Carol and co enter deep into the hospitality and territory of Ove. But are things as they seem? Of course not, in this comic written by Kelly Thompson, art by Lee Garbett and Belén Ortega, colors by Antonio Fabela, and letters by Clayton Cowles.
Cat Purcell: Phew! For all the questions this one made me ask, I feel like we got just as many answers and it felt good! The pacing of Clayton Cowles’ lettering this issue was great. I also felt like the issues and themes that Kelly Thompson excels at were back in full force. This issue made me call my LCS and make sure they pulled a physical copy for me because the art on the cover and inside by Garbet, Ortega, and Fabela is outstanding.
Christina Eddleman: Am I coming around to this arc? When it comes to this dark future storyline, I’ve really taken a wait and sea approach. I’m feeling like by the time we reach the fin-ish line I’ll have a soft spot. Also, Cat, if this is too many fish puns, let minnow.
Something’s Fishy
CP: It seems too good to be true, but I still loved seeing a little tour. Personally, I don’t think I could stand perfect temperatures all day. Did that for 5 years in Florida and it just felt like ONE GIANT LONG YEAR. Sure, I hate scraping ice off my windshield but there’s something to be said about seasons. But I guess when your other choice is an apocalyptic wasteland . . . Seeing what Ove did to the New York Public Library made me groan, unlike your fish puns.
CE: While there’s not a moment the group seems taken in by Ove, New Atlantis does seem idyllic. Anyplace with monarch butterflies can’t be all bad, right? While things don’t seem immediately hostile, deflected questions certainly set the stage for suspicion. Also, what’s more skeevy than a man you just met attempting to dress you for a private dinner? Ove isn’t just fishy, he’s downright creepy. No amount of abs could make that less true.
CP: Right. I can’t trust a man who forces me into a dinner date and trips out all of the books after taking over a library. So it certainly makes me wonder why he’s so eager to please the group and yet makes no moves to confirm their suspicions or relieve their worries about Armor or Jolt. As Carol points out, nothing is free. I’m going to assume this dinner won’t be either. I also can’t get over how Ove declares he’s an open book to her after having REMOVED THEM ALL!? Sorry. Sorry, I just can’t let it go.
CE: Cat, this is a safe space, you can let it all out. A place should have books and butterflies before it can be considered a post-apocalyptic paradise. Emma certainly seems comfortable, however. The promise of silk sheets is enough to get her to don the outfits provided by Ove without a second thought. If I’d spent that long in a nuclear wasteland, I’d have probably put on the clothes too.
CP: Oh, hell yes. And I’d take them up on a drink or two. If we thought living through a physically distanced pandemic was hard, I can’t imagine not indulging in the finer things at a moment’s notice after living through all of that. Emma may take a few chances and walk into traps hesitantly, but she’s gonna look damn fine doing it. And I don’t blame the others for taking a few nibbles out of the apple that’s supposed to be them on the makeshift map. Who knows the last time any of them have had fresh fruit? What did you make of the plan so far, Christi?
CE: It seems rather like the group is flying by the seat of their pants, but Thompson hasn’t ever been one to let us in on the secret in advance. Who knows what the group was really up to during Carol’s creepy dinner date. This date was particularly illuminating, however.
Friends or Anemones?
CP: So, Namor and his mysterious wife hole up in Atlantis while the rest of Earth goes to shit and then Namor has enough naysayers that they kill him. Mystery Mama and Ove escape, finding the NYPL empty for the taking and joining up with a handful of other heros to create the thriving New Atlantis. Do I have that right?
CE: Sounds about right, Cat. Although, I was fairly certain once we knew the mysterious Atlantean queen was an Asguardian who it was. Blonde Asgardian that would marry Namor? Really narrows the options down. While I’m sure there is some unreliable narrator at play here, Ove’ s retelling certainly garners just a bit of sympathy. Painting himself as a victim just seeking a better life with his dear old mom? Seems pretty harmless.
CP: But then we see that shot of Ove, trident in his hand, face scrunched with violence paired with building a simple life? It’s a no from me, dawg. I have no doubt that seeing multiple attempts on your dad’s life before he’s finally murdered in front of you would leave some scars. But too many things don’t add up for me.
CE: Is it the fact that Ove glosses over the why when and how of his father’s betrayal of humankind? Or the fact that he leaves his mother’s identity a secret? Or maybe it’s the fact that Ove and his mother seemed totally alone against a “rebellion.” What at first glance seems a sympathetic tail, seems to be hiding an awful lot of truth.
CP: So much for being an open book. But I think we all knew that the moment he sent the obviously mind controlled Luke Cage after Carol. Which brings us back to the plan. What to do about a shady, skeezy prince who’s kidnapped some folks and lured the rest of the team back to his bookless evil lair? Snoop around in the dark, I guess.
They Took the Bait
CE: It all seems a bit Scooby Doo, splitting into groups to explore the evil fortress. But there’s not a “zoinks” to be found, just an Illyana Rasputin, bound by evil glowing chains. We’ve got more mutants than I expected in a Captain Marvel title. Magik’s reunion with Emma is so sweet, it almost seemed foreign in the context of how Thompson has written Emma thus far. It’s nice to see Thompson recognize Emma’s softness here. This sweet moment doesn’t last long, however, as Ove’s plotting is revealed.
CP: It’s a touching moment, captured beautifully in their expressions and then dashed to bits as we see Ove and his Mystery Mama, Enchantress stroll right in. As our team suspected when Ove seemed to know right away that Carol had slipped into this timeline, he had known where they were at now. So the mom and son duo has been collecting mutants as sources to power their paradise in the apocalypse and figured they would cash in on the others as much as they could, with Carol as the prize treasure.
CE: Using Illyana to get to Carol really was not how I expected this to go. Ove with Illyana’s Soulsword was quite the reveal on top of it all. As the son of Namor, a mutant, and Enchantress, he seems to have his fair share of abilities as he summons his very familiar looking “treasures.” None of the promise to “punish” them for being “naughty” has creepy or kinky overtones. Absolutely not.
CP: Kinky? There’s nothing kinky in comics? Never! Especially not from the wicked son of a merman and a witch. And so the fight ensues with squicks and rips and even a good WHAMMO. This team always utilizes the 9 point grid with a battle and honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. And at the end of it we get a classic reveal of the reinforcements, thanks to Kate’s arrows. The team does their best to protect Carol, but they’re no match for Enchantress’s simple magic.
CE: Carol definitely loses against magic every time. While Enchantress would be more than capable of dealing with Captain Marvel, outsourcing the task to Luke Cage is a particular mark of cruelty. With Carol strung up on the wall ominously painted with Captain Marvel’s symbol, it seems like things are not looking great for our heroes. While the nuances of Ove’s plan aren’t entirely clear yet, there’s no doubt he has nefarious plans for Carol. I mean really no doubt; he’s not subtle.
CP: Thompson did it again for me. She handed me a plot set up I turned my nose up at and here I am grumpy about having to wait a whole month for the next issue. Although I’m not quite ready to say I’ll take back what I wrote about the deja vu issue, I like the way Thompson writes her team’s and this one showed again how much she understands that Carol has no limit when it comes to standing by her friends. Ending with her being knocked out by Luke and hung on the wall made my heart ache in a way I wasn’t expecting. I really hope we can see our hero get out of this one and maybe get an actual bit of R and R? Pretty please?
CE: Oh you mean like a nice relaxing game night? I do feel like I’ve come round on this arc just a bit. While I’m happy this is a new direction for this post-apocalyptic future, it still doesn’t feel like it’s done anything I haven’t been able to anticipate. This has notes of what we’ve seen from Carol so far, but doesn’t take the character anywhere new. I’m not sure how long we’re in for Ove, but I’m not ready to give it a standing ovation just yet.
Marvelous Musings
- Ha! That panel where Emma and Carol riff on old costumes was perfection. – CP
- Why do I love the mother-son duo of Enchantress and Ove so much? I mean… it’s not #goals, but maybe it is? – CE
- These kids may not have grown up with scary movies, but I feel like everyone has a spidey sense for “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” – CP
- If only I had more chances to say “Punch her in the face until she can’t stand.” -CP
- I still gotta know what’s up with Emma’s 24/7 diamond form – CE
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.
