THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL #3
Writer: Margaret Stohl
Penciler: Ramon Rosanas
Colorist: Michael Garland and Marcio Menyz
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Release Date: March 29, 2017
Price: $3.99
Plot- Carol Danvers seeks out help from Tony Stark’s aid to investigate the problem with her powers.
Story- In The Mighty Captain Marvel #3, Carol Danvers has a problem. Her powers aren’t working correctly, and in the super hero world that’s always a big deal. When defeating villains and saving civilians you learn to trust these powers like an extended limb, but when they fail, well, depending on your power level the repercussions can be extreme. In this case, we are talking about Captain Marvel, easily one of the most powerful heroes in the world. That being said, when her powers start misfiring without her control, she finds immediate cause to investigate the issue.
The irony is that she goes for help to the one person she had the biggest, and most recent disagreement with in the Civil War II storyline- Tony Stark. If you kept up on that major Marvel crossover event, we know that Tony Stark (Iron Man), is indisposed, and Captain Marvel herself did the disposing, if you get my drift. So, she ends up flying to one of his many research facilities in search of one of his scientists that have experience in studies of alien virology.
And there’s even more irony! She comes face to face with Stark’s A.I. which is based off Stark’s brainwaves. I’m more or less indifferent about this for a few reasons. First of all, the A.I. based on a person’s personality thing is getting out of hand. It’s been done a billion times, and I feel it should be reserved for more unique situations, like when Riri Williams found out Stark’s A.I. was left to help mentor her on how to be a hero. That was cool, not to mention the twists that look like are showing up in her story. Seeing it again here is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is an easy, go-to to have Carol face her most recent demons firsthand. So I’m a little on the fence about it.
Her reaction is interesting though, and I do like that dynamic. She literally hugs the A.I. and stops just short of pouring out all of her feelings into him. See, she and Stark were friends. Even with all of their troublesome past, mainly dealing with both Civil Wars, they are very close. At the end of Civil War II, she regretted her actions even as she did them.
This is good for character development. Due to the way the plot went, myself and many other fans who revered Carol as one of their favorite characters got the short end of the stick with how harsh she stood for her side of the argument, even to the point of nearly killing her own allies. To say the least it was very frustrating, but now, in her new solo series, it seems that she’s getting a chance to redeem herself with a more focused look at the character and her internal struggles.
In any case, the issue did a good job of starting to explain the problem with her powers as it refers to something in the Kree child she rescued in issue #1, called the HLA. It was also fun to see her fight a giant ice monster, created by Stark’s A.I. We got a nice reminder of her power level there. The shape-shifting villain, MIM, still isn’t that interesting though. I feel like something about him is lacking, or he’s not being fleshed out quick enough. Then again, who knows, there could be a huge payoff.
Art- On the cover, the line art and the colors are beautiful, just like on the past few issues, but the actual theme of this drawing is lacking. Carol is flying and I guess, fighting MIM, but her eyes aren’t on him and her body language doesn’t seem to suggest that she’s paying attention to him, even as he has a gun pressed against her gullet. At the same time, their legs are positioned strangely. He’s kind of wrapped up in her but he’s not hanging onto her in a way that shows any real struggle. Again, this mainly looks off because she’s not paying any attention to him, as if he wasn’t even there. I don’t know, it’s not a huge deal but it’s noticeable.
On the pages, I have far less conceptual issues. I love the cosmic silhouette on page two and all throughout we get some pretty fun environmental work. I could do for a little more panel to panel detail for the characters themselves but there are some more focused shots that do better for detail. I would also like to point out how these comics have several female characters and none of the shots show them oversexualized with outrageous body proportions, and they still manage too look feminine. We could use more of that in comics.
While I’m not completely blown away by the art, it’s easy on the eyes, and the sequential story telling is very well done. I also like the action scenes. We get a good look at Carol’s powers.
Verdict- This issue was fun, and it progresses the story, but not too much happened. Also, MIMs at the end seemed almost like an afterthought. I do like seeing Carol face her demons, if even just a little bit, but the issue was too strong on its on overall. It’s by no means bad, but I’d like to see more in the coming issues.
Star Rating- 3.5 out of 5.