REVIEW: ‘Captain Marvel,’ Issue # 28

Captain Marvel #28 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Kelly Thompson, art by Jacopo Camagni, colors by Espen Grundetjern, and letters by Clayton Cowles. With her evening out with the girls and the following night in with Dr. Strange behind her, Carol continues to struggle with her guilt over the events she fought through in the future. With Ove’s whereabouts still unknown, Carol searches for a way to proactively prepare for her enemies reappearance.

Our story opens with one of many nightmares plaguing Carol since her return from the future. Her inability to accept that some things are beyond her control drives her to blame herself for the failure to prevent Ove from escaping into the past. Once she escapes the nightmare forged of her mind, Carol turns to the obvious choice to help one get their life in order. Spider-Woman!

The rest of Captain Marvel #28 sees Carol, inspired by Jessica Drew’s suggestions, attempt to shore up her weakness towards magic since magic is a major tool in Ove’s arsenal. As one would expect of Thompson’s writing, this quest for empowerment is filled with loads of wonderful character moments. While Carol and Jessica being in the same room are all but guaranteed to steal a show, there is a ton of wonderful smaller moments shared between Carol and the surprisingly robust cast of this issue.

While there is plenty of humor spread throughout the pages of Captain Marvel #28, Thompson also does a good job of addressing Carol’s current mental struggles. Her guilt and most likely PTSD are pointed out to her as her comrades and friends do their best to give her the help she needs, even if it isn’t the help she wants.

Even though she seeks the help of many in the Marvel Universe over the course of Captain Marvel #28, the bulk of her time is spent with the previously mentioned Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange. Which, despite recent events, is in no way awkward and/or uncomfortable (sarcasm).

Thompson captures Strange’s mildly condescending tone magnificently as he tries his best to help Carol through her issues. How he attempts to aid her is unique and creative—nothing like cryptic magical know-how to be frustratingly unhelpful.

Captain Marvel #28 Sees a new art team at the reigns of this story’s visuals. Artist Camagni delivers all the characters in this comic with great visual flair. This, coupled with yet another stunning new look for Carol (is there any look this superhero can’t rock?), and you have a great first impression made by Camagni.

While the artwork within the panels is great, I also love the fluid way the panels are laid out throughout this story. Camgani doesn’t lock into a single set up or style for this entire book. Rather, there is an excellent level of adaptability shown by the artist as each page is structured in a way that suits it best.

This wonderful art is granted even more energy through colorist Grundetjern’s work. Bright, vibrant colors bring the goofy character moments, and magical effects in this book to life.

Rounding out this book’s presentation is Cowles’s letters. The letters here do a commendable job of clearly delivering the story’s narrative. While this is a fairly quiet, dialogue-focused story, there are a few key moments of sound that pop particularly well, thanks to Cowles’s excellent designs.

When all is said and done, Captain Marvel #28 starts a new story for our protagonist in a fun way. With Carol’s search for help ending in an unexpected local Thompson has me eager to see where this story will go from here.

Captain Marvel #28  is available wherever comics are sold.