The Life Of Captain Marvel #1 Review

Marvel Legacy

Written by: Margaret Stohl
Art by: Carlos Pacheco
Cover by: Julian Totino Tedesco
Publisher: Marvel
Publication Date: 18 July 2018 


Poor old Carol Danvers. I gotta confess I like the character a lot, so a bit like with Superman I tend to like different versions and seeing different takes on the character. As long as they are good. Also, not many characters have had as many restarted series as Captain Marvel has had of late. I have lost count now of the number of fresh starts she has had! With this book, however, we are promised to get the "definitive origin" of Captain Marvel! Let's dive in!!

Well, I know by now (am writing this on a Monday after all) that this book has raised a few issues. That said, all I care about is my own selfish pleasure (and yours, of course, dear reader) and I gotta say that I really enjoyed it. Now I did think that this issue laid on a few cliches, the bad father, the sick brother grounding Carol at home, etc. I also thought that the close relationship with Stark depicted at the start of the book kind of skipped over what has gone on with the two of them in the past - I found it strange that they were so close so soon.

Aside from those little bits and pieces though I did actually like the homespun feel of things, the fact that Carol is having to try and squeeze into a family life that she thought she had detached herself from, the anger and resentment that she still has with her father, and that frustrating feeling that people have when they can't control their emotions. I've read a lot of Captain Marvel books over the last few years and I have to say that if the aim was a more personal Danvers I think that this really did achieve that.

Art-wise I wasn't entirely sold on the style. It has a nice light feel to it in parts, although some of the facial expressions weren't always quite right. It also seemed to be very caught between a more quirky style of art and a realistic style. At times it is good, but there are dips in the quality here and there which suggests to me that this is a book that was maybe seen as necessary to rush out (maybe so that the trade is available in time for the new movie).

Bits and pieces

While I liked this book, in the comic environment of 2018 I can see how it will have the ability to divide fans. I suspect that how you ultimately feel about this book will depend on the level of action-packed material you want in your comics. I thought this opening issue focused on the personal family matters and I was okay with that. Others might not be, and that's entirely understandable. I do think it will have to be upped in terms of action for next issue. We shall see.

7.3/10