What I Bought 1/26/2015 - Part 10

How long before Carol Danvers and her #1 fangirl team up? Battleworld would seem like a natural opportunity, but hopefully it'll be in a book I'm actually reading.

Captain Marvel #11, by Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), David Lopez (artist), Lee Loughridge (color art), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - So when I was reviewing the previous two issues of Captain Marvel, I forgot that I'd ordered this one, since comic guy forgot to send it along. Whoops.

Back on Earth for a day, Carol goes to the hospital to visit her sick friend Tracy, falls asleep there, and wakes up a prisoner of Grace Alexander and June Convington, whoever the hell that is. Yes, I know Carol's internal narration box describes her as a geneticist, I'm just saying she doesn't ring a bell with me. They want to experiment on Carol and some poor mall Santa they abducted so they can figure out how to copy her powers for themselves. Oh, and Grace has some bombs hidden around, because why not, right? But even with her powers nullified and her wrists shackled, Carol Danvers is still a badass former intelligence agent, and that means she can whoop a couple nerd psychopaths. With a little assist from Mall Santa, who was also Real Santa, which in of itself raises some questions we should expand on to an absurd degree another day. Carol finds the bombs, saves the day, that's pretty much it.

So were Grace and June just sitting around the hospital waiting for Carol to show up? Grace says she was sure Carol would come back once she heard Grace was on the loose, but Carol wasn't looking for her. She was with Tracy for hours, she thought Grace was still in jail. So how'd they find Carol?

I like how apparently no one is excited when Carol Danvers says she has a plan. Even Jarvis can't conceal his concern at that statement, and he's the height of politeness (as an aside, how long before Edwin Jarvis in the comics gets replaced by the J.A.R.V.I.S. of the films?). I like the jacket/coat Lopez gave Carol for civilian garb. It reminds me as bit of the redesign Mockingbird's outfit got after Secret Invasion. Which makes sense, considering he drew her in Hawkeye and Mockingbird. Still wish that series had been better, short-lived as it was.

Ms. Marvel #10, by G. Willow Wilson (writer), Adrian Alphona (art), Ian Herring (color art), Joe Caramagna (lettering) - I like Anka's covers more than McKelvie's. They more closely resemble the interiors in how Kamala looks.

So all these teens are working as batteries for the Inventor voluntarily, because he's convinced them it's the only way they can be of any use. Kamala points out that's stupid crap, and after the Inventor abducts Lockjaw with another of his giant mechs, the teens all agree to throw in with her and fight crazy Bird Edison. Except the Inventor has still got his giant mech, and a bunch of other kids he's going to use as hostages, I guess. I mean, otherwise what's point of showing them floating in tubes to Kamala? When he asks what's she's going to do about them, what does he expect her to say, other than "Free them"?

Also, isn't it common knowledge that the whole Matrix idea of humans as an energy source doesn't work because it takes more energy to keep them alive than you get from them? Fine, maybe Bird Edison didn't see that movie, but he's a scientist, surely he'd understand that. Unless the Inventor isn't worrying about it and is just using them until they die. Certainly not something I would put past him, and he clearly thinks the older generations regard them as so useless they won't object, so maybe that is his plan. Never underestimate the ability of an adult to delude themselves into thinking it'll never affect them, it'll never be their kid that gets used.

I love the Inventor's mech. He gave it a little derby hat, and the fists are like giant Extend-o boxing gloves, with brass knuckles that deliver electric shocks. I don't know if that's all Alphona, or if he and Wilson collaborated on that design, but it's fantastic. A little homemade, little old-fashioned, a little crazy, but still effective. Also, it's nice that he is adapting and responding to the changing threat Kamala represents. She gets a teleporting dog, he figures out how to neutralize it. And I think he's figured out she isn't really about fighting, but about protecting people, and now he's going to use the other kids he's lured in as a lever against her. Still not clear how, but that seems like the plan.