Review – Captain Marvel #19 (Marvel Comics)

The Trials of War and Families in Captain Marvel #19

Captain Marvel #19 continues the explosive tie-in to Marvel’s Empyre event. The Avengers, and every other living creature for that matter, is facing war like no other. During this time, Carol herself has gone through many changes.

Not least of which is the latest bit of news she’s received. The last issue dropped quite the proverbial bomb on Carol, and now we see the fallout of that news. All while the war still wages on, naturally.

This issue masterfully shows off the ability to multitask. Not just on Carol’s part, but for the writing and creative team as well. All things told this is one that fans are not going to want to miss out on.

Writing

Captain Marvel #19 is a finely crafted balance. With emotional scenes, humor, and tension doled out in ways that only Kelly Thompson can manage. This issue isn’t afraid to throw everything at Carol and thus the readers.

There is so much to love about this issue (even if you’re not following the event itself). Thompson has created a thrilling issue, with lots of jokes and references strewn around. Plus, there’s some precious Chewie content, and who doesn’t love that?

Don’t get me wrong – there’s a serious nature to this issue as well. My heart just happened to latch on to all of the good moments. The war and Carol’s latest investigation are still ongoing, and there’s literally no avoiding those facts.

Honestly, I can’t help but hope that some of the plot points introduced for this arc stick around. Okay, mostly, I just mean one major plot point, and it’s probably pretty obvious which one I mean. It’s been a shockingly…cute addition to her series, one I didn’t expect. Yet it makes Carol feel even more human (which is ironic, I know).

As somebody who has been keeping up with Empyre, and all of the issues connected to it, I have to say that this one is my favorite. The whole Captain Marvel event has been stellar, providing a story true to her character while still forcing her to deal with the larger events of the Marvel Universe.

Art

Captain Marvel #19 had a brilliant art team to support the tale. It also happens to have two of my favorite covers for her series so far, which is a nice bonus. Credit to Jorge Molina and Ariel Olivetti for those fantastic covers.

Working on this issue, you’ll find; Cory Smith (pencils), Andriano di Benedetto (inks), Tamra Bonvillain (colors), and VC’s Clayton Cowles (letters). Together they created something that held to the balance Thompson created.

It’s tense, it’s full of action, and it has some sincerely adorable moments to fill in the gaps. As well as those humor-tinted scenes. Altogether, it makes for a visually compelling read. Carol looks bold and dynamic – as do the characters that pop out of Empyre for this issue.

The colors are bright, as one would expect when Bonvillain is at the helm. And I have to bring this up one more time; the panels, including Chewie, are some of my favorites. We all need more Chewie in our lives (I know I do).

Conclusion

Captain Marvel #19 was the perfect blend of plot and event tie-in. The adventure that Carol is on is not one we expected, but it’s been brilliant nonetheless. The war is affecting her life, as it’s affecting everyone else. Yet, she might be gaining something in the process and assuming that things aren’t about to go horribly wrong (fingers crossed).

If you haven’t been reading Empyre, some of the events in this issue might be a little bit confusing, but frankly not as much as you might expect. The series has done its best to make the event palatable for everyone, and it shows. So please don’t let the event scare you off from keeping up to date with your favorite heroes. (Though I may be biased here, as I’ve been enjoying the event itself as well).

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.