Binary #2: Two Jeans and Two Halves of Carol

Binary #2 continues Carol’s mission as the protector of her hometown, picking up right where the first issue left off. Stephanie Phillips (Phoenix) shows off an impressive understanding of the core characters in Binary’s second issue. Carol Danvers’ characterization as an enduring heroine both defined by her past and in spite of it makes her one of Marvel’s more layered female characters, which Phillips brings out in full force in this month’s issue. Aside from Carol, two equally mysterious versions of Jean Gray are also well characterized by Phillip’s writing and Travis Lanham’s (Spider-Man & Wolverine) letters.

The issue’s deeper thematic elements are sharp; Carol is dealing with insecurities surrounding how she’s used the Phoenix’s powers and how she measures up against what she thinks Jean could have and would have done with those powers so far. This internal struggle loosely mirrors the inherent differences between Jean and Madelyne, bridging the two thematic halves of the issue together. Where the writing really shines, however, is in how the Phoenix Force affects Carol’s agency as an individual. The trauma of her past coupled with feelings of self-doubt around whether or not she is the correct successor to the Phoenix is what drives her, but the Phoenix’s constant nudging towards an unknown larger goal is the fuel to Carol’s own flames. A character element she shares with her predecessor in more ways than one.

The combined art team of Giada Belviso’s (Laura Kinney: Wolverine) pencils and Rachelle Rosenberg’s (Mockingbird) colors work well together to capture Beverly’s rundown state of decay as an isolated bubble kept safe from Revelation’s X-Virus but starving for more in the way of both supplies and freedom. New characters introduced in this issue and last month’s Binary #1 each have distinct faces and character designs that are memorable without feeling as iconic as a classic Marvel superhero might.

The balance of substance and flair comes to a head towards the middle and end parts of the issue where Carol (aka Binary) is forced into combat and survival by the story’s events. The crackling energy of Carol’s abilities, the destructive power of a dynamite explosion, and the whirling flames of the Phoenix Force are each given careful attention by the art team, which brings the issue’s characters to life and gives their struggle a visual medium that thrives from the first page to the last.