Captain Marvel #14 Review

Captain Marvel #14 brings The Enemy Within story arc to an explosive, emotionally resonant close, as writer Kelly Sue DeConnick pushes Carol Danvers to her breaking point. As Yon-Rogg's villainous plan gets dangerously close to fruition, Captain Marvel is forced to confront her demons. Her struggle to overcome her weaknesses has been the beating heart of this story since its beginning, and here, DeConnick brings the narrative to a startlingly powerful close.

This issue is packed to the gills with action, but it's Carol's internal battle that propels the story forward. It's a testament to DeConnick's ability as a writer that she can create a narrative eye of the storm amidst the wholesale destruction of New York City (must be Wednesday in the Marvel universe). There's an uneasy sort of symmetry to Yon-Rogg's confrontation with Carol -- they're both neither here nor there, out of place and lonely as ever. Their destinies have been intertwined since Captain Marvel gained her powers, and DeConnick capitalizes on the character's rich history to bring her story to a truly epic crescendo.

I've criticized Captain Marvel before for its inconsistent art, and issue #14 is still plagued with a few visual issues. Even though the series has lacked a steady, visual language for some time now, individual issues have for the most part maintained an internal consistency. In this issue, art duties were split between Scott Hepburn and Gerardo Sandoval. While their differences aren't as glaring as they could be, there are some quirks that make the intermittent switches between artists noticeable enough for it to be mildly distracting.

But not even the inconsistent visuals could dampen DeConnick's narrative. The strength of the story lies in its mission statement, which is as consistent as it is brilliant. Sometimes, we're our own worst enemies, but even then, we can be our own heroes.

Melissa Grey is a lover of all things cats, comics, and outer space. She can be found on MyIGN at MelissaGrey or lurking on Twitter @meligrey.

Source : ign[dot]com