In Pursuit of Flight opens on the tag-team of Captain Marvel and Captain America battling a dimwitted foe who wants to steal moon rocks “for moon powers!” Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick pits a smartass Captain Marvel against such foes, as well as matters of the heart like her loss of the original Captain Marvel, Kree warrior Mar-Vell. The humor is probably what I love best about Captain Marvel. She even has a friend, Monica Rambeau (another former Captain Marvel), a welcome guest star in Volume 2 of her adventures. Monica and Carol have a great rapport, they sass each other and make fun of how many codenames they’ve both assumed. There’s a bit of time travel involved, and Carol meets the Banshee Squadron: Bijou Kawasaki, Daisy, Rivka, and Jerri. They’re not technically military, but civil service pilots to help the cause. They’re so good, they got the new planes to take soldiers from CA to Hawaii. The girls call their superior Jerri sir not ma’am. These fine heroes are definitely based on the real life lady pilots of WWII. [related article: Kelly Sue DeConnick and Christopher Sebela Interview] In the second volume, Down, Carol learns that she has a lesion on her brain and is literally grounded. She’s not allowed to fly. She’s predictably pitted against a flying villain soon after, who tests her moral commitments and her stubbornness. I greatly enjoy this character because of several reasons: She has to prove herself, first as a captain in the Air Force. She totally nails that goal since she leaves the service as a Colonel and jokes about outranking Captain America. In her superhero persona, she feels the need to prove herself a suitable replacement after the death of Mar-Vell, the original Captain Marvel. Carol has some inner turmoil and inadequacies to get through, but she doesn’t let it slow her down. She’s also smart. She can piece together clues and figure strategies, even though her preference is “give me something I can hit.” Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!
