MIGHTY MARVEL MASTERWORKS: CAPTAIN MARVEL VOL. 1 - THE COMING OF CAPTAIN MARVEL

Marvel Super Heroes (1967) #12-13

by Roy Thomas, Gene Colan (Illustrator), Don Heck (Illustrator)

Watch the skies! Captain Marvel, the space-born super hero, is coming! Branded a traitor by the vicious Col. Yon-Rogg for defending the people of Earth, Captain Mar-Vell assumes the human identity of Walter Lawson and becomes our planet’s protector against an awesome array of interstellar enemies. The massive Sentry #459, the savage Super-Skrull, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Quasimodo the Living Computer all wage war against Captain Marvel here in his very first adventures. Of course there’s plenty of drama, too, with the lovely Medic Una and Carol Danvers each catching the Kree Captain’s eye. Crafted by top talents of the Marvel Age, this one’s certifiably out of this world.

COLLECTING: Marvel Super Heroes (1967) 12-13, Captain Marvel (1968) 1-7, material from Not Brand Echh (1967) 9

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

200 pages, Paperback

Published February 7, 2023

About the author

Roy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.

Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s okay.
The premise is a bit silly. “I’m here to study these humans, before we crush them, but I’ll have to save them all the time from themselves and others, even my own kind.”
Plus, the commander thinking killing off Mar-Vell will make Mar-Vell’s love interest fall for him is eye rolling. “Whelp. You killed my true love, so I guess I love you now.” Ugh.
Then you have Ronan the Accuser who oversees everything and supports killing Mar-Vell off, for whatever reason, but doesn’t allow the commander to do it.
It’s all a bit silly.

[Gary Sassaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh, this one’s a bit of a slog. Legend has it that Marvel publisher Martin Goodman wanted a Captain Marvel book on the stands ASAP, once he found out schlocky rival publisher Myron Fass had snapped up the hero’s name, thinking it had lapsed out of copyright when DC sued Fawcett Publications pretty much out of existence a dozen years earlier. Stan Lee and Gene Colan cobbled together a story that incorporated an existing race of Marvel aliens—the Kree from Fantastic Four—and their secret exploratory mission to Earth. Captain Mar-Vell of the Kree is assigned the task of interacting with the humans and he first appears in an issue of Marvel Superheroes #12 (formerly Fantasy Masterpieces for the first 11 issues). Mar-Vell quickly becomes known as a new superhero on Earth, Captain Marvel, and just as quickly gets his own book. Stan Lee passes this bastard stepchild to Roy Thomas who promptly passes it to former DC writer Arnold Drake. Colan leaves and Don Heck comes onboard as penciller and the book quickly becomes a kind of a placeholder just so Goodman can have his Captain Marvel comic and Myron Fass can go pound salt (which he probably stole from someone else). Roy Thomas would eventually return (in issue #17) with a redesigned Captain (by Gil Kane), teaming him with Marvel’s wandering teenager, Rick Jones, and the book definitely gets better, but it doesn’t really become something extra special until Jim Starlin takes over in issue #25 and introduces his own brand of cosmic comics, including the menace of Thanos. These ten stories—Marvel Superheroes #11 and 12, Captain Marvel #1 through 7, and a parody story from Not Brand Ecch #9, are not a good time to be had by all. The Drake issues are particularly bad (I was never a fan of his work) and while Colan and Heck’s art isn’t bad, the inking almost always is, by the likes—mainly—of Vince Colletta and John Tartaglione. Still it’s a real nice cover by Leonardo Romero and I do kinda dig that old green costume, even if the newer version by Gil Kane is a game-changing classic design.

[Shaun · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a lot of modern readers I know of this Captain Marvel (Mar Vell) from his connection to the current Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers)

This "original" Captain Marvel originated in the 60s. Mar Vell, a Kree warrior come to Earth. His whole thing is he is tasked with observing Earth, and possibly, if necessary, killing it's inhabitants. Yet he finds himself defending them time and time again.

His boss, Yon Rogg is a bag of dicks who just wants to marry Mar Vell's girlfriend. How does he plan to do this? By getting Mar Vell killed. Why would his girlfriend, who HATES Yon Rogg marry him just because her boyfriend died? Especially when she is very suspicious he is trying to kill him? It's never really made clear.

It's all a little silly. Which, I know, it's comic books, but still. I'd like the plot to be a little more logical.

As far as Carol Danvers who I mentioned earlier is concerned, this collections contain her first appearance I believe. Before she became super powered she was the head of security for NASA. A big job for a woman in the 1960s, but sadly they do not take her seriously at all. Mar Vell even is like 'wow such a feminine lady in such a masculine job." and ultimately gets around her probing questions by basically ignoring her. Her biggest "use" in the comics is for Mar Vell's Kree girlfriend to get jealous of her.

So I will say some positives of it. Comics of this era are just kind of nostalgic fun. The art is generally pretty decent (outside of some very weird posing at times) and the comic still again hits that nostalgia for me. He starts out battling some decently big names in Marvel, though towards the end just sort of battles an array of random science monstrosities.

I know later on Captain Marvel gets revamped. A cooler costume, possibly some slightly altered powers (I am not quite sure) and a nice blond head of hair instead of his old man white locks. I am not sure if I am invested enough to read that far in.

This was fine, I don't hate it, but I wouldn't consider it an all time classic comic by any means.