ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Captain Marvel,’ Issue #37

Captain Marvel #37 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Kelly Thompson, art by Julius Ohta, colors by Ruth Redmond, and letters by Clayton Cowles. With her recent defeat of Vox Supreme behind her, Captain Marvel attempts to settle back into her normal life. Well, as normal as it gets when inter-dimensional cat-wizards keep attacking you and you are busy trying to help your new sidekick, who you accidentally created out of your own energy, acclimate to life that is.

With the last couple of months keeping me busy, it is nice to be back reviewing one of my favorite ongoing comics. And I gotta say, this issue is a great one to check out. Because here we get to enjoy Thompson’s amazing writing as she elevates one of comics less loved story types into the fine art that all of her writing is. I speak of the filler issue.

All too often in comics, the issue that occupies the space between major story arcs can land with a bit of a dull thud. Crafting a story that engages, entertains, and feels relevant to the characters can be tricky to do with only a single issue. Yet, Thompson’s tale here manages to do all that, leaving an exciting cliffhanger to get the hype going for the next story and delivering all the fun and emotion the writer is known for.

The action in Captain Marvel #37 centers on Carol and Monica’s (Spectrum) recurring battles with the evil cat-wizards they had previously dispatched from New York City. These moments are filled with punch and excitement, especially as Carol’s new ally Binary gets to show off her powers as well.

But when Binary causes harm to a bystander Carol and Monica have to take Binary away to try to help her understand the intricacies of life with humans. Thompson uses these moments of life teaching to impart an incredible amount of joy and heart to the story and particularly Binary herself. If I may paraphrase the meme, “I’ve only known Binary for an issue and a half, but if anything happens to her I will kill everyone in this story and then myself.”

The thing that truly makes Binary’s best moments hit home is how Thompson chooses to portray the character’s emotional development. Having just come into existence days earlier, Binary’s understanding of many of the deeper concepts of life is similar to that of a young child’s. This allows the character to deliver a ton of innocent moments that makes the reader want nothing more than to protect her, even though she is more than capable of protecting herself.

The artwork in Captain Marvel #37 brings the boundless energy of its cast to life. Ohta’s lines deliver every blast, smile, and heartstring-pulling moment with the perfect angles and compositions. Couple these with the lovely colors and excellent shading of Redmond and you have a visual design that easily compliments and enhances the book’s story. Cowles’s dialogue placement always allows the lettering to flow smoothly and the sound effects scattered throughout the panels always bring the perfect energy to their moments.

When all is said and done, Captain Marvel #37 delivers everything I could ask for and a little more. With a perfect mix of action, fun, and emotion, the story works overtime to please its readers and succeeds greatly at the endeavor.

Captain Marvel #37 is available on March 30th wherever comics are sold.