MARVEL ACTION: CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 review – A Paw-sitive Start (Maggs, Boo, Peer, Miesner, IDW / Marvel)

Sam Maggs (Author) Sweeney Boo (Artist, Cover Artist) Brittany Peer (Colorist) Christa Miesner (Letterer, Designer)

Thanks to IDW Publishing for the review copy!

I like reading comics geared towards adults. But now that I have a baby, I also like to look for comics I’ll be able to enjoy with her when she starts reading.  Captain Marvel falls squarely into the second category.

This series, which opens with Carol Danvers hanging out with Spider-Woman watching TV, isn’t an origin story – she’s already established as Captain Marvel and a member of the Avengers. The opening panels provide more than enough exposition to catch new readers up to speed. While many people are familiar with Marvel characters based on the popularity of the movies, the source comics are often different. For example, fans of the Captain Marvel movie will see she has a “cat” named Chewie, who formed the basis for the breakout movie character Goose. You don’t need to know anything about Chewie to understand what is going on, but now you can impress your friends with the knowledge that Chewie came first!

Speaking of cats, in this issue, Captain Marvel faces her toughest enemy yet… a bunch of cats. Writer Sam Maggs leans into the ridiculousness of the situation, resulting in a genuinely funny issue. Captain Marvel’s internal monologue is particularly humorous and gives Captain Marvel a more playful personality. This issue impressively manages to impart genuine stakes, while staying funny and adopting a brightly colored whimsical art style.  There is no objectionable material that would prevent young readers from enjoying this comic.

Captain Marvel has risen in popularity due to her appearance in the Marvel movies.  Issue #1 is a great entry point for people interested in moving from the movies to comics because it requires no prior knowledge to appreciate.  I think it can be enjoyed by children and adults, and would make a fun book to read together. People who like Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (which should be everyone) will like this book.

Check back tomorrow for his thoughts on the second issue in this series!

MARVEL ACTION: CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 is now available.

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