Post by goldenfist on Mar 20, 2008 7:57:52 GMT -5
Ign.com review's Captain Marvel #4.
Brian Reed's Captain Marvel mini-series is good, but it's so close to being great it's almost painful to read at times. The delays between issues certainly aren't helping matters. After four issues I'm now able to pin down where I think this book has squandered some of its potential. It doesn't know what direction to head in. Is it a subdued and introspective exploration of an elder statesman finding his place among the heroes of a new generation? Is it a vital Secret Invasion tie-in that threatens to blow the doors open on the Skrull conspiracy? Over the past months it's been a little of both when it really only needed to be the former.
Last month's intriguing cliffhanger strongly hinted that Mar-Vell may, in fact, be a Skrull sleeper agent. It would certainly explain his slightly odd and arguable unnecessary return last year. However, Mar-Vell himself doesn't want to believe it. This does raise an interesting question - are the majority of the Skrull infiltrators even aware of their true identities? I can't say Captain Marvel does a bad job of selling me on Marvel's big event.
However... isn't there a better place for this sort of thing? As intriguing as any Skrully possibilities may be, the real meat of the book comes from Mar-Vell's soul-searching and the public reaction to his return. I wasn't exactly sold on the idea of a Church of Mar-Vell at first, but Reed really brings it home in this issue. The two main plot elements clash together and only end up harming the finished product. I would much rather Reed had stuck to the Church storyline and left the Skrull business to a separate special.
One area I feel no conflict with is Lee Weeks' art. This is some good stuff. Detailed, consistent, moody, and perfectly suited to the subdued nature of the story. I sincerely hope marvel will continue to make better use of Weeks in the future. Even if I don't approve of the overall story direction, both creators are turning in some of the best work of their respective careers.
Review Score: 8.0 Impressive
Brian Reed's Captain Marvel mini-series is good, but it's so close to being great it's almost painful to read at times. The delays between issues certainly aren't helping matters. After four issues I'm now able to pin down where I think this book has squandered some of its potential. It doesn't know what direction to head in. Is it a subdued and introspective exploration of an elder statesman finding his place among the heroes of a new generation? Is it a vital Secret Invasion tie-in that threatens to blow the doors open on the Skrull conspiracy? Over the past months it's been a little of both when it really only needed to be the former.
Last month's intriguing cliffhanger strongly hinted that Mar-Vell may, in fact, be a Skrull sleeper agent. It would certainly explain his slightly odd and arguable unnecessary return last year. However, Mar-Vell himself doesn't want to believe it. This does raise an interesting question - are the majority of the Skrull infiltrators even aware of their true identities? I can't say Captain Marvel does a bad job of selling me on Marvel's big event.
However... isn't there a better place for this sort of thing? As intriguing as any Skrully possibilities may be, the real meat of the book comes from Mar-Vell's soul-searching and the public reaction to his return. I wasn't exactly sold on the idea of a Church of Mar-Vell at first, but Reed really brings it home in this issue. The two main plot elements clash together and only end up harming the finished product. I would much rather Reed had stuck to the Church storyline and left the Skrull business to a separate special.
One area I feel no conflict with is Lee Weeks' art. This is some good stuff. Detailed, consistent, moody, and perfectly suited to the subdued nature of the story. I sincerely hope marvel will continue to make better use of Weeks in the future. Even if I don't approve of the overall story direction, both creators are turning in some of the best work of their respective careers.
Review Score: 8.0 Impressive