Well, it’s been quite a month, and here we are on the brink of a new MCU flick. So how did I fare with my crunch? Pretty damn good, I should say.
In the end I read a pretty hefty chunk of Captain Marvel history. Really the only part of interest I didn’t get to was the original Ms. Marvel run, but I’ll save that for another time. All in all I’d say my favorite portions were those when Carol wasn’t Captain Marvel, to be honest.
It might be slightly biased, but I just felt there was a lot more to the Ms. Marvel era, specifically before Secret Invasion. Early to mid-2000s Marvel is pretty awesome. I sometimes feel like Brian Michael Bendis was a big reason, but reading Ms. Marvel through kind of proves that it was an all-around thing. The Marvel Universe at the time was right on the fence between the old and the new Millenium. The characters hadn’t yet been bastardized to what they are today, and they had the benefit of modern story-telling. I mean, the whole episode of Ms. Marvel battling A.I.M. and M.O.D.O.K is sheer comic book bliss, and Operation Lightning Storm was honestly a little more interesting than Alpha Flight, especially Machine Man.
The other truth about Carol Danvers is that her character is constantly evolving, more than most comic book characters, which is a great thing. For the time that she’s existed and the amount of change she’s undergone it’s far more believable than most characters. It also provides so many versions of her for readers to choose from. For me, I prefer the mid-2000s Carol, but I do like her current iteration as well.
I also really like the original adventures with Mar-Vell. It’s very different from most books of that era and definitely opens up the spectrum for me to read more characters like him. I’ve been sitting on an old Sub-Mariner trade, but have yet to get around to it. Having read a book about an alien trying to play both Man and Kree, I think I’m now more tempted by a book about an atlantean “mutant.” It was also fun to read about the Kree in a more distinct light than I’d ever done before, particularly the introduction of the Supreme Intelligence. The Kree had always been background characters for me before, but not here. All in all I’d say these comics are a staple for the cosmic chapter of Marvel.
Favorite villain goes to Yon-Rogg, due in part to his comeback when Carol claimed the title of Captain Marvel. I mean, all told he hasn’t had all that much presence in comics, but he leaves a strong impact on the mythos of Mar-Vell and Carol. He’s a schemer, through and through, driven by jealousy and greed. He’s kind of cliche really, but he had a sick haircut and an awesome name to boot, and sometimes that’s all it takes. Plus there aren’t too many rogues specific to Captain Marvel/Carol, so you take what you get.
At the end of the day Captain Marvel is a great science fiction adventure that explores all the venues it has to offer, both terrestrial and extra. If there’s one theme I can take away from it all it’s that as a hero one has to stand on the brink of soul and duty and make the ultimate decisions while bearing the ultimate burden. Be it Mar-Vell or Carol, there’s an abundant care to do what is right for themself, but equally for their homeland.
TL;DR Score: It’s been nice to spend so much time in the world of Captain Marvel… but I’ve got a pull list that’s backed up so much in desperate need of reading. Until next time, this is the hype train signing off. CHOO CHOO!!!
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