Captain Marvel #19 // Review
The war against plant aliens the Cotati is getting personal for Carol in Captain Marvel #19. It's becoming difficult to see where loyalties lie in this high stakes story from writer Kelly Thompson, penciler Cory Smith, inker Adriano Di Benedetto, colorist Tamra Bonvillain letterer with VC's Clayton Cowles.
Last issue, Carol found out she has a half-sister named Lauri-ell, and despite being sent to accuse Lauri-ell of causing a massive explosion on K'in-Al, she couldn't do it. Now, she's got to keep Lauri-ell safe from the Kree/Skull alliance and find out who was really behind the explosion. And with the reappearance of an old foe and the somewhat dark influence of the Accuser's hammer, things will only get more complicated before they get better.
Captain Marvel #19 is another great example of Thompson's ability to balance writing a story that is part of a larger event while still being self-contained enough for readers to just pick up this comic. While the bigger plot points of Captain Marvel, the Accuser, and the threat of the Cotati to Earth connect to the Empyre event, moments such as Carol and Lauri-ell discussing getting pizza and Lauri-ell spending time with Chewie bring things back down to a human level.
The art in Captain Marvel #19 feels stronger than the previous issue. The fight scenes show off Smith's ability to draw dynamic action poses, and Di Benedetto's inks are clean. Bonvillain's colors continue to shine, and Cowles is able to let loose a bit with plenty of descriptive action words. Even in the seemingly mundane scenes, Lauri-ell's interactions with Chewie and Carol make for some heartwarming and cute panels.
Lauri-ell was the stand out star of Captain Marvel #19, and it will be a shame if she's killed off or written out of the story at the end of the Empyre event. Far from feeling like a cheap plot twist, Lauri-ell's character has the potential to add a lot to Carol's story going forward and to provide a look at how unique Carol is for having both human and Kree traits. Even once the Empyre event ends, Captain Marvel's time as the Accuser is sure to have an effect on her thoughts and choices, and hopefully, her half-sister can be a part of that.