At this point, until there is some kind of radical change, I suspect that folks have pretty much made their mind up about whether or not they like Captain Marvel, and they're probably right. Though changes have been promised in the online firestorm, right now the book reads pretty much as it always has, a mixture of past continuity, goofy gags and cosmic action. It's a tough balancing act that David pulls off very well, and the art of the book has almost always been great, whether it's regular penciller Chris Cross or frequent fill-in Jim Calafiore, but it's not necessarily to everyone's tastes. For me, it's a lot of fun, although I have to admit that my interest in this book lies more on the Rick Jones side than the Captain Marvel side, meaning that the exploration of past villains and allies of Captain Marvel isn't as interesting as the relationships between Rick, Marlo and their friends.
I'm a little nervous about the changes promised for this book, actually, because much of what I like are the things that are probably keeping many away. I like that Rick Jones and Marlo are still going, still changing and developing after all these years being written by Peter David. I remember first encountering both characters, and I like seeing their lives continuing to unfold, surrounded by super-heroic weirdness but not necessarily focused on it. This side of the story allows David to focus on some unusual ideas, including a transdimensional vacation or a device to prevent psychic peeping toms.
David's sense of humor runs to the absurd, and the gags are often a lot of fun, even as some of them are groan-worthy. The opening scene felt a little out-of-place, a sort of gag without any place, but the situational comedy with Marlo and Heather was something I found hysterical. Also, while it wasn't so much humor as a nice payoff to a long-running story, I enjoyed seeing Lorraine and Heather have a chance to deal with the psychotic Mrs. Jones.
One of the complaints levelled against this book has been that it is too continuity-heavy, and David does introduce some past continuity back into the story this time, but it's done pretty clearly and easily even for the new readers. I have never read anything featuring Genis and his supporting cast from the early 90s, but I got a perfect sense of who those characters were when they were introduced in this issue. Likewise, my familiarity with the villain who shows up at the end of the issue is pretty low, limited mostly to name and basic background recognition, but any reader will be able to see that he's potentially very bad news.
Jim Calafiore and Mark McKenna turn in some great artwork on this issue, reminiscent of regular artist Chris Cross but also with elements of Charlie Adlard's style on The Establishment. The common thread there is very strong character work, notably when it comes to facial expressions, and that sort of control of normal facial and body expressions is helpful when the story is so character-driven and comedy-based. The cosmic elements, including Captain Marvel's visit to his home, are a little too dark and not as spectacular, but most of the Earth-bound moments are full of excellent artwork.
