Captain Marvel #36 // Review
It’s the explosive end of The Last of the Marvel’s arc, as Captain Marvel and her allies face off against Vox Supreme. Captain Marvel #36 is written by Kelly Thompson, drawn by Sergio Dávila, inked by Sean Parsons and Roberto Poggi, colored by Erick Arciniega, and lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles.
Way back in the Last Avenger arc (Captain Marvel #13-17), Vox Supreme kidnapped Carol, trapping her in a black suit, and ordered her to kill the Avengers. And while she managed to outsmart Vox Supreme and save her friends, it wasn’t the end of Vox Supreme. Vox Supreme came for the other Marvels, including Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), and Spectrum (Monica Rambeau), trapping them in the same suits as before.
While Carol managed to rescue the other Marvels and create a sentient being out of her own excess energy, Vox Supreme had even more tricks up his sleeve. The strange sludge Carol, Rhodey, and Lauri-Ell found on Throneworld II (Captain Marvel #31)? Vox Supreme has filled black suits full of it. Thankfully, Captain Marvel has tricks of her own with the Avengers (including Spider-Woman, Black Panther, War Machine, Thor, and more) and the Guardians of the Galaxy (including Starlord, Rocket, Groot, Moondragon, and Drax), showing up as backup.
Thompson’s writing in Captain Marvel #36 is top-notch. Many of the plot points involved, Lauri-Ell, Vox Supreme, the sludge, have shown up in previous issues, and it feels narratively satisfying to see these things come back into relevance. Lauri-Ell’s introduction and continued presence in Thompson’s Captain Marvel run has been one of the best parts, and any time she shows up is a fun time.
In addition to the fantastic writing, the art within Captain Marvel #36 is stunning. The colors are excellent; everything is vivid and striking. The art team makes many choices that improve the visual interest of the story, including panels where the action spills over from the panel itself into the gutter space. And the action scenes are well-paced and flow seamlessly across the page. A lot is going on visually with so many characters involved, but it’s never overwhelming. It’s easy to follow the dialogue, as well as the action.
Captain Marvel #36 is the perfect ending to a story arc with its action-packed sequences balanced by the emotional catharsis of Carol finally vanquishing a foe that’s come after her time after time.
