THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN MARVEL #1
Written by Margaret Stohl
Art by Carlos Pacheco, Marguerite Sauvage, Rafael Fonteriz, Marcio Menyz, and Clayton Cowles
Edited by Sarah Brunstad and Sana Amanat
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: July 18, 2018
Origin stories are always important, and people are so often curious about Captain Marvel’s history in particular.
Who is Captain Marvel? Where does she come from? How did she become a superhero and more specifically, an Avenger? It’s a great time for our high-flying heroine to have a book dedicated to her history, considering the Captain Marvel movie is the next installment to the ever popular and ever expanding MCU — but this is a story about Carol Danvers as a human being, rather than a superhero. It’s an origin story, but not the one you’re expecting.
Carol started out in life just like most did. She had parents, a childhood and things that cause her to be nostalgic about her past. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, however — and we are offered a window into some of the darkest parts of Carol’s soul. Just like most of us, she has things that haunt her. Things that she would rather not remember, and that still impact her today. Perhaps, more than she would like.
It’s a rare thing for a “superhero” book to shed light on some of the less talked about disorders that plague society, but Margaret Stohl is clearly unafraid to bring such a badly needed truth to her story. Where most stories involving avengers are preoccupied with taking down bad guys and fighting for justice, this one focuses on the “bad guys” that can be found within ourselves or our loved ones. We can’t always run, or fly away from our enemies because they live inside us. Carol shows us how brave it can be to face them.
The artwork found here is also unique, in that one art team worked on “present day” carol (The amazing Carlos Pacheco and Rafael Fonteriz) and the iconic Marguerite Sauvage handled the flashback sequences. Both parties were an absolutely irreplaceable aspect to the magic of this book.
The styles were vastly different, but not so different that it affected the flow of the story. Fonteriz’s use of bright, vivid colors kept us on our toes — reminding us that this is the here and now, while Sauvage’s ethereal, muted use of color made the dreamlike quality all the more believable. Both styles are hyper-realistic and detailed, offering perfect companionship to this invigorating story.
Overall this book is relevant, insightful and so incredibly important. If you’re looking for something different, and want your hero story served up with a little bit more “reality” then your search is over. Leaving the story on quite the cliffhanger, the wait for the next issue is going to be painful — but considering how absolutely riveting issue number one has been, it will be well worth it.
The Verdict: 9.5/10
