Captain
Marvel Volume 1: In Pursuit of Flight
Kelly Sue DeConnick, Dexter
Soy, Emma Rios, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles; Marvel Comics
So, you’ve heard Marvel is producing a film
called Captain Marvel in 2018 and
want to know where to start reading about this hero? You have come to the right place.
Captain Marvel is Carol Danvers, a former
USAF pilot, current Avenger, and my all-time favorite super hero. I feel like
it’s only fair to tell you before we move on: I have an ongoing Carol Danvers
Situation, capital S necessary. There is a bias in this post, and the bias is
that I think Carol Danvers is actually THE BEST.
Marvel Studios’ recent Phase 3 announcement
brought us the news that a Captain Marvel film will be hitting the big screen in July of
2018. I’m completely floored by the news, but for many people, the announcement
bought questions about who this character is, why she should be the character
to land the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first female-led title, and why this
matters. With In Pursuit of Flight, collecting
issues 1-6 of Kelly Sue DeConnick’s 2012 run of Captain Marvel, we see many of
the story elements that have me excited for the hero Carol Danvers to gain a
wider audience.
As I talk though these points, *SPOILERS* will arise, so continue at your own risk.
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1.
She looks like a female superhero should look.
Carol Danvers looks strong and powerful
without surrendering her femininity. Jamie McKelvie’s redesigned uniform drew
me to Captain Marvel in the first place—here we have a woman fighting in a flight
suit instead of a bathing suit, wearing something that fans refer to more
frequently as Carol’s “uniform” than her “costume.” Though a costume change may
seem like a small thing, consider my own comics experience—thought I’ve been
reading comic books since I was a kid in the late 1990’s, the look of a superhero
was never intriguing enough for me to pick up a book until Carol’s Captain
Marvel uniform hit the stands in 2012.
The art of In Pursuit of Flight supports this strength. Dexter Soy, who
provides the art for the first part of this trade, is a favorite artist of mine
because of how powerful Carol looks, and how dynamic his world feels on the
page.
Emma Rios, who provides art for the second portion
of the trade, brings a completely different style, one in which Carol has never
looked more ethereal and magical.
Both artists avoid exploitive poses or
costumes, and both are masters at showing emotion in their drawing.
2.
Carol Danvers is confident about who she is and what her strengths are.
For all that this book touches on the
question of names and titles and how those concepts impact our identity, Carol
is very clear about who she is—She’s an Avenger. First and foremost, Carol
Danvers is fighting to protect, save, and to serve, because that is what heroes
do. She also clearly knows that she’s good at it—Her dialogue during fight
scenes is some of the best I’ve read, because Carol is very aware that she excels at punching and blasting. Her confidence borders right on the edge of
cockiness, and it’s a sort of confidence I think we see very rarely from female
super heroes. “These girls have never seen anything like this in their lives,”
she narrates as she begins to face down some powerful alien tech. “I’m an
Avenger…we call this Tuesday.”
This is not, I should point out, to say
that Carol Danvers isn’t smart. All
the time she is reacting in the moment, she’s also putting together the pieces
of what’s going on, considering her plan, and adjusting as new information
arises. The USAF veteran is also a tactician, one who often adapts her plans on the fly, even if she sometimes does so recklessly, disregarding her own safety.
3.
Her weaknesses are just as familiar to her.
The central plot of In Pursuit of Flight circles around a time travel adventure that
sees Carol dropped unexpectedly into the era of WWII. She realizes this when
she runs into the Banshee Squadron, an all-women group of WWII pilots, and realizing the potential of altering history Carol fully acknowledges that she has no idea what she should be doing. Though I’m usually not
one for time travel plots, this one calls itself out early on. Time travel is a compelling problem for Carol to face, because it isn’t one she can't easily fight head on.
4.
Carol maintains interpersonal relationships with other women.
For some reason, varied relationships
between female characters can be hard to come by in comics. In just the first
volume, we see a number of these relationships in Carol’s life, such as a
supportive friendship with Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman, a friendship with Tracy,
a older friend and former coworker who Carol is supporting through a fight with
cancer, and even her relationship with Helen Cobb, clearly someone Carol views
as a hero or mentor, and later, when the time travel plot brings Carol together
with Helen’s young self, as competition. We see Carol relate to the Banshee
Squadron as a fellow soldier and as a leader, as well. As a medium, comics can
sometimes forget that friendships can cross generations, and that relationships
have a huge spectrum of variation, In
Pursuit of Flight remembers.
5.
She considers the value of legacy.
First we see it at the start of our story,
when Carol has to decide if she’s going to take on the mantle of Captain
Marvel. It’s clear that part of her is worried it somehow lessens Mar-Vell’s
legacy for her to do so—and part of her clearly wants the power and history of
that legacy to become part of her own story. We see it again when Helen Cobb
leaves Carol her plane in her will—Carol’s first act is to set off to prove
that Helen Cobb’s flight record is accurate.
The whole of this arc of Carol’s story also
considers a broader legacy—that of the women that came before her. The Banshees
are our first reminder, couched in this fictional world, of a very real sexism
experienced by women throughout history – women could not be pilots in the
armed forces in WWII, so women much like the Banshee Squadron served in
civilian support roles, even though they often were putting their lives on the
line just as much as enlisted forces. They
thought of themselves as soldiers, even if no one else would recognize them as
such.
Our second reminder comes with another jump
to the 1960s, where the women pilots of Mercury 13 are facing down the injustice of a system that
won’t allow them to pursue a NASA training program. Their hopes are dashed by
their gender and their era, and it’s heartbreaking to witness these women’s
devastation for both the reader and for Carol.
This story is absolutely about the legacy of women such as the Banshees and the Mercury 13 left for women who came after, an unashamedly
feminist statement about how important it is for us to remember and honor their
struggle for equality. DeConnick does her best to honor them in story, and
Carol clearly recognizes how these women helped pave the way for her own
service and the pursuit of her own dreams to fly.
6. For
as much as legacy is valued, Carol sees the importance of continuing to move
forward.
It’s a letter from Helen that is the final
push Carol needs to take the title of Captain Marvel. “Helen would punch holes
in the sky,” she reasons to herself, sitting at the edge of space thinking
about her place in the world. When in the final arc of the book, she finds herself
in a position to reset, to remove the weight of legacy, Carol can see the value
of who she is, and when the moment comes, she rushes right in because someone
needs saving, and that is what heroes do. Not only is this who she is, but it’s
who she wants to be.
Carol’s story is one of continuing to dream
and to push forward. She encourages it in others and expects it of herself.
“You and me’ve always been like this,” Helen writes in her letter. “Always
dreaming. Of higher, further, faster, more. The Lord put us here to punch holes
in the sky, and when a soul is born with that kind of purpose, it’ll damn sure
find a way.”
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In
Pursuit of Flight is the beginning of Carol
Danvers’ tenure as Captain Marvel, and is as much about the shift in how she
names herself as it is about the time travel shenanigans and fighting bad guys.
The volume features an adventurous
plot and a cast of characters to be marvelled at. The dialogue is snappy and
engaging, a balance between being believable and sounding exactly like what a
super hero would say. I can, at the same
time, relate to Carol’s relationships and wish I could have abilities as
awesome as hers. It’s a fantastic volume if you’re new to super hero comics, or
if you’re just looking for a new hero to love.
And Carol Danvers? I believe this list is
just a few of the many reasons Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel has resonated
with so many people. Carol is everything I want in a hero: she’s strong and
confident. She lifts up and encourages those around her, but still banters
playfully with her friends. While she’s facing down a challenge, she knows her
strengths and her weaknesses, and isn’t afraid to own that there are some
things that are not her forte. She’s both confident and questioning, strong and
soft. She flies fast, kicks ass, and
looks fly as hell while she’s doing it.
I often describe Captain Marvel as the book
I wish someone could have handed to 12-year-old me, but the truth is I need to
hear what she has to say even now, on a pretty much daily basis. I needed a
hero like this at 8 and 12 and 16 and 19 and even now at 26. When she’s on the
big screen in 2018, girls won’t have to wait until they’re an adult to see a
hero they want to be.
Fly. Be bold. Honor those that came before
you, but never stop pushing for your own dreams. Punch holes in the sky.
Post by Jennifer DePrey
Previously:
