After watching the Captain Marvel film, I came out a little disappointed at how lackig the story felt so I did feel that this book would suffer similar problems. I can honestly say that I was wrong and what volume one delivers a solid (if not a little unoriginal) story that is not only interesting but has good characters with good development. Carol Danvers sets off into space on a mission of self discovery but winds up getting caught in a conflict between the Spartax Empire and a planet of sickly aliens. The story isn’t unique but what it sets out to do it does it well. There’s even an interesting twist with the villain’s motivations regarding the refugees. I will say that the ending was a bit of a letdown. More anticlimactic. The problem with characters like Danvers is that there are no high stakes for them. The ending would’ve benefited from having Danvers struggling to survive against the Spartax assault while the refugees below are doing their thing. Despite this, the story is actually a fun read. (4 out of 5)
One of the best aspects of the writing is how human the character of Danvers actually feels. She’s strong and stubborn but has doubts and makes mistakes. She has feelings and isn’t this robot pretending to be a strong woman. I like that she’s given depth. Hell, it even turns out she’s a Star Wars fan. She’s definitely more real, a believable person this to around. The problem with this character is that most of the time she’s this brooding figure that’s like an extreme feminist that’s a complete caricature of itself who’s always “I’m better than men”. That’s why Wonder Woman is more a preferred strong female charavter because her strength doesn’t compromise her feminity or personality.
The Guardians of the Galaxy show up and they’re okay. The only one who really stands out is pretty much Rocket and that’s mostly because of his animosity against Chewie, Danvers’ cat. But the more important characters are those of the sickly aliens. Tic is a comatose alien who manages to find her way to Earth in an effort to get help for her people. She’s likable and her motivations are understandable. Her people’s home planet was destroyed by the Builders and now they’re being threatened at their new home. Leading her people is Eleanides who I thought was well written. She’s got the weight of her people on her shoulders and her decisions aren’t taken lightly. Joining Carol is the minotaur-like Gil, an alien in a hasmat-like suit named Bee, and the medusa-like Jackie. The three of them are interesting, each contributing something to the mission and the story. My favorite is definitely Jackie.
The overall antagonist of the story is the Emperor of the Spartax Empire, J’Son. He’s Peter Quill’s father and a total dick. He’s got bad motives and he rules with an iron fist so he’s like the ultimate villain for these poor refugees. But what’s great is that his motivation is actually plausible. Yeah, he’s a dick but at least he has a reason why. The characters really aren’t that bad. In fact, they’re pretty good. (4 out of 5)
I really enjoyed seeing the artwork. I don’t know much about David Lopez but what I can say is that he’s got talent and it’s illustrated brilliantly across the pages. When it comes to capturing emotions, the characters are presented with care. The little details to events surrounding the characters is captured well. The paneling is is well paced and gives the comic smooth transitions. (4 out of 5)
The writing I found to be good. I was nervous about the whole feminism surrounding the character (and Marvel’s overall direction) but it’s approached in a neat enough way that it doesn’t hinder the story. This is something that I can commend Kelly Sue DeConnick for. This could’ve easily fallen into a total feminazi campaign. The writing was well paced, easy enough to follow while retaining depth, and plays on the poor people versus this cold tyrant (which we’ve seen a million times) but isn’t tedious with its delivery. There’s some really good humor written into the character interactions. The most prominent scene with Star-Lord, Danvers, Rocket, and Danvers’ cat Chewie. It’s a great scene with the best humor. (3 out of 5)
In the end, Captain Marvel Vol.1: Higher, Further, Faster, More is a really good first volume. I was really afraid that the writer would cock up the character and just toss feminism left and right like beads at a Mardi Gras parade. But DeConnick does a really good job of keeping the character rounded, introducing some interesting new characters as well as bringing back original ones, and giving us a good story to read that’s fun and has heart. Thumbs up to David Lopez for giving us great illustrations. Captain Marvel Vol.1: Higher, Further, Faster, More gets 4 out of 5.
