Some of the best conclusions to hero stories are the ones where the hero must make the ultimate sacrifice. This can be anything from choosing between the life of one person they love or the lives of hundreds of people, their own life or their powers. This issue has a different kind of sacrifice, and the consequences are yet to be seen. Captain Marvel 14 is a great conclusion to The Enemy Within, and one that exemplifies what it truly means to be a superhero.
Carol Danvers has been suffering from a brain lesion for a while now, and in this issue we finally learn what’s causing it. This lesion causes her incredible headaches whenever she uses the power of flight, and if she pushes it hard enough, she could seriously damage her brain. Carol must push through an incredible amount of pain simply to approach the crossover’s villain, the disgraced Kree warrior known as Yon-Rogg. Despite the strong focus on the captain, there’s still plenty of time for the other Avengers to participate in the battle.
As usual, Kelly Sue DeConnick’s dialogue is amazing. Each character feels like a unique person; even the plot exposition flows naturally. There isn’t nearly as much humour in this issue as their usually is in Captain Marvel, but due to the serious nature of the conclusion that’s actually a good thing.
It’s still unclear what direction this series will take after its upcoming Infinity tie-ins, or how much damage the captain just did to herself. If this were the final issue of the series, this would be a perfectly satisfying conclusion. Still, it’s been consistently brilliant enough that I’m sticking with it for a while yet. I’ll even pick up the Infinity tie-ins, even though I plan on ignoring Infinity for now.
This 5-part crossover with Avengers Assemble is an easy recommendation for Captain Marvel fans, Avengers fans, fans of female superheroes and superhero fans in general. DeConnick is starting to become one of my favourite comic writers, and now I feel like catching up on her Avengers Assemble material from before the crossover.
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I’m really excited to see what happens next with Carol. #17 looks like it’s probably going to be one of the best comics of the year, if the solicits are any indication.
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