Carol has to channel her inner Jessicas, while Lauri-Ell proves that she’s worth it, at helping out in NYC, that is! And finally, a Corps is formed! The team of Kelly Thompson, Cory Smith, Adriano di Benedetto, Tamra Bonvillain, and VC’s Clayton Cowls bring us this Empyre seasoned issue.
Cat Purcell: I’m always down for a space detective story from having grown up with Star Trek. Obviously, with Lauri-Ell as Carol’s half sister this complicates things. I do believe Carol will be as impartial as possible, but how impartial can she really be? All I know for sure is when little old ladies ask me to recommend a mystery to them, I can now point to this issue instead of just saying I only read sci-fi.
Christina Eddleman: I love a good tie-in sidequest, and Thompson is giving us just that. While Carol is up to different adventures in Empyre, these Captain Marvel tie-ins are shaping up to be a somewhat self-contained adventure. We’ve got Captain Marvel with some LaCroix style essence of Empyre. Let’s grip it and rip it, shall we?
K’in-Al Investigation
CE: For anyone afraid Carol taking on the mantle of accuser would mean she would become beholden to the Kree and Hulkling, think again! Our girl is ruled by her own moral compass and nothing else, as always. It’s good to see her operating by her own rules throughout this investigation. She even stumbles on an old… friend? What do you make of this encounter with Walter, Cat?
CP: First off, I appreciated her convo checking in with our Hulkling and putting all her cards on the table. I thought the team up series with Ms. Marvel was fun and enjoyed seeing Walter again. I definitely see him as Jeff Bridges so it felt like a friendly face in a tense situation. Or is it? After the hammer reveals that Lauri-Ell just enjoys picking flowers and suddenly Walter is nowhere to be seen. What could be going on?
CE: I have a few theories and I’m not quite certain if they all interconnect. Carol has been suspicious of not only the hammer, but what really may have been the cause of the destruction of K’in-Al. I agree with Carol that she needs her Jessicas (and boy did I love that line). On top of it all, she really has no idea exactly just how this universal Kree weapon works. We’ve got a true mystery on our hands.
CP: I thought I knew where this arc was going, but this addition of Walter and the questionable hammer instead of just the surprise appearance of a sister Carol didn’t know she had has thrown me for a loop.
CE: One thing worth noting is that the events in Empyre #4 have left me suspicious of Carol’s hammer. I go into this more in Empyre Records, but I’m not sure if these tie-ins are connected enough to the main title for it to matter. Is it another layer to this mystery? Only time will tell!
Lauri-Ell in the City
CP: I need a whole issue on Lauri-Ell hunting the city for cat food please and thank you. From the encounter with the empty fridge, to outfit changes and grocery shopping, this was a fun bit to show more of Lauri-Ell’s character. “A stranger comes to town” is usually a fun trope and I think Thompson nailed it, bringing in some light hearted fun to a heavy event. Cori Smith, Adriano Di Benetto and Tamra Bonvillain excelled at these warm frames and facial expressions as well.
CE: Lauri-Ell’s New York City romp is exactly the fun we’ve come to expect from Thompson. A perfect opportunity to endear us to Carol’s newly discovered half-sister, topped with a sister team up to kick some Cotati butt. There’s that “essence of Empyre” I’m talking about. Does it really matter what baddies they’re fighting? No. Does it manage to tie us into the event? Enough! Which was your favorite sisterly moment from this issue, Cat?
CP: Seeing Carol and Lauri-Ell team up to take out some nasty trees was a lot of fun, but the part where they work together to save that little girl and get her back to her family was adorable. It also made it all the more suspect that Lauri-Ell could really be capable of taking out a planet. And her short bit about channeling her life’s violent training into a better thing will make it all the more difficult for me if she isn’t as good as she seems. Is that still your impression, Christi?
CE: All it took was smelling flowers to convince me that Lauri-Ell is pure and good. I will hear nothing to the contrary from now until the end of time. A beautiful, perfect shimbo that I hope gets to be a permanent fixture in Carol’s life. (Please, please, please Kelly!) Given how great Carol works with her pals, doesn’t she need an adorable sister sidekick?
CP: Yes! And as someone with a little sister myself, I’m looking forward to more team ups with them. I’d really get to know Lauri-Ell more even if she isn’t around forever. They play off each other well and after getting to see Carol mentor Kamala, it’s cool that she gets her own actual little sis as well.
Time for a Team-Up!
CE: When Carol said she needed her Jessica, I didn’t imagine quite like this! We’ve talked several times about how Thompson’s Captain Marvel really capitalizes on Carol’s relationships, and I’m glad to see it again here. We’ve got a pretty classic Carol friend line-up here, and I enjoy it.
CP: Yeah, I really appreciate how she writes Carol as not only willing to go to others for help, but to utilize their skills in a way she couldn’t. Sparkle punching through everything would be fun, but not always practical and it’s cool to see Dr. Strange’s magic depicted here to test out this hammer. What do you think these glowing green duplicates are gonna lead our new little team?
CE: While I am incredibly supportive of Carol seeking our her pals for help, the move to have Doctor Strange duplicate it is a bit baffling to me. While it makes for a really cool aesthetic, Carol still isn’t certain how the Kree Universal Weapon works! What’s the best method of testing? Apparently making magical copies for your friends! Not to mention Carol’s mistrust of the hammer’s power. I hope we get some fun fight scenes, but I’m worried that the duplicates will only complicate this investigation.
CP: It seemed like an odd route to take to me as well, but it did look really cool! Hopefully the duplicate hammers wont go awry while the investigation continues. I have a feeling it will take Carol down some routes that either the Skrull, Kree, or both won’t want her to go, so there will definitely be a chance to use it. Surely it’s not just a symbolic hammer that happens to work as a spyglass not bound by time? This issue gave us a lot to think about and gave us a lot more questions than answers.
CE: This issue has added some fun layers of mystery to our Empyre: Captain Marvel tie-in saga. While it’s not groundbreaking storytelling, it’s sure is a fun read. Were I not beholden to a certain unnamed website, I feel like I could read these tie-in issues and skip the main Empyre title altogether. Even though I have enjoyed Empyre as an event, these issues have not felt entrenched in the continuity.
CP: Hot damn I’m excited for the next issue on the cover art ALONE. I had previously said I hated events, but this one has been fun. I’m not sure on the timeline between this Carol and where the Carol depicted in Empyre fits in, but honestly, I don’t really care? I like the mystery going on in Captain Marvel’s solo tie in and I like the action and intrigue in the Empyre Event as a whole. I haven’t kept up with all the tie ins, but I still feel like I’m not left behind and am enjoying it without having to read titles I don’t care for. That to me is a well done Event. But the bonus is that everything I’ve read so far has been really fun!
Marvelous Musings
- “Should have brought my Jessica’s” – now I also need a Jones and Drew team up mini series.
- My husband would appreciate the Band of Brothers quote if I could only get him to read comics. – CP
- I appreciate it- Editor Chris
Cat Purcell is a Career Services Librarian, cosplayer, artist, and massive coffee consumer.
Christi Eddleman is the world’s first Captain Kate Pryde cosplayer and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths.
