The decision to split the hammer of the Accuser into four parts was either Captain Marvel’s best idea or her worst. In Captain Marvel #20, the latest Empyre tie-in story, from writer Kelly Thompson, penciler Cory Smith, inker Adriano Di Benedetto, colorist Tamra Bonvillain, and letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles, she’s about to find out which it is. 

If the Kree find out that Captain Marvel had Doctor Strange split the hammer, they’ll kill her, Hazmat, Spider-Woman, and War Machine, the newly minted Accusers. But if she hadn’t done that, Lauri-ell might’ve been wrongfully executed. But now there’s four Accuser’s hunting down the true villain behind the destruction of K’in-Al (the former sanctuary city for the Kree and Skrull), and four heads, or hammers, are better than one. 

The way Captain Marvel #20 adds more to Lauri-ell’s character by interacting with Carol’s friends, Hazmat and Spider-Woman, is great. And while the reveal of who was truly behind K’in-Al’s destruction isn’t a huge surprise, it was satisfying to watch Captain Marvel, and her friends lay down some Accuser justice. 

Artistically there’s nothing that particularly stands out in Captain Marvel #20. Much like Captain Marvel’s team of Accusers, everyone on the art team is strong on their own but even stronger together. There were a few panels scattered throughout where the art seemed slightly off, where background details got a little blurry, or the proportions of characters were slightly off. Maybe this is because, during the action scenes, there are so many characters to balance. Regardless, this isn’t a huge issue within the story, and overall the art is well done. 

While Captain Marvel #20 was an overall enjoyable story, it’s becoming harder to care about the stakes if you aren’t following the rest of the Empyre event. Some questions can’t be answered by just reading this story, like what do the Cotati want, and why are they such a threat to Earth? Readers shouldn’t have to follow multiple tie-ins and the titular event comic to keep up with the characters they’re personally interested in. This isn’t the fault of the creative team behind Captain Marvel #20, they’re doing their best to keep Carol’s story entertaining, but it’s going to be a huge relief when the Empyre event finally ends, and Captain Marvel’s story can go back to standing largely on its own. 

GRADE: C