Thanron
03-19-2008, 03:54 PM
Title: Captain Marvel
Written by: Brian Reed
Penciler: Lee Weeks
Inks: Jesse Delperdang and Klaus Janson
Colors: Matt Milla
I've been a big fan of this series and this issue is just another reason why I will be sorry to see it end next month.
Picking up right off of last month's cliffhanger, in which a capture Skrull pretending to be Cobalt Man, announces that Mar-Vell is actually a Skrull sleeper agent — to which Mar-Vell flips out and beats the Skrull to death before escaping to the North Pole. At the same time, Nathan Jefferson, the reporter asigned to infiltrate the myterious Church of Hala, has actually converted to the new religion . Unfortunately, he is caught by the leader of the church, Julia Starr, and confronted about his original intentions for joining the Church; but before Nathan can get the boot, Mar-Vell himself arrives to express his own interest in joining up with the Church (sans the religious aspects).
Flash forward to Darfur, where Mar-Vell and the Church have set up camp. Julia is killed in a bombing and once again, Mar-Vell flips his lid and goes on a campaign to, in his words, end all war. Deciding that Mar-Vell is too much of a threat to himself and others, Tony Stark sends Ms. Marvel with her own pair of Nega Bands (which may or may not be real) to hunt down her old friend and send him to the Negative Zone while they figure out wht to do with him. Carol complies and Mar-Vell is sent to the Negative Zone, where he is surrounded by a bright light and announces that he is home.
Reeds continues to weave a complex story here. Yes, the "Secret Invasion" logo is on the cover and yes, there are Skrulls scattered hither, thither, and yon through the book. But whereas the theme of the upcoming event has been "Who can you trust?", here the Skrulls serve to cause the title character to ask, "Can I trust myself?" His journey toward trying to be the man he believes himself to be is mirrored by the character of Nathan Jefferson, who is on his own journey to rediscover his role in the world. And just like Mar-Vell, the deeper he gets into the swirling morass of the Church of Hala, the more and more complicated that journey becomes.
As for the art, I'm not much of an asthete, but Weeks has been simply amazing. His use of light and shadow to display the way that the characters are themselves meandering through the shadows is phenomenal.
If you haven't been reading this one, I highly suggest you go out and start getting them on backorder or wait until the trade comes and scoop it up as soon as you can. This has been something of a hidden treasure, butlike all treasure, this has been nothing short of a major payoff.
Written by: Brian Reed
Penciler: Lee Weeks
Inks: Jesse Delperdang and Klaus Janson
Colors: Matt Milla
I've been a big fan of this series and this issue is just another reason why I will be sorry to see it end next month.
Picking up right off of last month's cliffhanger, in which a capture Skrull pretending to be Cobalt Man, announces that Mar-Vell is actually a Skrull sleeper agent — to which Mar-Vell flips out and beats the Skrull to death before escaping to the North Pole. At the same time, Nathan Jefferson, the reporter asigned to infiltrate the myterious Church of Hala, has actually converted to the new religion . Unfortunately, he is caught by the leader of the church, Julia Starr, and confronted about his original intentions for joining the Church; but before Nathan can get the boot, Mar-Vell himself arrives to express his own interest in joining up with the Church (sans the religious aspects).
Flash forward to Darfur, where Mar-Vell and the Church have set up camp. Julia is killed in a bombing and once again, Mar-Vell flips his lid and goes on a campaign to, in his words, end all war. Deciding that Mar-Vell is too much of a threat to himself and others, Tony Stark sends Ms. Marvel with her own pair of Nega Bands (which may or may not be real) to hunt down her old friend and send him to the Negative Zone while they figure out wht to do with him. Carol complies and Mar-Vell is sent to the Negative Zone, where he is surrounded by a bright light and announces that he is home.
Reeds continues to weave a complex story here. Yes, the "Secret Invasion" logo is on the cover and yes, there are Skrulls scattered hither, thither, and yon through the book. But whereas the theme of the upcoming event has been "Who can you trust?", here the Skrulls serve to cause the title character to ask, "Can I trust myself?" His journey toward trying to be the man he believes himself to be is mirrored by the character of Nathan Jefferson, who is on his own journey to rediscover his role in the world. And just like Mar-Vell, the deeper he gets into the swirling morass of the Church of Hala, the more and more complicated that journey becomes.
As for the art, I'm not much of an asthete, but Weeks has been simply amazing. His use of light and shadow to display the way that the characters are themselves meandering through the shadows is phenomenal.
If you haven't been reading this one, I highly suggest you go out and start getting them on backorder or wait until the trade comes and scoop it up as soon as you can. This has been something of a hidden treasure, butlike all treasure, this has been nothing short of a major payoff.