With Carol Danvers firmly placed in the public eye following her two cinematic outings this year, it was only fitting that Captain Marvel returned to an ongoing series. This time, the top team of Eisner nominee Kelly Thompson (Hawkeye, Rogue & Gambit) and Carmen Carnero take the reins in Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Re-Entry. As Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers has spent months in space protecting Earth from alien threats big and small, but now it’s time for Earth’s mightiest hero to come home. New York City has never looked so good – until a powerful villain turns Manhattan’s Roosevelt Island into an apocalyptic wasteland. Cut off from the rest of the world, Carol needs a new crew – including Spider-Woman, Hazmat and Echo – to kick-start a revolution!
Thompson has already proven adept at writing for Carol in the Secret Wars miniseries Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps (alongside Captain Marvel stalwart Kelly Sue DeConnick) and A-Force (Marvel’s all female Avengers team). This carries over into her first solo run on the character with Carol continuing to be one of the most enduring female leads in superhero comics.
The opening volume to this series puts her through her paces in multiple ways, following the events of The Life of Captain Marvel, we get to see her struggle with once again being thrust into the public consciousness as she once again becomes a fulltime Avenger whilst still coping with the revelations she learned about her family. She is given no respite as she is immediately thrust into a situation where she must be a strong leader (as well as a mentor to former Avengers Academy trouble maker Hazmat). Thompson even brings back Rogue which forces Carol to trudge up a traumatic period of her life. The strength of this arc is definitely how Carol responds to all the terrible situations thrown at her and solidifies herself as one of Marvel’s leading heroes. This is helped by a great supporting cast including Spider-Woman and She-Hulk – who are not afraid to jab at Carol – and a suitably scummy villain in Nuclear Man who makes a great foil to everything Carol stands for.
Carmen Carnero handles art and does a terrific job at continuing the strong artistic pedigree that has been attached to the character since her relaunch as Captain Marvel. Her opening action sequences featuring a giant sea monster and the later appearance by the Avengers are dynamic and full of energy, whilst her Carol is particularly heroic. She also does a terrific job redesigning the look of the main heroes as they adapt to the apocalyptic situation they find themselves in – giving them a more edgy appearance whilst still retaining their main aesthetics.
This is another great entry in the Captain Marvel series and fans will be delighted to see that Carol is in safe hands.
Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Re-Entry is out now from Marvel
9781302916879 – P/B – £13.50
