Captain Marvel Vol. 10 #12-16

Because COVID-19 has caused a major disruption in new comic books, for the next few weeks Scoop will reexamine issues, runs, trades, and titles that are already available. We’ll take a look at perennial classics, current titles we are enjoying, significant runs, and our overall favorite books to suggest some new reading material or inspire fellow comic fans to dust off the old favorites. And if you live near a comic shop that’s still open during this time, we hope our suggestions will prompt you to check out their back issue and collected edition inventory.

Captain Marvel Vol. 10 #12-16
Marvel; $3.99 each

The current Captain Marvel run started off fairly well with an empowering arc and one that put Carol under media scrutiny. But, “The Last Avenger,” the story told in #12-16, picked things up significantly. It opens with a female figure wearing a suit that’s similar to Carol’s but with a mask. She engages in a bloody fight with Thor before revealing that it is, indeed, Captain Marvel. The reader soon learns that Carol has been tasked by Vox Supreme to kill her fellow Avengers. With each new issue Carol does battle with one of her teammates and as they all appear shocked by the confrontation, we learn the reason behind her actions – which is a pretty good one.

“The Last Avenger” arc written by Kelly Thompson, with art by Lee Garbett, and colors by Tamra Bonvillain is very good for two reasons: it’s always fun to see the heroes duke it out and Carol’s ultimate plan is quite slick. The creative team does a great job of balancing the exciting fight scenes – Captain Marvel takes on Thor, Iron Man, She-Hulk, Black Panther – with an energetic story. Not only is it exciting to see Carol doing battle with the toughest heroes, their reactions are well executed from Iron Man being quippy to Captain America trusting that there’s a bigger picture. It covers an emotional spectrum of intensity, betrayal and trust, exhaustion, even moments of levity.

Adding to the enjoyment of this arc are the covers rendered by Mark Brooks. Each one looks like a blockbuster movie poster, promising one heck of an issue. My favorite has to #16 which shows Captain Marvel in the foreground holding Cap’s shield in one hand with Iron Man’s arm glove and Thor’s hammer in the other as her teammates are shadowed in the background.

I’m always a fan of Captain Marvel comics, but this storyline is now among my favorites.

–Amanda Sheriff