Monica Rambeau: Photon #5 - Marvel Comics

MONICA RAMBEAU: PHOTON No. 5, June 2023

Simply consisting of one long, dialogue heavy conversation between the titular character and “the emotion-manipulating prince of desire, Starfox”, it’s highly unlikely many bibliophiles perusing Eve L. Ewing’s conclusion to this five-issue mini-series were particularly impressed with its storytelling. In fact, it's arguably quite clear early on in this twenty-page periodical that the American sociologist quickly ran out of plot and thus had to heavily rely upon artist Luca Maresca to pad the comic’s contents out to the required length with numerous wordless panels and splash-sized sketches.

Leading a disappointingly long list of concerns is that frustratingly none of what transpires within this sedentary tome debatably explains any of the title’s previously printed senseless shenanigans. All the audience are told is that one of the former Captain Marvel’s unreconciled aspirations has caused the galaxy to quite literally unfold before her eyes and only by accepting that she has already “done enough” as a super-hero will the Avenger mysteriously manage to right all the fractured multi-verses her apparent lack of focus created in the first place; “Everything appears frozen as it was at the moment just before you had your epiphany.”

Just why any of these problems occurred in the first place, or how they were supposedly connected to both the American author’s dislikeable “new incarnation of the Beyonder” and seemingly forgotten Stone of Hala, is entirely avoided. Indeed, considering that Ewing bemusing skips the scene where Rambeau explains the situation to Eros of Titan with an unsatisfying “few tense minutes later…” text box, some within this book’s audience will probably be thinking that the writer didn’t quite know the finer details of her own narrative herself.

Sadly, the aforementioned contribution by Italian illustrator Maresca doesn’t add that much extra to "Monica Rambeau: Photon" either - albeit the Graphics and Advertising Photography graduate’s pencilling is perfectly proficient. Foremost of these faults is the disconcerting redesign of the Beyonder and Starfox, which look absolutely nothing like their much more recognisable classic counterparts. Of course, some case can be made for these redesigns as they’ve been specifically caused by Photon’s ill-fated influence upon the cosmos. But the gaunt, vampiric Eternal genuinely appears more likely to drink Monica’s blood than help her save anything and coupled with this comic’s other problems just adds to the overall sense of dissatisfying disorder.

The regular cover art of "MONICA RAMBEAU" #5 by Lucas Werneck

Monica Rambeau: Photon #4 - Marvel Comics

MONICA RAMBEAU: PHOTON No. 4, May 2023

For those readers admirably able to persevere through the entirety of Eve L. Ewing’s twenty-page plot for Issue Four of “Monica Rambeau: Photon”, the American sociologist’s attempt to retcon the Avenger’s origin story towards its end probably came as something of disconcerting and most unwelcome shock. Indeed, the whole notion that as a little girl Roger Stern’s co-creation purposely suppressed her ability to create “extra dimensional energy” to the point where its subsequently caused the titular character serious, universe-endangering mental health issues is so ‘left field’ that many a bibliophile will surely find themselves perusing that particular night-time scene several times over simply to confirm they’ve read the revelation right; “I hid what I was for so long that I finally felt like… It went away. Until that day. I… Look. It doesn’t matter how I got to be the way I am. Does it?”

To make matters worse though, the “tenured professor at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago” then depicts a shame-faced adult super-hero sobbing uncontrollably in the presence of an utterly unrecognisable Beyonder and begging the cosmic entity to help her discover what she actually desires out of life before the human mutate’s excessive unhappiness inadvertently ‘crumbles’ everything around her. None of this narrative arguably makes any sense whatsoever, and feels incredibly forced – especially when having obtained the mysterious Stone of Hala Ram from an unrecognisable Sanctum Sanctorum on Earth, Rambeau returns to the Charans in deep space only to find the race of extra-terrestrials have inconveniently decided “to relocate our people” and left a note warning her not to search for them..!?!

Quite possibly therefore this comic’s sole source of action-packed entertainment stems from an unsurprising confrontation between the titular character and Moonstone, after Doctor Karla Sofen predictably betrays Photon when her long-time adversary understandably declines to place herself in the villainous psychiatrist’s care. Disappointingly however, this sadly short-lived skirmish only lasts for half a dozen panels, courtesy of artist Luca Maresca pencilling the blonde-haired criminal illogically disclosing to Monica that she was ‘immune’ to her photons, and thus encouraging the former Captain Marvel to successfully blast her unconscious with Infrared beams instead.

The regular cover art of "MONICA RAMBEAU" #4 by Lucas Werneck

Monica Rambeau: Photon #3 - Marvel Comics

MONICA RAMBEAU: PHOTON No. 3, April 2023

Leaping all over the place from Monica Rambeau’s supposed home with ‘husband’ Doctor Voodoo, through to the Sorcerer Supreme’s Sanctum Sanctorum and then on into deep space, Eve L. Ewing’s narrative for this comic probably infuriated its audience as much as the Avengers did Photon by wrongly insisting that the superheroine’s mother had died “a while ago now.” True, all this “topsy-turvy” nonsense is eventually revealed to be as a result of “the universe… folding in on itself.” But that arguably doesn’t explain what is actually happening to the former Captain Marvel, nor why her apparently deceased parent is able to simply call her up on the mobile phone; “Mama?! How totally not surprised I am to hear from you.”

Similarly as frustrating as the gobbledegook plot though, is the American author’s heavy reliance upon sheer blind luck helping the titular character find, and then later aid, a mysteriously 'invisible' race of green-skinned aliens who also just happen to be able to decipher the Stone of Hala. This incredible journey across the stars alone debatably contains more contrivances than most comic books contain, especially when it's made clear that the human mutate just happens to be the only person who can connect with the ancient relic’s energy signature in the first place. However, once Rambeau has arrived from her “self-discovery journey” the protagonist discovers that she is handily able to transform into yet another form of energy so her eyes can properly see all the “stellar nurseries full of embryonic stars” and spot the Guardian Hall of the Charos veiled “deep inside a forgotten corner of the cosmos.”

Such manufactured moments must surely have increasingly grated upon the audience’s nerves, and only get worse when it turns out that the one resident from amongst the “group of wanderers” who might help Monica is dying from a chest tumour. Once again Roger Stern’s co-creation just happens to be able to perform the necessary x-ray scan required to locate the life-threatening growth and replicate the low-level radiation therapy treatment necessary to immediately cure them. Indeed, literally within seconds of Photon blasting her terminally ill patient with her super-powers, artists Ivan Fiorelli & Luca Maresca are proficiently pencilling the diminutively sized extra-terrestrial miraculously back up on its feet ready to “refer to some notes from the Grandmothers” as to how the Stone of Hala works.

The regular cover art of "MONICA RAMBEAU" #3 by Lucas Werneck

Monica Rambeau: Photon #2 - Marvel Comics

MONICA RAMBEAU: PHOTON No. 2, March 2023

Despite Eve L. Ewing desperately attempting to tap into the success of the much-lauded Stern-Buscema-Palmer years on “The Avengers”, her script for Issue Two of “Monica Rambeau: Photon” most likely landed with a disappointing thud when it first hit the spinner-racks in January 2023. In fact, this twenty-page periodical’s “topsy-turvy” storyline is debatably so unfollowable as it sucks the audience “across the infinite cosmos into the wrong corner of fragmented space-time", that many a perusing bibliophile probably popped it straight back into its empty pocket once they realised that at best this book’s guest stars were just the creations of the ever obtrusive Beyonder.

Foremost of these frustrations is arguably the way in which the “associate professor” attempts to create an aura of mystery within this comic by simply not explaining why anything is happening, and randomly throwing the titular character into one bizarre situation after another. True, this technique does initially work when the former Captain Marvel attempts to stop a flaming meteor from exploding into New Orleans and strangely finds herself unable to detonate the deadly satellite with her formidable super-powers. However, by the time Photon is depicted inexplicably battling a giant-sized crocodile in the Bayous of Lousiana whilst the rest of the Earth’s mightiest heroes idly stand by watching from the deck of a land-stranded yacht, the audiences’ heads are probably spinning as badly as Rambeau’s purportedly is.

Indeed, so little of the plot actually makes sense by this stage, including the gobbledegook dialogue of an entirely reimagined Beyonder, that many a Marvelite doubtless needed a rest and moved on to something else before soldiering on through this comic’s final few scenes; “Imagine my surprise in discovering that the one with the great power was also one enshrouded in a tremendous yearning. A being at the nexus of cosmic ability and tumbling, cacophonous wants.”

Disappointingly, artists Ivan Fiorelli and Luca Maresca don’t seem able to do much with the narrative either, even though the pair do a reasonable job in replicating the look of the Avengers from the mid-Eighties. The illustrators’ doe-eyed, gossamer-wearing central antagonist is especially disconcerting, appearing far too cartoony amongst some of the more ‘realistic’ figures. Whilst Monica appears to wear nothing but a bedazzled, open mouthed expression across her face for the entirely of the book.

Writer: Eve L. Ewing, Artists: Ivan Fiorelli & Luca Maresca, and Color Artist: Carlos Lopez

Monica Rambeau: Photon #1 - Marvel Comics

MONICA RAMBEAU: PHOTON No. 1, February 2023

Considering that Issue One of “Monica Rambeau: Photon” features a team-up between the titular character and the amazing Spider-Man, some endearing cameos by the chess-playing inhabitants of the Sanctum Sanctorum, as well as a frighteningly frantic fracas against the disconcertingly gifted Hinge, readers will probably enjoy just over half of this twenty-page periodical. However, once the former lieutenant in the New Orleans harbour patrol returns home and starts taking domestic-related phone calls Eve L. Ewing’s script debatably takes a turn for the worse.

Indeed, the American sociologist’s script suddenly seems to disappointingly degenerate into little more than a series of family issues and squabbles, where the human mutate desperately tries to solve her disagreeable cousin’s fractious relationship issues for the rest of the comic. Sure, such an insight into the mighty Avenger’s kin-based loyalty provides her with some admirable development. But the dialogue-driven sequence drags on for so long that it also ensures much of the pulse-pounding pace generated by this book’s early action scenes has completely evaporated by the publication’s end; “A reset? A therapist? A crystal ball to tell me who I am if not just the MVP of every team?”

Thankfully, so sedentary a conclusion can still be somewhat overlooked due to the dynamic punch-up Ewing pens beforehand. The “universal powerhouse” is still very much a veteran leader during combat, so her slight disagreement with Peter Parker’s alter-ego when she orders him about during their attack upon a deranged Doctor Yesenia Rosario, adds an intriguing wrinkle to an already engrossing persona. Furthermore, this “all-new adventure” contains a pleasing nostalgic nod back to Monica’s days as “Captain Marvel” when she is spotted by an elderly white-haired enthusiast who used to keep a scrapbook on the woman’s exploits alongside the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Perhaps slightly more successful than this all-new adventure’s narrative are the layouts by Luca Maresca (with Ivan Fiorelli). The aforementioned fight sequence is packed full of punches, blurring motion and even the quirky athleticism Spider-Man has become famous for. Whilst even the comic’s conversational pieces contain some considerable emotion as Caleb angrily snaps at the person he called for help, and a noticeably world-weary Photon tries to take comfort in the company of her parents.

Writer: Eve L. Ewing, Artists: Luca Maresca with Ivan Fiorelli, and Color Artist: Carlos Lopez