Captain Marvel Volume 2: Down

Captain Marvel Volume 2: Down
Kelly Sue DeConnick, Christopher Sebela, Dexter Soy, Filipe Andrade, 2012

Premise: Collects Captain Marvel #7-12. Carol Danvers is still reeling a bit from her time-travel escapades, but she’s ready to help out her friend Monica Rambeau to determine what’s causing ships to go missing off of New Orleans. Later, are her own powers failing her, or is something more complicated going on?

I read the first arc of the new Captain Marvel series in issues, and I liked it well enough, but decided to wait for trade for the next part. I’m glad I ended up picking it up, both because it was great to read all at once, and because it’s easier to review and recommend in trade than issues.

In this volume, I feel that this book is really hitting its stride. The balance between drama, snark and realism is well-tuned and the character relationships both build on decades of continuity and are easy for me to understand, whether or not I have context. The art isn’t my favorite style, but it generally works pretty well. Cameos by other big guns in the Marvel U are well placed, but don’t take over.

The combination of humor and action in a world full of colorful characters is really what I come to comics for. Throw in a powerhouse like Carol Danvers who you so easily care about - she’s brusque and prickly and snarky and tired and still making it up as she goes along after all this time - and you’ve got yourself a winner.

4 Stars - A Very Good Book