Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) Appreciation - "Higher, Further, Faster, More!"

[Darthfury78]

KSD seems to really like writing Captain Marvel. She's got immense love for the fanbase. So I don't see her leaving any time soon. She's got Bitch Planet and the upcoming second volume of Pretty Deadly, but I'm sure she can manage her time well enough to do it.

I would love to see her do a Silver Sable ongoing series or even a Black Cat ongoing series. Either one is better than what Slott's doing to both characters at the moment. And I do believe that she wants to move on to other projects, in which she should pursue. Afterall, KSD wanted to write a Spider-Woman solo series before it was given to Denis Hopeless because of her very busy schedule.

[Tiamatty]

I would love to see her do a Silver Sable ongoing series or even a Black Cat ongoing series. Either one is better than what Slott's doing to both characters at the moment. And I do believe that she wants to move on to other projects, in which she should pursue. Afterall, KSD wanted to write a Spider-Woman solo series before it was given to Denis Hopeless because of her very busy schedule.

Yeah, I'm sure there's a ton of books she'd love to write. But Captain Marvel has been very rewarding for her, so I think that she's still got a couple more years of it left in her. Like I said, if nothing else, she loves the Carol Corps too much to want to leave any time soon.

And while we're on the subject of KSD: Bitch Planet #4! Bitch Planet has been fantastic, well worth picking up.

[Mister Mets]

Thanks for the recommendations on good Carol Danvers comics. I figured I'd quote it all, so there's one post where it's all assembled.

I think the opening arc of the first volume is worth mentioning. Like all of DeConnick's run, it was divisive... but it brought a real fresh, inspirational start to the character. I thought it was a beautiful tale. "We will be the stars we were always meant to be..."

Avengers Annual #10 - A single issue, but a masterful piece of work from Claremont.

I'm sure she had some pretty fantastic 90s Avengers moments - but I'll admit that's a weak point in my mental library.

I think the Ascension arc in Reed's series is another one worth mentioning... because it shines a light on her pre-powers past, reminding us that she was pretty much superhero even before she got powers. (It's a little bit of an odd piece in Reed's greater arc... but as a standalone tale, I think it has a lot of interesting material in it.)

Civil War and the Civil War tie-ins in Reed's series. This is another one that is super divisive (we used to argue about it all the time) - but I think Civil War was a story where Carol had an opportunity to be very multi-dimensional and actually GROW and change. (PS - I really hope this recommendation doesn't re-open the argument. Again.)

I think she probably had some important moments in the Avengers 90s runs... but 90s Avengers is a big hole in my mental library. Somebody else will have to make the specific recommendations.

I would recommend checking out Kurt Busiek's Avengers run if you haven't already. He wrote the series from 1998 to 2002. Specifically, the Live Kree or Die crossover is a really good Carol spotlight story, and she gets some really nice hero moments in the final arc of the run, The Kang Dynasty.

As far as KSD's run, I think the Enemy Within crossover arc has been the high point of the series so far.

All of this stuff is purely IMO, but...

From DeConnick: I'd honestly say the entire previous volume from her, barring perhaps the largely-meaningless Infinity tie-in issues (#15-16), is absolutely worth reading. If that's too much expenditure, maybe just cut it down to The Enemy Within (#13-14, plus a one-shot and some Avengers Assemble issues) plus #9, which is both the start of EW's prelude and also probably one of my all-time favourite single issues of anything. As for the current volume, the best so far have been #9-11, three very different stories (a rhyming pop opera, a nostalgic heartstring-puller focused on the supporting cast, and a Christmas special) that all kick ass in their own way.

From Brian Reed: As lilyinblue has mentioned, the Ascension arc/TPB works much better as a stand-alone read than it did as part of the overall series, and it's got interesting early-days Carol material in it. The Civil War tie-ins were quite well done too, though I wouldn't bother with the main series because Millar. I'd also recommend the Secret Invasion tie-ins, which used the supporting cast very well, took advantage of the Skrulls' doppelganger tricks very well, and ends with Carol basically beating up a hundreds-strong army of Super Skrulls by herself because that's how awesome she is. Oh, and the Giant-Size Ms. Marvel one-shot that kicked off the series was Chewie's first appearance, so that has historical importance.

From Kurt Busiek: I really can't recommend his entire Avengers run enough, and Carol's a big part of it, but if you want to save cash, just buy the first and last collected editions, to show Carol's downward spiral, and then her recovering with some of her most badass performances ever. Oh, and the Live Kree or Die! story that's part of the first volume also had Carol turning up in other books; I don't have a full list at hand but the relevant Iron Man issues are in the Deadly Solutions premiere HC.

From Brian Bendis: Ehhhh...I'm on record several times now as talking down Bendis' work on the character (she was in plenty of his books but rarely amounted to more than wallpaper that throws one punch an issue), but I'm willing to make an exception for the short-lived Mighty Avengers series, which was the one time she felt actually necessary. The first TPB - I forget the title, but it's the one where Ultron is a naked woman for some stupid reason - is great and gets an unreserved recommendation. The second suffers slightly for that bit where Dr. Doom calls Carol a fat cow, in what is hands-down the most OOC Doom rant ever, but it's still probably worth a shot. After that the series loses its way.

I honestly don't know what to recommend r.e. Binary. Can't even remember what X-Men issues that change went down in, or if they're collected anywhere. I'd assume the collection would be called 'something something Brood' if it existed. That said, while the initial transformation was cool, Binary never really amounted to much, being shoved into the Starjammers immediately afterward, who themselves never got to do anything, so.

Also, for slightly more random stuff, Avengers Assemble #15.AU (Age of Ultron tie-in) has Carol marooned in London and helping Captain Britain and his pals deal with the machine menace. It's not really 'about' Carol but she's the POV character and Al Ewing absolutely nails her voice, and she does get to be badass. Also, Contest of Champions II #5 has the most cathartic Carol vs. Rogue scene ever. Must remember to scan it for here one day.

Hmmm Best of Binary issues are a bit hard to suss out. She had some high points but for much of her tenure in that identity, she was part of a supporting ensemble (the Starjammers) and it was just a comfort knowing the character was still around.

Some that standout though...

Carol's introduction/transformation into Binary during the X-Men's Brood Saga. Save the day Carol!

Also her first encounter with Rogue after her Binary empowerment is quite memorable in Uncanny X-Men #171 [/URL]

Marvel Fanfare Vol1 #24 features Carol coming face to face with the Monica Rambeau Captain Marvel for the first time and finding out that Mar-Vell has died during her lost years.

The Brood saga starts at the very end of Uncanny X-Men 161 (literally the last two pages, which have almost nothing to do with the issue up to that point), and then runs through 166. As mentioned 164 is the key Carol issue, but she has some great stuff throughout. I don't think it has been reprinted, but the issues aren't too expensive secondhand—I was able to find most for $1 and the two others (164 and maybe 165) cost me like $5 each. They should all be on Marvel Unlimited and Comixology, though.

That Marvel Fanfare issue is simply amazing.

Another set of quasi-Carol stories that are pretty interesting are the "Carol slowly takes over Rogue's mind" plotline in Uncanny X-Men. The big issues are 182, 244, 246-247, and 269. 182 has Rogue-as-Carol track down and help Carol's old beau Michael Rossi, 244-247 has Carol trying to take over Rogue's mind and (unrelatedly) ends with Rogue going through the Siege Perilous, and 269 (over a year later!) finally picks up with her on the other end, in Australia, with her Carol Danvers personality given its own solid form, but they only have enough life force for one of them to live (they fight and Rogue wins, with some help from Magneto). Since they're all Claremont, it's some pretty great characterization of Carol.

At the same time, Carol is off in space with the Starjammers. If you really want, you can track down the X-Men: Spotlight on the Starjammers two-part mini from 1990, but it's entirely forgettable (it's written by Terry Kavanagh rather than Claremont).

For the Operation: Galactic Storm stuff, Carol only shows up in Quasar 33 and 34, but you might also want to check out 32 for context on what's going on. Unless you really love 90s crossovers, skip the rest of the series, which I found pretty dull, though I do know others really love it. (It's one of those "everyone writes part X of Y in their own title" crossovers, a la the current Black Vortex—my experience is that these are ALWAYS terribly inconsistent and often barely intelligible.) Then, she shows up for one page of Avengers 348 (in a hospital bed, but given a lot of dialogue) before the two-part Avengers 350-351, which is basically Starjammers v. Avengers, with Carol stuck in the middle.

I haven't read the StarBlast crossover that spun out of Quasar a little after that, but I know Carol features prominently in the mini and in the Quasar issues and that Mark Greenwald actually makes an effort to give her back her memories. It's on my list, and I'll report back after I've read it. That's Carol's last prominent appearance before Busiek's Avengers, other than a two-parter in X-Men Unlimited 13/Silver Surfer 123—I also haven't read this, it's on my list after StarBlast.

So, yeah... Long story short is that from 1982 when Carol became Binary until Operation: Galactic Storm in 1992, she barely made any appearances. Her stuff from then on is pretty limited, but fades to practically nothing after Mark Greenwald died, until Kurt Busiek brought her back for his Avengers run starting in 1998.

[juan678]

Peter nGuyen

[Fordel]

I love the jacket, seen it in a few bits of art and covers.

[Darthfury78]

Yeah, I'm sure there's a ton of books she'd love to write. But Captain Marvel has been very rewarding for her, so I think that she's still got a couple more years of it left in her. Like I said, if nothing else, she loves the Carol Corps too much to want to leave any time soon.

And while we're on the subject of KSD: Bitch Planet #4! Bitch Planet has been fantastic, well worth picking up.

KSD may love Captain Marvel, but the fact remains that the sales numbers are very low. And I feel that she might be leaving the book to pursue her creator owned comics. Her take on Carol seems to be more of a space cop than how the character was under Brian Reed who kept her grounded on Earth throughout his run on the series.

[klynn]

Ok, Carol fans, which Captain Marvel do you prefer: Earth's Mightiest Hero on Earth or Cosmic Avenger in space?




For me it's Carol on Earth, but I generally dislike any stories set in space. Also, I just see Carol as more grounded. Not so much an explorer of adventurer but more of, as KSD refers to her, an adrenaline junkie who needs to prove herself and protect people.

[SOLID MATTIC]

^^I really like both and I honestly don't really see a distinction between them. Its just Carol beating up bad guys and being awesome either way. I think being an adrenaline junkie was the reason why she went to space in the first place. She was looking for new challenges to prove and better herself. To me its just a continuation of what Brian Reed started with Carol deciding to push herself to become the best hero she could be.

Also being in space meant she dodged being a part of AXIS: Inversion so full marks there (although what would inverted carol look like?).

One annoying thing for her space adventures though is the lack of any real villains to join her rogues gallery, which is still sadly lacking. If she had stayed on earth perhaps it would have meant more time to build up Grace Valentine as potential major villain.

[MsAngel]

Ok, Carol fans, which Captain Marvel do you prefer: Earth's Mightiest Hero on Earth or Cosmic Avenger in space?

I always preferred her on Earth, myself. While she can go to space, part of the appeal for me was that she was cosmically powered but chose to use her powers to improve things at home, even though she could leave and never come back if she so wished it. That just fits Carol to me—she's always been so compassionate and desired to really make a change. Besides, Marvel needs at least one female solo heroine not named She-Hulk who's grounded and extremely powerful.

[Holt]

Look who is on the cover of the Avengers: Future Fight game.

[albone]

Ok, Carol fans, which Captain Marvel do you prefer: Earth's Mightiest Hero on Earth or Cosmic Avenger in space?

Yep, on Earth. I love her interactions with Jess, Kit and the rest of the superhero community as well as dealing with terrestrial challenges.

[Captain Wessex]

Look who is on the cover of the Avengers: Future Fight game.

what is that?

[Myetche]

Definitely prefer her being Earth-based. Carol has no reason to be putzing around in space, not when Marvel needs to establish a proper supporting cast and villain gallery for her if she's ever going to be a major player in their roster.

[Venomous Mask]

Definitely prefer her being Earth-based. Carol has no reason to be putzing around in space, not when Marvel needs to establish a proper supporting cast and villain gallery for her if she's ever going to be a major player in their roster.

Good point. I can't honestly think of one widely known villain that is associated with her.

[Myetche]

Good point. I can't honestly think of one widely known villain that is associated with her.

Mystique is literally it, and she's pretty much unusable due to how she's stuck in the mess that is the X-Men.