The Fall Of Carol Danvers – Captain Marvel #8 Reviewed
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Captain Marvel’s life has fallen apart within the span of a week. It started with an attack by three alien ships during which Carol’s nose started bleeding, and then she fell out of the sky. She received help from a new superhero calling herself “Star” as well as Spider Woman and Hazmat. In one of the alien ships there was a Kree pilot, and Carol helped him out of the ship. This, along with the sudden revelation to the media that Carol’s mom is Kree, leads to widespread distrust of Captain Marvel. Worse yet, the alien attacks continue, and Carol’s health seems to be deteriorating.
Captain Marvel #8 starts the second major arc in Kelly Thompson and Carmen Carnero’s run with Carol Danvers. The theme of this one seems to be the fall of Captain Marvel, as her body and her standing in the public eye seem to be falling apart.
The pacing of the issue stands out, as the comic manages to cover a lot in this one issue. We start with Carol at the end of her rope, and then we jump back and see exactly how it all happened.
Despite how gloomy it may all seem, Thompson makes sure to inject plenty of humor, much of which comes from Spider Woman and Hazmat.
The sudden rejection of Carol Danvers is a pretty clear metaphor for the more public expressions of xenophobia in the American media and political scene as of late. It’s a little on the nose, but, in fairness, those same expressions haven’t exactly been subtle either.
Carmen Carnero continues to be an artistic powerhouse, giving this book a wonderfully-detailed visual design. Carol’s powers look fantastic, and the action scenes have a lot of flow and impact. Tamra Bonvillain’s color art is vivid and brilliant as well, and she gives this book a lot of pop and energy.
Captain Marvel #8 provides a strong start for this new story arc, and it covers an impressive amount of ground in its narrative. The world has suddenly turned against Carol Danvers, but she and her friends are intent on seeing how this happened. With a good story and brilliant visuals, this comic earns a recommendation. Check it out.
Captain Marvel #8 comes to us from writer Kelly Thompson, artist Carmen Carnero, color artist Tamra Bonvillain, letter VC’s Clayton Cowles, cover artist Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts, and variant cover artist Sean Izaakse with Marcio Menyz.
Final Score: 8/10
