By Tony Rhea, Reporter

Strap in and blast off into the cosmos for the emotional finale of the “Revenge of the Brood” storyline in this month’s Captain Marvel #49!

Official Description:
GRIEF WILL BE HER DOWNFALL! Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman, Hazmat and the X-Men’s mission to find Rogue and rescue Binary has technically been successful, and yet our heroes now find themselves in a worse position than ever, trapped at the mercy of a legion of Brood and a rogue Brood Empress. The Brood has now pushed Carol Danvers to her limit not once, but twice. What it unlocked the first time helped make Carol the Captain Marvel she is today. What has it unlocked this time? And will anyone – including Carol – survive it?

Creative Team:
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Sergio Dávila
Inkers: Sean Parsons with Roberto Poggi
Colorist: Ceci De La Cruz
Letterer & Production: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artists: Juan Frigeri & David Curiel
Variant Cover Artists: Erica D’urso & Rachelle Rosenberg

With the shocking loss of Binary, saying that Carol Danvers is angry would be an understatement. With her rage and grief pushing her to a new level of power, Carol confronts the Brood Queen. Determined to end this confrontation (and the threat of the Brood) at all costs, this is one choice that she may not otherwise walk back from.

The action and intensity are dialed up to 11 in this issue, with Thompson exploring the loss of Binary through several characters. Captain Marvel has always been strong, but Thompson does a good job of giving us a Carol that is fed up and ready to throw-down as a one-woman army. While there is no doubt that Carol will be able to handle this fight, the real battle for Carol is with her grief, and that is also well-conveyed in the way Thompson writes this story. I really enjoyed the interplay between Carol and Rogue, and the scene between them was a fantastic way to honor the history between the two characters while finding a satisfying conclusion to this epic confrontation.

The art in this book is beautifully done, with some wonderful coloring on display. Dávila gives us expressive characters, with some great detailing. Parsons and Poggi, for their part, do a fantastic job with the use of color, highlighting various blast of energy and light helps each character shine in a fantastic two-page action shot. The only minor comment would be that characters in one or two distant backgrounds are slightly out of proportion, but I honestly only noticed it on a second reading as the characters in the foreground are done so well.

Death is (hardly) ever permanent, so my only concern coming out of this issue would be if Binary is immediately brought back, the opportunity for the exploration of the emotional weight of this experience for Carol will be lost. I’m interested to see how Carol’s new power level shifts the dynamics between her and other cosmically-powered (or godly) beings in the Marvel universe, and look forward to seeing what’s in store for the character!

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Captain Marvel #49 – 4 out of 5 Broodlings.

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