Captain Marvel 5, Daredevil 5

Captain Marvel 5
DeConnick (w) and D. Lopez (a) and Loughridge (c) and Caramagna (l)

Captain Marvel realizes that the Haffensye aren't intercepting goods coming to Torfa, they're covertly mining the planet for natural resources, in this case vibranium. This also explains the recent sickness that's washed over the community, a reaction to the vibranium and easily treated now that they know with what they're dealing (like so much House). Carol and her team (sans Tic, who has been captured) explain everything to the people and Carol goes on to deduce that some of the once-friendly Sentimault, still living amongst them, are helping the Haffensye mine the vibranium and that said vibranium is to be delivered to J-Son to give the Spartax an impregnable army. The Haffensye and J-Son are quibbling over the vibranium themselves and Spartax is prepared to come to the planet and take it on their own, only to be met by a war-ready Captain Marvel.

With the mystery solved, Carol returns to form as she makes herself heard and refuses to leave a struggling people even as their leader tells her that she should not get involved. The final pages of the issue, giving the audience another emotional speech, not unlike the the first issue of the last volume (wherein Carol received advice and strength in a letter from her childhood hero), that has been something of a driving force for DeConnick's run. Following that is a pretty gorgeous double page spread that shows Captain Marvel hovering in space, staring down a fleet of Spartax ships. It's a powerful moment and one that sticks with the ongoing feeling of the book and the strength of Carol's character through this run. It's a solid way to end the issue.

Total Score: 5/5


Daredevil 5
Waid (w) and Samnee (a) and J. Rodriguez (c) and Caramagna (l)

We flash back a few months to Foggy's last minutes "alive" to Matt explaining to his friend that faking his death is the best way to proceed, that it's the only way to get him out of the spotlight and to ensure that his treatment isn't tampered with. As they run through the park together, Ant-Man in Foggy's blood to keep trying an experimental method to deal with some of the cancer, Foggy complains to Daredevil about how hard it will be to pick back up when they reveal he's not dead after all, that he's not a superhero and normal people don't just return from death. At that moment, "supervillain" Leapfrog emerges from a pond in new battle armor, picking up Foggy and scrambling away with him, proving Matt's fears about leaving him in the open. DD pursues and eventually catches up with Leapfrog, managing to snare him. Leapfrog tries to escape, hoping that Daredevil will focus on his friend rather than the villain, but DD catches him, believing Foggy can handle himself. However, everything changes when Matt realizes that Leapfrog was desperate to escape because his abandoned suit is actually a bomb. Matt makes a big show to yell to foggy that the suit is a bomb and he needs to get it out of the city, that he's the only one who can enter it in time and leap high above the civilians. Foggy doesn't hesitate, climbing in and preparing to sacrifice himself. As the suit explodes in midair, Ant-Man returns to the ground with Foggy. Everyone believes Foggy's dead after a very public and extremely heroic sacrifice.

It's a nice Foggy-centric issue here (always like those) and it answers a couple of questions hanging over the series and over Daredevil's decision to reveal himself to the world. It's, admittedly, maybe a little convenient as Leapfrog makes his perfectly timed appearance, seemingly not orchestrated by Daredevil, and there's no way to make the ending anything but predictable for the audience, who should remember Ant-Man is with Foggy and who, of course, knows that Foggy survives, but Waid and Samnee do a good job to keep the action and the fun up anyway, giving something of a laugh as Daredevil very obviously lets the entire street know what's happening as he yells to Foggy while still making it a poignant and feel-good story as Foggy, not realizing that he'll be saved, immediately makes the choice to save everyone else. Solid issue with more great Samnee art and Rodriguez colors.

Total Score: 5/5