Carol Danvers' adventures are definitely of the madcap variety in this second volume of DeConnick's series. First, she defends her ship from smugglers while her cat o's actually a rare alien life-form ys thousands of eggs in the cargo hold. Next, her favorite intergalactic pop star materializes in her ship and whisks her away to a planet where men aren't allowed to choose who they marry and everyone is required to speak in rhyme. The final story is more sentimental than silly: Danvers travels to New York at Christmas to visit her ill friend in the hospital only to be captured by lunatics and then rescued in a very seasonal way. Lopez and Takara's bright and colorful artwork capitalizes on DeConnick's quippy writing style with some handy comedic timing and visual gags, but they're just as good at rendering butt-kicking fight scenes with cinematic clarity. Marvel movies continue to gain steam at the box office, and this series will sate fans hungry for that particular brand of humor, heart, and fast-paced action.

WILSON, G. Willow . Ms. Marvel: Crushed . illus. by Elmo Bondoc Takeshi Miyazawa. (Marvel Now: Vol. 3). 112p. 2015. ISBN 9780785192275 . ea vol: ebook available. Marvel . pap. $15.99. Gr 7 Up Marvel's marvelous ladies grow all the more impressive as their creators delve deeper into their lives. It's life, love, and Loki in the third volume of "Ms. Marvel," starting with a Valentine's issue that brings the god of mischief to Kamala's school. Following this fun diversion is the main event. Up until this point, Kamala, the self-described "nerdy Pakistani-American-slash-inhuman," has defeated a number of baddies, but love, that's a whole new level. The dashing Kamran seems perfectly compatible. However, when he tries to "recruit" Kamala to an inhuman supremacist faction, she knows where her loyalties lie. This volume's mixture of the heroic and the slice-of-life addresses issues relevant to teens, fighting the good fight in many ways. "Captain Marvel," on the other hand, has more adult problems. She continues her space road trip of self-discovery with the girls, fending off attacks, attending a wedding, and even teaming up with Rocket Raccoon. After the first volume's serious subject matter, DeConnick mixes things up, delivering an absurdly funny story about Chewie, Carol's cat who is not a cat, and some other witty vignettes, including an exciting Christmas episode. While Ms. Marvel's graphic novel-inspired art will easily bring in new teen readers, Captain Marvel's upgraded traditional look targets both young adults and older fans alike. VERDICT Both series have teams who show strong written and visual direction for their modern and female-oriented vision of superheroes. Must-buys. Rachel Forbes, formerly of Oakville Public Library, Ontario, Canada