No Power In The Universe: Reviewing ‘Captain Marvel’ #9

If an enemy can’t be defeated from outside, well the next logical choice is to take the battle inside them. At least, that’s the case if you happen to be a powerful superhero taking on a being who has no actual Earthly form.

Like Carol Danvers, who enters the final battle with the cosmic nightmare known as the Undone, Captain Marvel #9 stands as the penultimate issue of this storyline and series volume. Big time superhero action wrapped up in questions answered from Alyssa Wong, Ruairí Coleman, Bryan Valenza, and Ariana Maher.

Everything about this series has been a delight from the first issue, and as we approach the final that has not changed. While Jan Bazaldua set a lot of the visual tone in the first arc, Coleman has easily picked up that baton in various spot-starts before fully taking over for this story arc. A lot hinges on creating dynamic visuals for this particular issue, with a large portion taking place within the otherworldly space of the Undone. Bits and pieces of various planets, universes, and other spaces that were devoured by the being are on display.

Coleman gives everything such graphic life, even the biological stand-ins that very much look like they would feel extremely wet or slimy, as they should. Scale and depth feel very accurate, with the massive Undone appropriately looming over everything. No lie, the little nod and smile I gave when I reached the full-page panel of Carol bursting into save Yuna felt good. Everything about the art just screams superhero action but in a way that never minimizes the emotional or human elements at play in these stories.

We see and feel this in the color palette as well. Valenza handles quite a few books for Marvel these days, making sure to really shift and change colors to match whatever energy a story needs. Here the colors feel heavy and sharp in various spaces, balancing on the line of sort of natural or toned-down. Creating a very authentic feeling overall that is just enhanced by the various brighter and stronger fantastical tones peppered throughout.

These visual energies carry over to the letter, because that is how Maher rolls. Always finding ways to explode that energy all over the page from the bubbles and text to the SFX at play. Maher just has this great ability to make all lettering feel even more powerful and fun than it might otherwise. There is a reason she is in such demand as a letterer across various publishers.

Captain Marvel, a hero carrying the company’s name, should feel like a grand hero. This series, much like the previous one, taps into that so well. Wong fully understands who this character is and what it should me to have her tackling an issue. No matter the risk to herself, Carol is a hero through and through, and throws herself into danger to protect others. There is a great swell of heroic power in this series that rings from page to page.

At the same time, the relationships are a key element. Those between Carol and her found Marvel family but also her and Yuna. Despite them only knowing each other for these nine issues, their joy at a reunion feels so authentic and cathartic. Being connected in the way they have been, through the Nega Bands, and having the time trapped in the Negative Zone will do that. Forge bonds that are just as strong as Danvers herself.

While it’s a relationship that likely won’t last beyond this series (especially after the cliffhanger ending), Yuna being an original character of Wong, what we get in this contained story just works. Sometimes the best way to approach these ongoing comics who tend to lean toward particular status quos, is to just appreciate the good deviations while we have them.

Captain Marvel #9 is now available from Marvel Comics.