Strange Encounters: Reviewing ‘Captain Marvel’ #3

How does one keep the story arc’s momentum going while also finding a way to take a breather? Easy. Toss your mind-linked thief and superhero right into the safe-but-terrifyingly-unpredictable space that is the Sanctum Sanctorum, home to Clea and Stephen (Doctor) Strange.

A quieter but magically chaotic time is had in Captain Marvel #3 from Alyssa Wong, Ruairi Coleman, Jan Bazaldua, Bryan Valenza, and Ariana Maher.

One of the things that has stood out about this series, amongst so many others, is how well-paced it all is. Wong started us off with an opening issue that set up the hero, the stakes, and the new bonded status quo. Our second issue kicked things up a bunch of notches, threw the heroes into the fire, and showed them one means of respite. Now, things can slow down a bit to play with the status quo while also letting the heroes get their bearings.

Not to mention a juicy villain-related reveal sends things into a whole new direction before all is said and done.

Guest appearances and cameos can be a fun thing, especially in a shared universe. The most fun ones, though, occur when it’s not just an appearance for appearance’s sake, the clear money-grab situation. Instead, the guest spot not only makes sense to the story — while still being fun — but to the universe as well. Of course, if someone has magical unexplained things to decipher, the Stranges would be one of the top calls; two Sorcerers Supreme from different dimensions that deal with oddity daily.

My intro mentioned keeping momentum, and Wong makes that seem so simple. We’re three issues in and no closer to knowing what is truly up with Omen and the force behind them, but I don’t entirely care. There is just so much character development, depth, and fun on the page that every issue feels like two-in-one. Slower-build plots are a tough nut to crack on the surface, but making everything around that plot twice as interesting surely gives a nice advantage.

A bit of an artistic shift happens here, as Coleman comes in to work alongside Bazaldua. Artist collaborations on single issues are pretty common these days. Sometimes they feature artists that are similar but have clear style differences, and other times the styles are extremely different which either works splendidly or is super jarring. This situation was right in the middle of the spectrum.

By that I mean I didn’t even honestly notice there was an artist change until I doubled back to the credits when starting this review. Coleman handles the bulk of the issue, with Bazaldua coming in to provide that villain-centric ending I teased above. On closer examination there are clear differences between the two; Coleman’s work being a bit smoother while Bazaldua’s has an inherent roughness, but they are very much in the same vein. It’s a situation where the chosen artists are compatible, creating a pretty harmonious issue.

In either case, there is a bold superhero energy to everything. Characters flow through the panels/pages as if they are truly in motion. A whimsical beat is visible everywhere, making sure the fun aspect of the story and comics is felt always.

Part of that comes from the color choices Valenza makes. Plenty of bright, poppy, and vivid colors swirl around, especially with the superhero or magical elements. They are paired with plenty of darker, shadowy tones which add to the weight of everything. All around them are far more natural toned-down colors, giving everything that tiny injection of realism — as real as stories with superheroes and wizards and such can be. Basically, the combination makes sure that even as far-fetched as the story is, concept-wise, it feels like something that potentially could happen in our world since the world feels “real.”

One thing that I’m glad came from my multiple years of comic book reviewing is a deep appreciation for letterers. Maher is truly one of the best and one of my favorites because everything she brings to the page is so beautiful and so much fun. Character voices resonate, their volume and tone clear, and the other intangibles pop off the page. Right there, in the moment, SFX are characters in their own right and little shifts to the various bubbles/boxes give them unique energy.

Captain Marvel #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.