Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest (CAPTAIN MARVEL: DARK TEMPEST, #1)

[Quirky Cat]

Summary:

Life hasn't been too easy on Carol lately. Just when she could really use a break, she finds herself thrown into a new adventure – literally. One moment, she was talking to a group of teenage troublemakers; the next, she was on a strange planet.

That wouldn't normally be a problem. The problem comes in the form of the teenagers that were thrown here alongside her. She can't exactly fly them all home, now can she? Worse, these teens seem to be getting pulled into a revenge plot against her.

Review:

Oh, it so pains me to say this, but I don't think I liked Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest all that much. Okay, let me take a step back: I had to work hard to go into this with neutral expectations. I'm still hurting because of the end of the current (not current anymore, though, is it?) run of Captain Marvel. I loved Kelly Thompson's take and wasn't ready to see the reigns handed off (not that they needed my permission or anything, ha).

So maybe my not loving this volume is a little bit biased on my part. But I don't think so. Even the good parts of Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest felt rushed at best. And there are good parts! The teens have some excellent points about technology and their future. But it's all shunted to the side for the sake of a grudge. Sigh.

Also, any Captain Marvel plot that includes Spider-Woman will generally make me happy. But Jessica almost feels like an afterthought half the time. Speaking of afterthoughts, Chewy was mentioned in the description, but in reality, she's there for, like, two panels, so that's disappointing. #JusticeForChewy.

Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest tried to do something I love from the Kelly Thomson run of Captain Marvel – acknowledge the past. In this case, it attempted to address Carol's past with Nitro. Unfortunately, that past is dark and complex and probably couldn't have been appropriately handled in only five issues. So it feels flat at best and offensive at worst. I'm inclined to go with flat, but other fans may feel differently.

I would love to know if the new superheroes introduced (created?) in Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest will become part of the larger lore that is Marvel. I could see it going that way. Likewise, I could see them getting dropped into limbo, never to be seen again. I'll have to do some digging into that.

Highlights:
Captain Marvel
Superheroes
New Superhero Crew?
Spider-Woman Cameos

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