is our everyman anchor in this book. We are looking at the Marvel Universe through his eyes, but it isn't as effective when our Average Guy Host is transformed into an outrageous comic-book character along with the others. The sooner this plotline is resolved, the better.
What really clicked for me here were Lorraine's attempts to reclaim her life and reconnect with her family and friends. The notion of resurrection is one that's often treated as far too routine in super-hero comics, but David handles the idea quite intelligently. The gift of a second chance at life doesn't seem like so much of a boon here, and it makes for good reading.
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