Writer: Peter David Artists: Chriscross (p), Rodriguez/Parsons/Wiacek/Von Grawbadger (i), Steve Oliff (c)
Published by Marvel Comics
The plot: Rick and Marlo's romantic evening is interrupted by a cosmic crisis.
To judge by its tone and storytelling style, you'd never know this title was a spin-off of Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco's Avengers Forever miniseries. Where AF was dramatic, CM is hilarious. Where AF was respectfully focused on Avengers history, CM uses the Marvel Universe to stage slapstick comedy in a thoroughly modern style.
It's difficult to know where David intends to take this series; Young Justice more than proved he is capable of a little narrative sleight of hand. While there are utterly human moments and yocks galore in virtually every issue of this series, the cosmic scale is always present, making me wonder if things aren't about to take a different turn.
Because, really, not a whole hell of a lot has happened in these first few issues. Sure, they've been entertaining, sure, they've been wonderful to look at, but so far, there's no overarching theme I can detect.
The apparently all-powerful despondent teenage girl Kelly appears to be playing a big role in whatever is about to happen; in fact, other than the Super-Skrull, she's the only humanoid on the cover of this issue. I'm intrigued by her creation, and hope David has some good stuff planned for her future here.
The irony of the Captain Marvel-possessed Rick Jones being mated with the also-haunted Marlo is played to hilarious effect here. Both Rick and Marlo struggle to hide the truth about themselves, while wanting nothing more than to reach out to each other.
Reach out they do, and at absolutely the worst possible moment. Because duty calls, and Captain Marvel decides to take action right in the middle or Rick's, er, action.
The Silver Surfer pops up in the cliffhanger, promising more cosmic excitement next issue. As I say, I can't quite get a clear grasp on David's ultimate intentions for this title, and maybe he doesn't really have one. Captain Marvel feels like an improvised roller coaster ride, and so far I'm having a blast.
