Writer: Kelly Thompson
Art: Julius Ohta and Ruth Redmond
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 30th, 2022
Binary lives! In Captain Marvel #37, Captain Marvel and Spectrum have returned from space after vanquishing Vox Supreme and his armada. During the battle, Captain Marvel manifested her Binary form, which now is a separate entity from her. Now back on Earth, Carol has to deal with this near-omnipotent “sister” she’s created. Will Binary be an even bigger threat to Earth than Vox Supreme?
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The Story
Captain Marvel #37 begins with Carol and Spectrum battling a kaiju-sized monster akin to a Hydra from Greek myth, but this creature has giant fanged cat heads instead of canine heads. And it stinks. Literally stinks, of cat pee and cabbage. Insert any jokey references to the aroma of New York City here.
The creature (and the mysterious Abra Kadabra-type villain who controls it) pop up a few times during the course of this issue, but the main focus of the book is Binary, as Carol and Spectrum try to acclimate her to humanity. Binary, like great fictional characters of the past including the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz” and Data from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, has intelligence and strength, but has zero understanding of humans and what it’s like to be human.
I enjoyed seeing Binary fumbling her way through human issues, as Carol tries desperately to teach her about things as Spectrum gets a kick out of it all. It’s a better than average “Stranger in a Strange Land” type journey, with a few guest-star characters popping up along the way. This was the most enjoyable part of the book, and I hope Binary stays around a while, so we can see her evolve over time, and hopefully become human herself?
Carol and Spectrum make a great duo, very formidable and full of sassy quips. I never could understand why Marvel kept them on opposite sides of the country for so long, they work well together. I enjoyed their interplay and the battle scenes, where their power sets complemented each other perfectly. The only negative of this issue is the villain and his monster. They get annoying real quick, popping up over and over like an all-day screening of “Groundhog Day”.
The Art
Julius Ohta’s art on Captain Marvel #37 is great in the action sequences and the calmer scenes. The monstrous Hydra-like creature that Carol and Spectrum battle during the issue looks both menacing and a bit humorous, and Julius draws great facial expressions for each of the characters, perfectly capturing Spectrum’s compassion, Carol’s fierceness, and Binary’s innocence.
I like that he draws all the women to look like women in real-life, not over-accentuating certain body parts or over-sexualizing the female characters in the book.
Final Thoughts
Captain Marvel #37 kicks off a new chapter for Carol, Spectrum, and Binary. It’s a fun issue as Carol deals with Binary and cuts loose with a few guest stars. A massive cliffhanger ending leads directly into Captain Marvel 2022 Annual #1, which promises to be another great intergalactic story.