Review – Captain Marvel #23 (Marvel Comics)

New Heroes, New Battles in Captain Marvel #23

Carol Danvers’ series is once again bringing her to the events in ‘The End’ in Captain Marvel #23. It seems that for heroes like Carol, there really is no such thing as a break or a vacation, for that matter.

Captain Marvel: The End is an issue that came out several months ago, portraying a devastated world. A world where many heroes (and civilians) have fallen while many more continue to live on and fight.

This is the world that Carol has once again been transported to, which is fortunate. As once again, these haggard survivors could use the help of the mighty Captain Marvel.

Writing

Whew. Captain Marvel #23 is a serious whirlwind of an adventure. This is an issue full of complexity and intensity and so much more in between. Written by Kelly Thompson, Carol’s story has found all new heights.

Set in a not-so-distant future, this entire plot arc has allowed Thompson to take risks. Here, she can play with a world that is all her own. The characters that survived, the world they’ve created. All of it.

It’s fascinating. It’s also dark at times when picturing all of those who have fallen. This issue doesn’t shy away from those events, revealing how things came to be. It answers many questions while raising even more along the way.

Captain Marvel is an issue full of highs and lows. The highs are truly spectacular, leaving these bright moments for fans to cheer about. The lows…they are heavy, weighted beings. It’s a bittersweet balance, one that I’ve only ever seen Kelly Thompson master in such a manner.

Finally, I just want to give bonus points for the inclusion of a few surprise characters. Some are newly designed, while others have made their way to this new timeline. One appearance, in particular, made me laugh, something I will forever be grateful for.

Art

Captain Marvel #23 is full of characters old and new, all of which are portrayed with such vibrancy. The new character designs are fantastic, as are countless other smaller details sprinkled throughout the pages.

Lee Garbett was the lead artist for this issue, working alongside Antonio Fabela for colors and VC’s Clayton Cowles for letters. On top of all that, Belen Ortega’s artwork was used for relevant flashbacks.

There are several notable pages and panels throughout this issue. One portrays many of the new or aged characters. This page makes great reference material, as every hero is nicely labeled (with their powers to boot). That is far from the last panel worth talking about, but most of those are going to be fun surprises for readers to discover all on their own.

Conclusion

Captain Marvel #23 is an intense yet enthralling read, giving a glimpse into a dark and twisted future. It’s a future that readers can’t help, but hope will be avoided. Even while we desperately devour all the little details provided.

This issue answers so many questions about ‘The End’ plot arc while managing to raise even more in the process. This plot has quickly become more involved than ever expected, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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.