Captain Marvel, Vol.1 – “In Pursuit of Flight” (Marvel)

Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick | Artist: Dexter Soy (#1-4), Emma Rios (#5-6), w. Richard Elson, Karl Kesel, Al Barrionuevo | Colors: Wil Quintana, Javier Rodriguez, Jordie Bellare (#5-6) | Inks: Alvaro Lopez (#6)

The “Mightiest” of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is back!

Ace pilot. Legendary Avenger. One hundred percent pure bad-ass. Carol Danvers has a new name, a new mission – and all the power she needs to make her own life a living hell. As the new Captain Marvel, Carol is forging from a challenge from her past! It’s a firefight in the sky as the Banshee Squadron debut – but who are the Prowlers, and where has Carol seen them before? And how does secret NASA training program Mercury 13 fit in?

Witness Captain Marvel in blazing battlefield action that just may change the course of history! Avengers Time Travel Protocols: engage!

Collects: Captain Marvel #1-6

After spotting a preview of this series, I knew I had to read it. True, I still waited for the collected book, but the artwork for the first four chapters of this book are great. As it happens, the story is great as well. This was a very pleasant surprise, and the story exceeded my already high expectations.

X-23, Vol.1 “The Killing Dream” (Marvel)

Writer: Marjorie Liu | Artist: Will Conrad, w. Sana Takeda (#3), Marco Checchetto (#4), David Lopez & Alvaro Lopez (#5-6) | Colours: John Rauch

Government-controlled killing machine. Child of the streets. X-Man. X-23 has lived many lives, but none of them have ever felt right. She knows she’s a killer, but she’s not sure she can be anything else. The X-Men offer her a home and help facing her demons, but she’s done being someone’s project. She wants to be her own woman, and she’ll do it on her own terms.

Leaving the X-Men’s island home of Utopia on a mission all her own, she’s already found trouble. Even with the mutant thief Gambit at her side, her past haunts her. With new enemies rising, can X-23 trust herself not to succumb to her deadly ways? Or is it all just in her head? Free of her chains, can this killer finally taste true freedom?

I tried this series on a bit of a whim – I’ve heard great things about Liu’s writing, and I think X-23 is an interesting character. When I saw this in the local Bargain Bookstore (it was remaindered, like oh-so-many Marvel collections these days), I decided to finally give it a try. And I’m quite glad that I did, despite missing a fair bit of background knowledge.