The ‘all age adventure’ range of comic books from IDW brings us the first solo story of the flerkin amazing Carol Danvers in Marvel Action: Captain Marvel: Cosmic CAT-tastrophe.
For those unfamiliar with the Marvel Action series of books, it delivers licensed stories of all your favourite Marvel characters, just written for all ages; an incredibly smart move when your main titles are rated ‘Teen’ and your box office movies can be restricted behind a 12a rating.
The fact that these are ‘kids’ books should not put you off, though. Writer Sam Maggs has Carol’s voice down to a T. Her trademark headstrong confidence is there, complemented by the usual cheesy jokes and gentle sarcasm that humanises the character in the best Marvel traditions.
Despite all her powers and superhero swagger, Carol is an introvert and a loner, often too proud to ask for or accept help. Fortunately, she is not really alone and there’s a wonderful theme of friendship and support that runs through the whole book
In Cosmic CAT-astrophe we find Carol and Jessica [Drew, Spider-Woman] enjoying a quiet night in after a hard day’s avenging. When, would you believe, an army of a-paw-able cats has invaded New York. But wait, are these cats or are they Flerkins, the most deadly creatures in the universe who just so happen to look like cats?
Needless to say, Captain Marvel is the only woman for the job and dives headfirst into action, but has she bitten off more than a tentacle can chew?
What comes next is a complete story arc filled with hilarious moments of deadly cuteness supplemented by a never-ending stream of some of the best/worst cat puns you could ever think of.
Sweeney Boo’s artwork paired with Brittany Peer’s colouring complements the light-hearted nature of the story, skewing more to a bright Saturday morning cartoon style instead of the more shaded tones familiar to the current Marvel issues. There are interspersed some beautifully textured splash pages and dynamic action layouts that grab the attention with clever and thoughtful choices.
For hardcore Marvel fans, the story may feel a little tame but as a gateway book for younger readers, it’s ideal. The all-female creative team show off all that’s great about the character while not shying away from her foibles, providing younger readers with a three-dimensional role model that inspires and entertains.
Captain Marvel: Cosmic CAT-tastrophe is available now priced at £7.99.
