I am a Marvel cinematic fan! But, I did not know a lot about Carol Danvers' comic book variations--not for a lack of trying. I couldn't track the varied universes, timelines, and evolutions. Kelli Fitzpatrick helps comic lovers, like myself, to synthesize Carol Danvers' evolution. Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers Declassified is an imaginative story; there are social media posts, government documents, flight logs, personal letters, and artwork that splice together Danvers' life and identity into an easily comprehensible story. The narrative unfolds as Ripley Ryan interviews Carol Danvers. Ryan poses questions regarding identity: Who is Carol Danvers? Is she a whole person, or is she a variation of one of her former personas, such as Ms. Marvel, Binary, or Captain Marvel? Fitzpatrick keeps true to superhero narratives: "...giv[e] underrepresented people and issues the coverage they deserve" (location 33 of 166). Fitzpatrick upholds Marvel's track record for representation and exploration of challenging social topics, such as females have a right to be in the armed services, heroes should be held accountable for collateral damage, and trauma victims need support. Through her characterization of Danvers, Fitzpatrick admonishes readers: "...we can change the culture" (location 54 of 166). I appreciate that Danvers is a balanced character. She has trauma that affects her, hence Danvers medicates her wounds with alcohol, which results in her losing her moral compass, joining a gang of criminals, and taking on the persona Warbird. Warbird remains in emotional turmoil until Danvers learns a hard lesson: "...you can try your best and still fall short. That's just life. But I choose to keep trying, and to learn from my mistakes and do better" (location 93 of 166). Danvers learned that moral failure is inevitable. She had a responsibility to model overcoming a time of darkness. Warbird left behind her criminality and morphed into Captain Marvel who is a cultural mirror for social change and accountability.

I enjoyed the quest for identity, the exploration of moral ethics, and the philosophical undertones in this text. It reminds me of Tom Morris and William Irwin's Popular Culture and Philosophy series. I highly recommend this book for novices and experts.

Thank you to #KellIFitzpatrick, #BenBellaBooks, #SmartPop, and #NetGalley for my e-ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Carol Danvers is in my personal top three comic book characters. She’s my most read comic character of all time. She’s the one fictional character who has managed to ignite inspiration in me, the way superheroes are meant to. She’s a badass, hard headed woman who doesn’t back down from fights, and has been through a whole lot of shit and always gets back up again. And Kelli Fitzpatrick captures Carol perfectly.

Starting back in her Ms. Marvel days and leading all the way up to Carol’s series by Kelly Thompson, Carol Danvers’ Declassified tells her story, in her own words. Interviewed by Ripley Ryan—also known as the villain Star—hired by J. Jonah Jameson, Carol reflects on her life and upbringing, her highs and her lowest of lows, and how she always manages to spring back and punch her way to victory, just like always. Using comic book panels as in universe images for personal files, social media posts, and newspaper front pages was a creative touch that I really enjoyed, even passing off speech bubbles and drawn on sound effects as video subtitles or edited imagery.

Crossing my fingers that one day, Fitzpatrick gets to join the line of Kell(y)i’s who have written Captain Marvel comics before, because she certainly has an understanding to the character that would bring a lot of depth to a series.

Thank you to NetGalley & BenBella Books for an e-copy in exchange for a review!