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CAPTAIN MARVEL #29
"Time Flies Part 3: Future Shares"
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Chris Cross
Inks: Anibal Rodriguez
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.50 US/$4.00 CAN |
Cosmic adventure and light humor sounds like a bit of an odd mix, but Peter David seems to make it work monthly in Captain Marvel. The "Time
Flies" arc, while a little heavy on Spider-Man 2099 continuity for my taste, has
been an entertaining change of pace for the book, and it continues to develop
the three main characters of Marlo and Rick Jones and Captain Marvel. And
although the guest art last issue was terrific, I am glad to see Chris Cross
again, delivering a fantastic view of all the book's settings, from the future
of 2099 to Marlo's comic-book store to the hellish future world in the last few
pages. The jokes in this issue are sometimes more painful than funny, and I do
worry that one of the subplots may be bordering on repetitive, but in general,
this is a solid and unusual super-hero book.
What really drew me to this
book, and what keeps me coming back, is the human side of the stories. I love
the relationships between Rick, Marlo, Captain Marvel and Lorraine. Despite the
high weirdness of their situations (two of them have been dead, one is dead, one
is the cloned son of a cosmic hero who died of cancer), they come across as
believable people, and their interactions are honest and funny. I particularly
enjoy Marlo balancing the "real world" of comics retailing against the unreal
world of her husband's super-heroic status, and Rick's constant barrage of jokes
in Marvel's head.
The "Time Flies" story has
been a chance to take Captain Marvel and Rick Jones into a new setting, or at
least, a new setting for them. While I will admit to a certain fondness for the
world of 2099, it does seem like we're getting far too much explanation of the
setting, such as the Siege Gear and Alchemax, when really their purpose is quite
clear from the generic details. However, while this focus on the details of 2099
seemed a little much for me in the last issue as well, I have to hand it to
Peter David. I spent most of last issue wondering why Thanatos was so
interesting that he got major player status in a Captain Marvel story, and this
issue ties him nicely into the ongoing story of the lead characters.
Chris Cross is another thing
that initially drew me to the book, and his work continues to impress. David's
humor-based style requires a command of facial expressions, and Cross definitely
has the right stuff in that department. He's also at home with the strange
designs that come with a cosmic book, whether it's the made over look of
Starfox, the high-tech skyscrapers of 2099 or the trophy room of the Maestro.
Peter David's sense of humor is of the "take it or leave it" variety, and this issue had more than a few dialogue gags that fell flat on their face. However, while the humor is sometimes intrusive, it is just as often hilariously funny, and I'm inclined to take the good with the bad. The same is true of David's writing style, which often plays off of long-running subplots and characters. While this gives a richer experience, it often pays a price in accessibility or originality, and the idea of Rick Jones's stalker mother is both unclear for those who aren't familiar with her from The Hulk and becoming a little
stale as a story point.
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