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Post by G on Feb 6, 2008 21:12:08 GMT -5
 Captain Marvel 1st Appearance - Marvel Super Heroes #12 December 1967 Decent Web Link: www.marvel.com/universe/Captain_Marvel_(Mar-Vell) Opinion (of thread creator only). Captain Marvel has had an enigmatic career in comics. As part of the Kree race, Marvel is sent to observe Earth only to later defend it and be deemed a traitor by the Kree. His original Green and White costume would eventually be replaced with a more Cosmic Red and Blue one.  After being exiled into the Negative Zone, he could exchange atoms with Rick Jones by use of his Nega-band wristbands. He later would have a classic battle between himself and Thanos.  He would soon develop Cancer and later die from this illness. His run of comics from his original series lasted only 62 issues. It appeared his legacy had ended. But his character would live on with others assuming the role of Captain Marvel.  Now Marvel is resurrected and back in his own title once again. It remains to be seen if Marvel will ever be an A-Lister character. Pros: Lots of cool issues, covers and a few plot twists as well as a short run make his run of comics not that difficult to obtain. Cons: Never really made into a strong leading character. He often seemed like a Marvel Character who was off in another universe away from the rest of the Marvel Universe. Seemed more like a B-List character and sometimes that was being kind. Author's Thoughts: I tend to like Captain Marvel more and more as time goes by. I think Ive always liked him to a degree, but now I like the title a whole lot more. It was Bronze Age old school at its best and worst. Ive probably had every issue at least once, but have never had the entire collection. I also thought Captain Marvel had one of the coolest uniforms in all of comics. Favorite Era: This one is easy. The great run that Jim Starlin had from issues 26 - 34. This has to be a Classic run for both character and artist. If only this era continued on another 10 or 15 issues. Starlin was onto something with his vision of Captain Marvel. Least Favorite Era: (See pic)...  Okay, I guess that really doesnt count. I think the run of Captain Marvels from issues 40's to mid 50's was pretty weak. There are a couple of Milgrim that were just plain poor. My personal favorite to see draw Captain Marvel? Easily Jim Starlin. Even though he only drew 9 issues not counting the death, those were the greatest of the character's career in my opinion. Believe it or not, I also loved Pat Broderick's short run on Captain Marvel toward the end of the original series and also Volume 2 of Marvel Spotlight.  |
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Post by leonmallett on Feb 17, 2008 13:43:46 GMT -5
I have always been suprised in how determined Marvel seem to get mileage out of this character, whether an obvious audince is there or not. The Death of Captain Marvel was a great story in my view, and a fitting way to leave the character. That has been undermined in my view, even if the rationale is that his death still happens. What the character highlights to me is that Marvel do Earth-based stories in familiar cities better than the cosmic stuff, of which there was seemingly too much (well at least in my mind) during the 1970's and onwards.
I like the Captain Marvel I read by Starlin, and his appearances elsewhere, but ultimately a moving and tragic story of his passing has been demeaned by the decision to bring him back.
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Post by cfs on Feb 17, 2008 22:55:46 GMT -5
I never cared for the storyline where they killed him off. It annoys me when writers are so uncreative that they have to kill a character to tell a story. I don't buy a Captain Marvel story to see him die. After all these years it's a moot point. I don't care what they do with him.
To me the crime was killing him in such a stupid way. Bringing him back doesn't make it any worse for me.
cfs
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Post by leonmallett on Feb 18, 2008 4:22:41 GMT -5
I never cared for the storyline where they killed him off. It annoys me when writers are so uncreative that they have to kill a character to tell a story. I don't buy a Captain Marvel story to see him die. After all these years it's a moot point. I don't care what they do with him. To me the crime was killing him in such a stupid way. Bringing him back doesn't make it any worse for me. cfs Ultimately his death was the point of the story, that no matter the abilities and genius-level minds involved, the assembled heroes couldn't combat Mar-Vell's terminal illness. I found it a fitting finale to the character and a poignant tale. Horses for courses though, I suppose. |
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Post by G on Feb 18, 2008 6:40:06 GMT -5
The older I get, the more I like Captain Marvel. I wasnt such a big fan as a kid, but I just think the character is cooler the more I see of him. It is a shame he never really caught on and was relegated to B level status throughout and sometimes that was kind. I kept wondering why he didnt catch on. There were good periods but just like any, there was bad too.
But I agree with Leon here, the death was poignant back during a time when death was rare. What made it more thought provoking is he died of cancer. You normally expect that if they kill a character off, he dies at the hands of some enemy, not by cancer. I see the irony that Leon sees. So heroic yet fallen to an enemy inside his body.
What has cheapened it is the comeback. I agree. It's just wrong. He was a truly dead character longer than most. Having others try to be Captain Marvel was alright with me, but again miserable attempts. Having the original Captain Marvel come back to life just stinks. Im sure Marvel would like to see if they can get some more money out of him and that is the basis for it. But it cheapens their historical significance every time they kill a character off only to bring him back later. So, Im with C on this point. Death becomes a cheap ploy here. And bringing him back just made it more so.
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Post by cfs on Feb 18, 2008 11:44:48 GMT -5
Unfortunately this is where the business will always take over. If you invested years into creating a character and telling stories about him, why the heck even consider killing him? It takes the monetary investment, consumer awareness, and negates all the purpose and time put into the stories.
Superheroes are not popular because the hero is a loser -- whether that's realistic or not. If they want realism, they can tell flash forward stories about Batman struggling to get good health care in a nursing home. They can give him a bat shaped bed pan. Nothing annoys me more in "hero" based epics than to find out the hero is a pathetic loser.
This is just a situation where Starlin was given too much free reign to do as he wished. The character was a company investment. None of the sales it acheived is worth throwing the character away.
Since money steers most decisions in life, bringing him back was inevitable. Writers should not be killing characters for any reason. Even secondary characters like Karen Page and Gwen Stacy should not be killed. Too many fans have connection to these characters over time. It's a lack of regard for the people who were willing to buy more stories with their favorite characters.
cfs
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whetteon
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Post by whetteon on Feb 21, 2008 20:21:03 GMT -5
I was personally happy with the 'crazy' Marv version of Captain Marvel by Peter David. I liked seeing a unimpotent being abuse his powers but in a smart and refreshing way.
I agree that Jim Starlin's storyline was some of the best out there. He really defined the character. But if you read any of Starlin's stuff you realize he has a way of writing space characters that hooks you. His Warlock, Thanos, Infinite Gautlent stories all dealt with space beings and to a lesser extent, earth's meager super-heroes. That's his brillance.
Should they bring his back? Well no. Every character that dies in comic should stay dead. Long live the Valiant way but in the world of $$'s, just the opposite will be true. Such is the capitalist society we live in.
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Post by leonmallett on Feb 26, 2008 6:04:30 GMT -5
To be honest the resurrection of fictional characters killed off is not a modern phenomena - look at the example of Sherlock Holmes, killed off by his creator and years later brought back by the same author. Admittedly he had generous offers to do so, but to my mind unless a death and resurrection is part of the greater story arc, then it is an increasingly over-used plot device, the impactof which has pretty much been lost.
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Post by cyberstrike on Jul 21, 2008 17:51:54 GMT -5
I just got through re-reading The Life of Captain Marvel TPB and aside from some really super cheesy dialogue, and some really awful coloring in the last chapter (the girl who is supposed to be Rick's new singing partner looks more like a distant cousin of a Skrull than an African-American) it's still holds up pretty damn good.
I think the thing that I like about it was that Starlin actually created a kind of super-epic between Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Warlock, and the various team up books and that ended in both Warlock and Captain Marvel dying at the end of it. I liked the fact that the heroes won the war but also lost at the end.
It made the whole thing seem more epic and more real than most other so-called cosmic epics. Starlin is a master of writing grand scale cosmic epics and combining them with flawed and screwed up characters that some how win in the end but in his epic both of heroes end up dead at the end, along with Thanos.
And both of the great and very under-rated Peter David runs which I also re-read a good chunk of, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed his take on Captain Marvel and it also had some of the most thought provoking stories and some best jokes and one-liners in comics.
I think one of the problems with the character is the whole cosmic awareness thing, I mean what is it? Starlin made it kind of vague and it seem it more like heightened senses similar to Wolverine but on a grand scale and that Marvel could use when he wanted to. But Starlin never really did explain what were the rules of cosmic awareness were.
While in David's second run it allowed Genis to travel through time, know future events and their outcomes, bend the laws of the universe, bring back the dead, he was also some what immortal, etc.
I think having a power level that high and not really having set of rules or guidelines of what the characters can and can not do made it hard for some writers to figue out the characters.
Another thing is that these characters aren't generally just set in New York City. In Starlin's run has them start in NYC (but some weird reason I keep wanting to put in Detroit) and David's first run starts in LA and both of their runs ends on a moon of Saturn. I think that Captain Marvel doesn't fit in the Big Apple and because of their roles as galactic protectors they don't have a need to stay in one place for very long so they tend not to be able to hang out with the rest of Marvel Universe; in which about 97% of the Marvel Universe is set in NYC.
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