The Marvelous Star: Captain Marvel #11
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Captain Marvel is in Times Square, and things aren’t looking good for her. She removed the energy siphon from her chest which allowed Star to siphon her powers, but now Star is merely absorbing the life force of the people of the city–and it’s killing them. So Carol makes a desperate ploy; she puts the energy siphon back in her chest so that Star will still be only pulling power from her. This means Star is far more powerful than Carol again, but Hazmat arrives to help. This gives Captain Marvel the opportunity to get in close for one final play.
Captain Marvel #11 concludes the “Falling Star” storyline and the battle between Captain Marvel and Star, aka reporter Ripley Ryan.
Ripley was left scarred and warped by her time under Nuclear Man’s rule on Roosevelt Island, and becoming Star is how she coped. Now it’s turned into megalomaniac rage and perverse belief in “survival of the fittest.”
We get to see Carol’s resourcefulness in this issue as well as more bonding between she and Hazmat. There’s plenty of action and plenty of heart on offer in this issue.
Ripley/Star is an interesting new rogue for Carol as well. Her motivations, beliefs, and personality all make for well-rounded villain, and her personal relationship with Captain Marvel could make for an excellent arch-nemesis in the long run.
Carmen Carnero once again gives the book some incredible visual work. The detailing and expressiveness of the characters never ceases to amaze me. There are some moments (particularly in Carol’s coup de gras against Ripley) where clarity of action kind of goes out the window, but that could be scripting and editorial issue as much as an artistic one. Besides that, the book looks unreservedly fantastic, and Tamra Bonvillain’s color work is firing on all cylinders as usual.
Captain Marvel #11 is a great finale to this most recent story arc. We have a new enemy for Carol Danvers, an epic and memorable battle between the two in Times Square, and fantastic visual work from Carnero and Bonvillain. This one definitely gets a recommendation. Feel free to give it a read.
Captain Marvel #11 comes to us from writer Kelly Thompson, artist Carmen Carnero, color artist Tamra Bonvillain, letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles, cover artist Mark Brooks, and variant cover artist Elizabeth Torque.
Final Score: 8.5/10
