Quirky Cat
Yes! It's officially time to delve into this new Binary and her story! Captain Marvel, Volume 8: The Trials, is already promising to be a fascinating addition to the Captain Marvel core. Does anybody else have a million theories about what is going on?
In the last volume, Captain Marvel came up against a familiar foe, and in doing so...she unintentionally created something new. Or perhaps it only appears as she created it. Only time will tell! That something? Binary.
Just when Carol and Binary are getting into a rhythm with their new life, something happens to make Captain Marvel go missing. At least there's a new hero willing to step up and help keep the Earth safe. Even if she doesn't understand how this world works yet...
Writing
Okay, so I must admit that Captain Marvel, Volume 8 was a surprisingly emotional roller coaster, at least for me. It also blows me away what Kelly Thompson manages to come up with. I'm so happy she got put in charge of Captain Marvel, as I've been enjoying her content. Anyway, moving on.
This volume promised to answer many questions regarding Binary (I wanted to say the one and only Binary, but that's not really true anymore, is it?). Her origin, while witnessed on the pages, is still a bit of a mystery. At least she seems to be adjusting well. On that note, seeing how she reacted to the world was pretty interesting. It gave me more than a few big laughs. It also broke my heart at one moment (this moment comes with a trigger warning for animal death, so do consider yourself warned).
While Binary was off having her fun adventures, Captain Marvel was doing something a bit different. Well, for half the volume, at least. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed that subplot. It probably didn't bring everything that happened during The End to a close, but it feels more wrapped up now.
Personally, I really enjoyed the interactions between all the characters involved, especially regarding their arguments. It gave a voice to many concerns about Captain Marvel and her power levels. I appreciated the candid nature of it all.
Artwork
As always, the artwork in Captain Marvel, Volume 8, is pretty brilliant. I love the bold styles her series tends to cultivate, as it works well with her personality. Artists involved in this volume include Julius Ohta (artist), Juan Frigeri (artist), Alvaro Lopez (artist), Carlos Gomez (artist), Ruth Redmond (colorist), Jordie Bellaire (colorist), Dijjo Lima (colorist), and VC's Clayton Cowles (letterer).
Overall, I would have to say that I loved everything here. The artists did a good job of playing with all the different tones involved. For example, the comical moments run away with that vibe, while the more somber moment is carefully handled. I appreciate that.
There is one odd scene I want to comment on, and I will try to be delicate here to avoid spoilers. There's a scene that is meant to be dramatic, as Carol damages herself as a way of gaining control over the situation. However, the art style shift for this scene seems to have reduced the impact. I'm not saying that I would have wanted it to be more graphic (I'm good, thanks), but to me, it felt a bit...hollow.
On the bright side, the lettering is superb. One scene, in particular, comes to mind here, where you can feel the letters (and therefore voice) change with what is happening. It made me laugh, especially since it was such a small thing. Pure perfection.
Conclusion
Fans of Captain Marvel should not skip out on the latest volume, Captain Marvel, Volume 8. This is especially true if you're fond of Binary, Lauri-ell, or any other characters that appear in this volume (consider her group of friends, and you can probably guess).
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