Avengers: The Enemy Within

Captain Marvel (2012) (Collected Editions)

by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Scott Hepburn (Illustrator)

The hotly anticipated Avengers/Captain Marvel event is here!

Vicious echoes of the Avengers' past are cropping up all over Manhattan...but Captain Marvel, grounded since a recent and mysterious power loss, refuses to be left behind. Who is the sinister figure behind these incursions, and what does it have to do with Carol Danvers' mysterious condition? And the most disturbing question of all...is this villain even real? Or just a figment of Captain Marvel's increasingly deadly imagination? Be here as Carol Danvers demonstrates that you just can't keep a good Captain down!

Collecting: Avengers: The Enemy Within 1; Captain Marvel 13-14, 17; Avengers Assemble 16-17

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Comic Book

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2013

About the author

Kelly Sue DeConnick’s work spans stage, comics, film and television. Ms. DeConnick first came to prominence as a comics writer, where she is best known for reinventing the Carol Danvers as “Captain Marvel” at Marvel and for the Black Label standard-setting Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons at DC. Her independent comics Bitch Planet and Pretty Deadly (both from Image Comics) have ranked as New York Times best-sellers and been honored with Eisner Awards, British Fantasy Awards and Hugo nominations.

Ms. DeConnick’s screen work includes stints on Captain Marvel, a film that earned $1B for Disney worldwide, and 2023’s forthcoming The Marvels with Marvel Studios; in addition to having consulted on features for Skydance and ARRAY, and developed television for NBCUniversal, Legendary Entertainment and HBOMax. Her most recent stage work is the mythic spectacle AWAKENING, which opened at the Wynn Resort Las Vegas in November 2022.

Mission-driven, Ms. DeConnick is also a founding partner at Good Trouble Productions, where she has helped to produce non-fiction and educational comics including the “Hidden Voices” and “Recognized” series for NY Public Schools and Congressman John Lewis’ Run, in partnership with Abrams Comics.

In 2015, Ms. DeConnick founded the #VisibleWomen Project, whose mission is to help women and other marginalized genders find paid work in comics and its related industries. The project continues to this day and recently expanded in partnership with Dani Hedlund of Brink Literacy.

Ms. DeConnick lives in Portland, OR with her husband, writer Matt Fraction, and their two children.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

So my life is like:

Then Captain Marvel is all like:

And I'm like:

Because I feel like:

But then this book is all like:

And even though right now I'm totally like:

Still I'm like:

Because I know someday I'll be like:

Because:




Seriously though:

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a big Avengers story with Carol at the center of it. Wraps up the storyline with Carol's brain lesion (Thankfully!). It's a bit hard to connect with the book based on how much it hearkens back to the terrible stories from the 70's where she got her start. Deconnick gives us enough for the gist of the story but not enough for me to care about it. The art is all over the place, ranging from Godawful to meh.

[Sesana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is essentially volume 3 of the new(ish) Captain Marvel series. So if you haven't read In Pursuit of Flight and Down, you'll probably feel quite lost. And really, you should read them anyway. DeConnick's Captain Marvel has consistently been excellent. This collection brings the story that's been unfolding over the course of the first two collections to a close, and in the process makes Carol the standard bearer for true superheroics. It isn't her power set (which is, let's face it, formidable). It's how she uses her powers. The last issue in the collection wraps it all up beautifully, and gives a quick peek at the new Ms. Marvel. I'm looking forward to seeing her in action.

[Jim Ef · Rating 2 out of 5]

3.4/10
This felt a bit like a mess. The humour didn't land on me and the art in some of the issues was at best mediocre.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally. Holy crap am I tired of superheroes who get into trouble and somehow forget that they're members of a team, - who whine and struggle and fail alone for issue after issue.

When you read a team book, one of them rushes into the room and declares, "Kong the Immortal Man-Gorilla just landed halfway around the earth! I saw him while I was picking up old pouch-infested uniforms in Bohemivaria, and thought you guys would want to know!" Because of course if you're part of a team and something bigger than you happens, maybe you'd give self-preservation a chance?

I mean, the kinds of heroes who go in for team membership aren't the arrogant dicks who think they can take on all comers. They're the slightly less heroic types who hide behind the team tank when things go sideways. You think Hawkeye has been an Avenger forever because he likes the snacks cupboard?

So in a solo book like Captain Marvel, it's awesome to see her get dragged into working with others. Smartly, DeConnick puts Carol in serious danger, and brings in single heroes - and then the whole damned Avengers - when shit gets tough.

Love the smartass touches, and that not every character suddenly breaks character and acts like they were raised in Boston.

And I seriously love that DeConnick puts in the effort to come up with a reason (timely or no) why he's bothering to harass Carol. There's a lot of cosmic coming into play here, and despite seeing the Guardians movie, I'm still not exactly in love with these larger-than-human threats and characters - but the story at least keeps most of it grounded in our own reality.

What's that you say? New York is getting threatened by aliens again? Yeesh, not gonna lie - after the Man of Steel shit show where aliens wiped out most of "New York" and Supes didn't even bother to save any innocent lives (plus that whole Avengers thing), I'm a little tired of seeing the big American city as the only thing that aliens think is worth destroying.

Good god people - look at our planet from deep space, and you might get a clue that there are hundreds of such targets, none of which should be less likely to attack by aliens who don't recognize Manifest Destiny.

There's a couple more disappointing aspects to this book:
(1) The pacing of this book never quite *takes*. I couldn't get into the rhythm of the plot, and didn't know whether it was introspective, ass-kicking action or emotionally touching. I think in part this has to do with...

(2) The art, which is absolutely all over the map - not just the rotating artists from issue to issue, but the jarring style variations within each issue. It's a patchwork of new styles, and in an anthology of up-and-comers this might be something I'd seek out*. In an event book? It shakes loose the feeling of a continuous story, and makes it damned hard to keep focused.

(*Note: I generally avoid anthologies like they're infested with anthrax, but for sake of argument just go with me, eh?)

(3) oh god, and the ridiculous Objectivist villain in the final issue. I really hope DeConnick is going somewhere artful with this, because in this book it seems like she's setting up an obviously selfish, painfully emotionally stunted Randian - not that most aren't exactly like that, but this is setting up a pretty easy target to take down, no? It might have more resonance to for one moment write her as if she has a legitimate point of view (as retarded as that sounds) and not quite so one-dimensionally Bond villain. It wouldn't have felt more one-sided if the bitch had opened a silver dinner cover and started carving into roasted puppy.

I am still a huge KSDC fan, and I will continue to read everything I can find with Carol Danvers - DeConnick has honed a compelling and relatable cowboy out of Captain Marvel's jumbled history. But lordy, please make the next book more focused.

[CS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bullet Review:

I love you, DeConnick. You've given me my favorite superheroine. Thank you.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guys, I waited sooooo long to read this.

I originally put it on hold at my library SIX MONTHS AGO. It was “on order” for five of those months. I waited so patiently. And then one day I got an email from my library informing me my hold had been canceled, because they couldn’t find a copy of the book to buy for the library’s collection. BOOOOOO. Hisssssss. So I ordered it through interlibrary loan and waited another month. And then it arrived! There was much rejoicing.

And it ’twas good.

This book concludes the initial run of Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run on Captain Marvel before the ‘reboot’ with new art several months later. It also crosses over with her run on Avengers Assemble. But this is really Carol Danvers’ story. Nothing aside from character dynamics carries over from the Avengers (Carol is particularly close to Spider-Woman). What this really does is wrap up the story introduced for Captain Marvel in Vol. 2, “Down.” Her antagonist turns out to be an exiled Kree who is basically out for revenge, and doing terrible things to NYC.

As always, I must mention the art. Filipe Andrade was back for the last two issues, but luckily another artist subbed in before that so I didn’t have to sit through a whole book of that guy’s art.

The art mostly looked like this:



And this:



Very little of this:



So now I am officially caught up on Captain Marvel. The next trade comes out September 1st! I think I am actually going to buy a copy this time. It shall be glorious.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first two volumes of Captain Marvel come to a head here in the form of an old nemesis who has been waiting a long time for vengeance. Carol and the Avengers fight against an onslaught of Kree Sentry robots, called into action by none other than Yon-Rogg, who didn't die back in the initial volume I checked out to start my exploration of Captain Marvel.

It always feels strange yet exciting to read something that feels like a direct, symmetrical conclusion of a story from such a long time ago. Yon-Rogg is in many ways Carol's archnemesis as much as he was Mar-Vell's, indirectly responsible for her powers and her entire life as Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel. Jumping from a volume with comics published in 1969 to something published last year and have them dovetail perfectly is fun when it's done as well as this was. DeConnick again nails the dialogue between all the heroes and the art is significantly improved from volume 2. Carol seems to work even better as a part of the Avengers than she did solo, but she still makes this particular fight personal. The end leaves some threads hanging but still really satisfies. This could be an excellent basis for the upcoming movie.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really care for this.

The art for Captain Marvel’s Comic was a bit harsh. More so on the women than the men.

This features Yon-Rogg who was featured in the film. They did his story differently there, of course. It was nice to see the Avengers coming together to help. I liked seeing Jessica support Carol but that’s about it. I didn’t really latch onto to anything here and there weren’t any parts that I found spectacular.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. Everything that is not what makes DeConnick's stories good. Characterization sacrificed for big event plot. And the art was ridiculously uneven, not only from book to book but often within the same book. Art does affect the story. And the story was just OK to start.

[Wing Kee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A messy story with an absolutely brilliant end.

World: The art was all over the place and not in a good way. The art styles from the different artists was one thing, but the action was messy and all over the place making pacing an issue also. The world building was good, it calls back to the history and the origin of Carol and for new readers and old readers this tie to the past was a wonderful thing. This is the best part of the book.

Story: This is where the wheels falls off a bit. The pacing is all over the pace and the story is loose and janky. The villain is barely used and not given enough time to build to be a real threat other than the nostalgia. The story ended very cliche and Marvel did a stupid thing by having Infinity tie ins smashed in between this arc. That being said, issue 17 was brilliant and showed the best part about this series, the characters. Issue 17 and the last 3 pages was...stunningly good.

Characters: There was so much action this arc that there was no time for character development. Most of it was from the previous issues and this arc relied on it. Yon-Rogg was a wonderful link to the past and nostalgia was powerful. However he was not used well, there was not enough time with him instead of his machinations. I would have wanted more time with him and Carol talking and banter but alas his motivations were simple and it was a waste. The rest of the cast was great (meaning Carol's family), Kit and Jessica and crew were absolutely fantastic and are the heart of the story.

A wonky event that ends absolutely well and opens the door for more storytelling. Here's hoping the new series focuses on the little moments and have her be the cosmic action thing in the Avengers books. Keep the small moments in her standalone book.

Onward to the next book!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah. This was pretty good. I enjoyed it. I was only going to give it 3 stars, but that seemed a little unfair, so I changed my mind! I really like how Deconnick writes Carol. It's pretty standard 'hero has personal problems as well as having to deal with the rest of the world' stuff, which is bread and butter of Marvel Comics, but she gets a good story out of it. She can also write a good team book. The story also moves well between Captain Marvel and Avengers Assemble, with Carol at the centre of what ends up to be an Avengers storyline.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avengers: The Enemy Within is basically the conclusion of the storyline in Captain Marvel: In Pursuit of Flight and Down, so I expect that if you haven't read those, you won't like this one. I'm not actually reading current Avengers, but that didn't seem to spoil this crossover event. I have no idea how to keep track of all the timelines and so on, so I just throw myself in at the deep end every time and sink or swim. In this case, Carol's background would help with the swimming, but Avengers background wasn't necessary.

Love Carol and Jessica's banter, love the appearance of characters like Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow and the Wasp, love great lines like Carol and Thor's exchange here:

Carol: You like hitting stuff with that hammer of yours?
Thor: It is an act of which I am singularly fond.

I'm not a huge fan of the art -- I preferred the issues that Dexter Soy illustrated -- but that's personal taste and most of the art here does what it needs to do perfectly. All in all, I've really enjoyed Kelly Sue DeConnick's run of Captain Marvel even when I didn't enjoy the art so much. The writing is very satisfying. I love how many female characters she highlights -- I'd have liked Widow to have more to say, but that's just because she's the character I know best.

The ending here... without spoiling it, eh, I didn't find it that original, but I think a lot can be done with it in the right hands.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a pretty good one! It starts off with the threat of Yong-Rogg escalating and he calling himself Magnitron and he has a plan to repeat all the great hits of Carol like the dinosaurs, some weird wrestling girls and then Kree Sentries. They are all over earth and destroying Earth and so the Avengers have to team up to take them down and what will Carol do to stop him when she finds out the secrets to his power and his return? Its really well done in some aspects and the story flows nicely but some places it drags but good sacrifice by here and then a fun tie into Infinity and in the end her facing off against Grace Valentine and getting a sidekick in Kit! Also Kamala in Jersey cameo! Great volume and sets her adventures pretty well for the next volume in Higher Further Faster!

[Judah Radd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really not bad.

A fine ending to the first KSD run.

Nothing to cosmic happens here. Carol put against the wall by an old enemy and is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice. It’s heroic and badass.

We’re also treated to some primo Avengers action. The whole thing is pretty fun and kickass.

I really didn’t dig the art. That was a major weak point.

Overall, you need to read this if you already read the rest of the KSD CM series. It caps off the whole story quite nicely. The next KSD run has way better art.

4/5

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, which is a continuation of Kelly Sue DeConnick's Captain Marvel series, is just a flatout joy to read. DeConnick's dialogue is fantastic, witty and playful, and keeps the whole thing feeling decidedly un-heavy. Yes, the earth and our heroes are once again facing a huge catastrophe that could wipe theoretically wipe them all out forever, but DeConnick's sense of humor never vanishes in the face of all that, while somehow staying as serious as it needs to.

The real shining light here is DeConnick's character work. I'm excited she got a chance to work with Captain America, Thor, Spider-Woman, and the other Avengers, as her particular writing style adapts perfectly to all of them. I'd love to see her fully write an Avengers book somewhere down the line, because the interplay and sense of camaraderie here is top notch.

The only reason I'm giving this less than 4 stars, though, is the pacing. The plot feels a little undercooked, even though this event is what Captain Marvel has been building to for the previous 12 issues or so. The payoff of revealing Yon Rogg as the bad guy just doesn't really land or feel like it matters to Carol Danvers on a personal level (despite her repeated insistence that it does), and as such I felt pretty disconnected from the central conflict. Additionally, a lot of Comic Book Logic is employed here to retroactively explain a lot of the obstacles the Avengers face, without having to really up the stakes in a meaningful way in the moment. Add in the fact that it feels like it gets fairly conveniently wrapped up by the end, and I just wasn't into the story itself all that much.

But, as I said, DeConnick really shines with these characters, and I'm very much looking forward to continuing to read her Captain Marvel stuff, and anything else she puts out in the near future.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

First reading review: This is more about Captain Marvel than the rest of the Avengers, who are basically supporting players here; but that's okay. I'm not very familiar with Carol "Captain Marvel" Danvers, and this gave me a pretty good idea of who and why she is. I liked the storyline pertaining to her struggle with the lesion in her brain. Although she's afraid of what's going to happen to her, she still feels the need to do the right thing, even if it costs her. The stuff about the Kree villain interested me less than Carol's personal struggles.
The art's fairly good overall. I wondered what the heck happened to the art in the last "chapter"...until near the end when I realised it was a meta thing. I definitely like that Carol wears her superhero suit zipped up to her neck.
Classic Star Wars references tend to make me happy, anyway; but I especially like it when a female quotes Star Wars, and Carol does so at one point.
Second reading notes: Reading this out-of-context the first time--I'd picked it up along with another Avengers title--I'm surprised it made sense at all! This was definitely better the second time, with more background. Plenty of funny and cute moments along with the drama.

[Chantaal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading this after picking up a huge stack of comics because I haven't been to my shop in a month.

I think it's wonderful that we finally got a crossover event that is much more personal than Marvel usually goes for. I'm inclined to love it because Carol is my favorite, but there's a lot more to this story than that. Carol facing down her demons and accepting help from her friends always makes for a fantastic story, and Kelly Sue's done right by her.

That ending, though. THAT ENDING.

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pues este segundo volumen de Vengadores Reuníos en manos de Kelly Sue DeConnick mejora un poco el anterior, pero tampoco es que sea como para tirar cohetes, y es que ir a peor era chungo. El Enemigo Interior fue un cruce entre las dos colecciones de la escritora, al estilo de las que Bendis se hacía él consigo mismo cuando manejaba las colecciones de Vengadores. Total, que al parecer en la colección de Capitana Marvel esta había descubierto que tenía una especie de problema de salud. Al adquirir sus poderes, Carol Danvers había desarrollado una especie de tercer lóbulo cerebral, y este se estaba viendo atacado por algún tipo de enfermedad que ponía en peligro su vida cada vez que utilizaba sus poderes.

Y precisamente ese es el momento en el que un "misterioso" enemigo parece atacar todos los aspectos de la vida de Carol, que aunque en principio pretende hacer frente a ello sola, termina recurriendo a los Vengadores por mediación de Spiderwoman. Diversos enemigos del pasado de Carol van volviendo a aparecer en sus vida, desde los más peligrosos (el Nido) a las más absurda (una especie de forzadoras), pero quien está detrás de todo esto, parece tener acceso a tecnología kree y a un número prácticamente ilimitado de sus Centinelas...

Bueno, supongo que podría ser pasable para los fans de la Capitana Marvel, quizá recién llegados atraídos por la película al personaje, pero la verdad es que la historia es verdaderamente ignorable. Ni el guión, ni el dibujo, ni nada de nada.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a team-up with the avengers, The Enemy Within finishes the initial Captain Marvel arc by DeConnick with one hell of a fight. The medical issues which have been plaguing Carol are finally revealed to be the work of an old enemy and now Carole and the other Avengers must work against time to stop him before they lose both Captain Marvel and the Earth.



This is easily the most action-packed volume of the arc as it finally ties together the loose ends concerning Carol and the brain lesion that was revealed in Down. While I enjoyed the interaction between her and the other Avengers, it's still a mythos set-up and doesn't give Carol as much room to be herself as to be the inspiring, heroic Captain Marvel that everyone looks up to. Which is fine, I guess. Just not the part of her that I find interesting. The art wasn't as awful as Andrade's but nothing to write home about either.

Now that I'm done with this initial Captain Marvel run, I appreciate the set-up that it created for Captain Marvel even if I didn't enjoy it as much as the next series. It was good to see hints of the personality and humor that make Carol so much fun later on and to get a better sense of her background.

Full series review here

[Kurt Pankau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying conclusion to that arc. I like the Spider-Woman/Captain Marvel friendship dynamic. Yay, besties! Also fun to see how the Avengers work as an organization in the comics.

[Alasondro Alegré · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★½

[Georgie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta love Carol Danvers

[Grace Arango · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Woah.

That was a ride!

Captain Marvel + Kelly Sue DeConnick = Instantly one of G-Swizzel's Favourites.

I understand that this is an "Avengers" comic, but just know that Captain Marvel is the main focus, and oh boy, the emotional journey you go on with her in this trade is real!

PROs:
- The Marvel Women of Power rep! Captain Marvel, Spider Woman, Wasp, they killin' it!
- This story involves CM internal struggle through a form of manipulation and weakness. It can be difficult for comics to pull on your heart strings sometimes, but this one definitely did for me.
- I liked how colourful the art styles were at times
- I loved to see Captain Marvel working with the rest of the Avengers and I also love how they have her back
- I'm just going to mention this without spoiling anything - the act of selflessness <3 :,)

CONs:
- Though I did like the art styles, that's exactly what is the problem, art STYLES. Almost every issue had a different style. This is kind of a compilation of issues that work together rather than a whole written story. Though this was enjoyable, it was confusing at times.

To conclude, I highly recommend this as well as other Captain Marvel comics <3

[Tris · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was GOOD. Almost gave it a 4 because the alternating art styles kinda put me off... but I loved how it ended.

[Nancy O'Toole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not shy about the fact that I'm not a big fan of massive crossover events, which too often get in the way of great character arcs and plot lines in ongoing series. I am more open to smaller crossovers, which intersect a couple tiles in order to tell a more epic storyline. Avengers: The Enemy Within is a great example how these crossovers can work really well. It combines Captain Marvel and Avengers Assemble. I consider it a must read for Captain Marvel fans, but even having never read the Avengers Assemble comic, I didn't have any issues understanding it. It just feels like Captain Marvel's having an extra big adventure, so she brought along the Avengers to help out.

Avengers: The Enemy Within continues the story brought up in "Grounded." Carol Danvers has a lesion in her brain. Every time she flies, she risks death. The an enemy surfaces that will require all of her powers. How will she be able to defeat him?

Avengers: The Enemy Within plays out like a popcorn flick. With fast pacing, a high stakes plot line, and DeConnick's knack for strong dialogue, it's so much fun to read that you don't even really notice that the villain feels a little under developed. The storyline ends with big changes for our Captain. Fortunately the collection doesn't leave us hanging completely, providing a highly satisfying one shot which gives us a glimpse at how Carol's recovering from the events. Another thing I quite liked about this collection is the increased role of Spider Woman, who DeConnick writes quite well.

If you're a Captain Marvel fan, don't be confused by the title on the cover. This is a Captain Marvel story. If you want to find out what happens to Carol, you certainly should read it.

[Holden Attradies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers is my favorite, and this is one of, if not the best collections featuring her I have ever read. I put it down feeling it was a clear example of what makes a superhero a hero: not their powers but what they choose to do with them. And I adored the way the story was all new but acknowledged the characters back story and used that to make a modern story and how above all, no matter her powers or how extraordinary she is the character always came across as human and real.

It DOES bug me that this is not packaged as the third volume of the Captain Marvel series. And having seen how marvel publishes the trades I know this means that the next time we get one they will obnoxiously be starting the numbering over again.

[Anna Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This and the two before it were very "meh." I've enjoyed the newer stuff by DeConnick (post re-numbering) much more and am excited for Volume 2 of that story arc. Not to mention, the art in this one wasn't to my taste and bordered on bizarre in some sections. Carol's head/face was pretty funny looking...like Munch's "The Scream" weird, almost. Glad to moving on to something else at this point, as this honestly kind of started to bore me.

[Nuno Gil Franco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm torn. While I do like that DeConnick wrapped up this long plotline (and I like long plotlines), I think that this could have been better planned or executed. I mean, everything falling into place just because the story had to move forward, adding to the fact that Carol was so clueless (and one might chalk this up because of her brain problems) regarding the connections from the previous attacks... Plenty of small things that together make this not as good as it could have been, so 1.5 stars.

BTW, what's with Carol always using her costume?

[Pturingan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be confused by the title and cover (like I was initially), this is actually volume 3 of the ongoing Captain Marvel series by Kelly Sue DeConnick.

Anyway, this was a nice, action-packed story building up from the two previous volumes and ending the series with a pretty cool conclusion. Also, a pretty good set-up to the two new series' announced for 2014.