Captain Marvel #1

I was very excited about this comic, but after reading it, I’m a little confused.

Kelly Sue DeConnick has been inconsistent for me so far. Sometimes I really enjoy her stories, other times they leave me cold. It’s fitting that this book gives me both reactions. I really enjoyed the easy banter between Captain Marvel and Captain America to open the book, and while Absorbing Man went down a bit easily, that sure establishes Carol Danvers’ bonafides pretty quickly. That’s the sort of action I was expecting and hoping for from the title.

Then the book switches into a confusing set of flashbacks featuring a pilot that Carol idolized in her past. There is also a sequence with a former co-worker (perhaps from an earlier series?).I appreciate the attempt to fill a supporting cast, but this is not good material for a first issue. Maybe it’s just me, but there’s nothing here that grabs me. Instead of speeding along wanting more, I found myself wondering if we’d get any more pages of action. (We do get a few pages in space with Cap M wearing a BAD helmet.)

Did I miss something? When did Ms. Marvel actually change into this new uniform? I thought I was caught up on the entire Avengers’ goings-on these days, but clearly I’m not. I have a soft spot for the old Ms. Marvel, so I still need to be won over on the switch. That said, I appreciate the “promotion” for Carol, who I do enjoy as a heroic character.

The penciler for this title is a new guy working through some issues. Dexter Soy’s art is pretty, but it doesn’t match the tone established by that cover at all. I expected a bright, super-heroic book similar to Daredevil or Spider-Man; instead I get a muddier version of Gabrielle Del’Otto. Soy has a lot of potential, but I’m not sure I dig his style for such a straight-forward super-hero book. The art is murky throughout, in both the action and drama set pieces. I think he’d be more suited to a book like Moon Knight or Guardians of the Galaxy. I could see him making hay on a book with a dark tone. (Or maybe it’s that my hopes and expectations are way different from what this title will offer!)

The next issue box has a phrase like “now that we’ve got the set-up out of the way, things heat up next issue!” So I’m giving this one more chance to grab me. But isn’t that the job of issue 1?

Average