Captain Marvel #3: We're Here; We're Waiting

Captain Marvel #3
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artist: Dexter Soy
Marvel
August 29, 2012

I decided to keep following Captain Marvel, in spite of the problems I had with the first issue.  I've heard a lot of good things about DeConnick so I wanted to give her the benefit of doubt and keep reading.

It's paying off.  I've been increasingly impressed with the character development of Captain Marvel, including her stubbornness and her inability to back down from a fight (sound familiar, Christian?).

At first, when Captain Marvel spares an enemy pilot from a vicious beating, you're thinking, "Oh ok, so she's straight edge--a little like Captain America.  She won't kill the bad guys; she'll just give them a good beat-down."  But then she tells him to go back to camp and gather up the best army he can muster.  She says, "...when my gals and I hand you your asses...I want you to know beyond any shadow of a doubt...it could not possibly have gone any other way."  And that's when you know that Captain Marvel is completely bad-ass. 

The plot is taking its time to reveal where exactly it's going but it's certainly shaping up.  Characters and plot points that seemed unattached in the first issue are coming around again in the third.  Let's just say, I think there's going to be another pilot in the mix sometime soon.

The only thing, story-wise, that doesn't make sense to me is how there is a half-Japanese soldier in the US army during World War II.  Correct me if I'm wrong but were Japanese people allowed to join the army to fight against their own countrymen?  I guess that's not really the point in the comic book world but the blend of comic book world and real world in this series is a little confusing.

The art style is growing on me.  I have to say that I was thrown by it a couple times in the second issue because the background tends to look more realistic than the characters in the foreground.  The blend makes for a rather jarring splash page.  However, the sharp lines and dark colors lend Captain Marvel a determined, not-to-be-f***ed-with-air about her.  I also really appreciate that she, as well as the Banshee Squad, are drawn as athletes.  Sure, they have hips and boobs, but man, do they have rippling muscles as well!  The action shots really emphasize their movement and their physical presence and power, rather than their body parts.

The interlude is totally enticing--I can't wait for Captain Marvel to look up "Cobb, Helen" in the book.  All in all, "We'll be here.  We'll be waiting"...for the next issue!

Revival #1: Christian's Opinion on Image's Other Zombie Comic

Revival #1
Writer: Tim Seeley
Art: Mike Norton
Cover: Jenny Frison
July 11, 2012
Image

It's probably bad luck to release a comic involving zombies on the same day as The Walking Dead #100, but this first issue from a new series by writer Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash) and artist Mike Norton does a good job of distinguishing itself from other zombie comics on the stands.

Courtney mentioned that she really liked the female characters in this book, and I've got to agree there. Dana Cypress is a likeable, interesting protagonist, and avoids many of the cliche's used to portray female law officers in comics, or most media for that matter. More comics need strong female characters like this.

I didn't mind the use of small town aphorisms or the incorporation of modern slang as much as Courtney did, but I did think it was a bit weird that they played the "avoidance" card for so long since it is pretty clear within the first few pages that what we are dealing with here are zombies. Even if they're not the rotting, shuffling, Romero-inspired walking corpses that we've gotten used to in the past decade, they're zombies--call them whatever floats your boat.

Like Courtney, I'm also looking forward to the next issue of this. Seeley is setting up an interesting premise with this book. I'm hoping that the constant reference to the Book of Revelations in this series is just a red herring, but if the strong characters in this issue continue to develop throughout the first major story arc, I might consider reading along just to see where Seeley and Norton take these characters.

A new series with an intriguing premise, strong characters, and a fresh take on the zombie comic, Revival is off to a good start. It's not the best debut this week, but still a good comic and definitely worth your $2.99.