Captain Marvel #7
Recap
WAR OF THE REALMS TIE-IN! Captain Marvel’s got a magical right hook — but what happens when she loses her mighty fists? When a powerful spell from the Enchantress causes Carol and DOCTOR STRANGE to body-swap, everything about their mission is called into question. What was once a covert ops mission with BLACK WIDOW to take down the Enchantress and her “Land of the Dead” is now a comedy of errors — casting spells wasn’t exactly covered in Carol’s military training. But Carol Danvers is more than her powers, and the Enchantress is about to discover that the hard way.
Review
The conclusion to Captain Marvel’s War of the Realms tie-in is yet another exploration into the body swap cliche with all confused explanations you could want or even imagine, but at least they manage to find a way to bring down the Enchantress!
The most redeeming aspect of this two part tie-in is that it will quickly transition back to our original story away from all the mayhem of war. These last two issues have been a step backwards for the series in all honesty. Body swap stories are one of the most overused tropes in comics and the story ultimately suffers from just not being able to overcome the mundanities of this narrative. There are some funny moments between Carol and Strange and the action is done really well, it’s just not enough.
Unfortunately, the story isn’t all that is lacking. The artistic direction is underwhelming to say the least. I understand these types of tie-ins are more about deadlines than anything, but there are just too many disappointing panels. Half-page panels featuring characters with no faces, anatomical errors and bland backgrounds all contribute to this issue failing to live up to expectations.
The cliffhanger is the silver lining of Captain Marvel #7 though. Coughing up blood is a sure sign of something terrible to come in future issues for Carol. As we shift back into the regular story outside of Marvel’s latest Earth-shattering event, it will certainly be interesting to see not only how Carol is coping, but how she is feeling as well!
Overall, I’ll just say that I’m glad this tie-in story has reached its conclusion, and I am looking forward to returning to our regularly scheduled programming.
Final Thoughts
The conclusion to Captain Marvel's War of the Realms tie-in unfortunately just feels uninspired, which is a shame, because there was a lot of potential to explore the psychological impact of her role in the war. Oh well, on to the next issue!
War of the Realms: Captain Marvel #7: Go Go “Binary Power-Up”!
- Writing - 4/104/10
- Storyline - 5/105/10
- Art - 4/104/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10