·April 22, 2016

REVIEW: Captain Marvel #4 – Plan C?

CAPTAIN MARVEL #4

Written by: Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters

Art by:Kris Anka & Felipe Smith

Colors by: Matthew Smith

Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Release Date: April 21st

Price: $3.99

Plot:

Another alien spaceship is headed straight for the Alpha Flight Space Station, this time with a crew. And Captain Marvel still doesn’t have her powers. Where did these aliens come from? And why are they hunting the Kree?

Story:

Captain Marvel #4 is all about the fight or flight. Carol is forced to make several tough decisions about whether she should engage with the Satori ships or protect her team. From the little we learn from the Satori pilot their race seem to be in some kind of feud with the Kree; the Kree previously destroyed their home planet and now for some reason they are after half-Kree Captain Marvel. But why did they shoot down their own ship? And if all of the Kree are gone what do they hope to gain from their mission? There are still several unanswered questions the issue leaves us with and the ending felt like it came much too soon. I wish it had been a little bit longer.

However, I do like how this issue furthers the relationship between Captain Marvel and Lt. Commander Brand. While they started out slightly hostile, both women seem to have come to a grudging respect for the other. It’s nice to see two very different badass ladies in charge and supporting each other.

Art:

This. Page.

I got such an incredible rush of girl power just from seeing this image. I want to show it to every girl-and guy-that I know as a source of inspiration. Carol’s confidence is palpable. And the art is beautiful. You can see every star twinkling in the night sky. The lettering is used perfectly here as an internal monologue that narrates her pride in her abilities and in her team. It is such a powerful image and the favorite from all of the issues so far.

That page makes up for the slightly confusing opening where I wasn’t sure who was speaking because the dialogue wasn’t connected to a specific character. I wasn’t a fan of the issue starting off this way because it left me struggling to get my bearings right in the very beginning.

The Verdict:

Overall Captain Marvel has been so strong. This issue is my least favorite only because the other three were near perfect, while this one left me confused and with some questions. I am looking forward to next month’s issue clearing up some things, and hopefully having some answers!