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tobin_elliott's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was a fun revisit. I was never a massive Captain Marvel fan, and I think I was just getting into comics around the time Starlin was doing his run on the series. I remember picking up an issue and kind of being lost, so I didn't really follow up on it.
Reading this now, I realized the issue I'd picked up was the final one. So, there's a fifty year old mystery solved.
I was in time for Starlin's incredible run on Warlock, however, and that still remains one of my favourite comic reading experiences ever. I even wrote a high school essay on that run (and got an A+ for it, too!), so, when I saw this collection in a bargain bin in a comic shop, I figured it was time to get my Starlin on again.
I'd read the Death of Captain Marvel when it first came out, but didn't catch a lot of the subtext, despite Starlin's excellent recap at the beginning of that graphic novel. But now, I got the full run, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Yes, it's very obvious that either Starlin was under the influence of some psychedelics as he wrote this series, or was at least acquainted with them, because there's times when it gets quite trippy. Then again, so did Warlock, so it wasn't unexpected. But I appreciated that Starlin was really doing a solid deep dive into not just the Mar-Vell character, but also Rick Jones, and a few other secondary characters.
And the Thanos storyline, while a touch drawn out, was epic and fun.
If I have any complaint about any of the pages of this entire saga, it's the extended, and rather gratuitous fight scene toward the end of the Death of Captain Marvel piece. It was unnecessary, and it messed with both the emotion and the pacing.
But, take out those four or five pages, and this is just a great run.
Reading this now, I realized the issue I'd picked up was the final one. So, there's a fifty year old mystery solved.
I was in time for Starlin's incredible run on Warlock, however, and that still remains one of my favourite comic reading experiences ever. I even wrote a high school essay on that run (and got an A+ for it, too!), so, when I saw this collection in a bargain bin in a comic shop, I figured it was time to get my Starlin on again.
I'd read the Death of Captain Marvel when it first came out, but didn't catch a lot of the subtext, despite Starlin's excellent recap at the beginning of that graphic novel. But now, I got the full run, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Yes, it's very obvious that either Starlin was under the influence of some psychedelics as he wrote this series, or was at least acquainted with them, because there's times when it gets quite trippy. Then again, so did Warlock, so it wasn't unexpected. But I appreciated that Starlin was really doing a solid deep dive into not just the Mar-Vell character, but also Rick Jones, and a few other secondary characters.
And the Thanos storyline, while a touch drawn out, was epic and fun.
If I have any complaint about any of the pages of this entire saga, it's the extended, and rather gratuitous fight scene toward the end of the Death of Captain Marvel piece. It was unnecessary, and it messed with both the emotion and the pacing.
But, take out those four or five pages, and this is just a great run.
tmarso's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Lots of character, good story.
ekansthepokemon's review
4.0
Some interesting stories along the way, but over all Starlin's run is magnificent. And "The Death of Captain Marvel" is truly touching and emotional.
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