Hello, everyone! Happy Easter! I debated whether publishing a newsletter was a good idea since it was a holiday. But I decided to do a short one with a new topic. Welcome to the Comic Spotlight! In this newsletter, I’ll be discussing a hero or comic. If it is a hero, it will be their first appearance, notable issue(s) I have from their comic runs, favorite cover(s), why I collect their runs, etc. It’s a chance for the characters to shine that I have in my collection. If it is a comic, then it will be that issue alone. The format will be similar to the Comic Reading for the Week. It allows me to publish a newsletter when I’m short on time. The first character for today’s newsletter will be…. Captain Mar-Vell!
First Appearance: Marvel’s Super-Heroes #12 Vol 1 December 1967
Created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan
Fun Fact - one of the reasons Stan and Gene created this character was to retain the trademark to the name of Captain Marvel. If you didn’t know Shazam from Whiz Comics was originally named Captain Marvel in 1940. After Marvel Comics got the trademark to the name, DC had to change Captain Marvel’s name for his reintroduction in 1972.
First Solo Comic Run: Captain Marvel #1 Vol 1 May 1968
Writer - Roy Thomas & Penciler - Gene Colan
Captain Marvel’s premiere issue picked up from Marvel Super-Heroes #13
Powers and Abilities:
Captain Mar-Vell is from the Kree race, so he possesses their attributes/physiology.
Super-Human strength, durability, speed, agility, and reflexes.
Telekineses, healing factor, photon energy blasts, energy-enhanced strikes, and minor molecular control.
His most significant power is Cosmic Awareness which was given to him by Eon. The scope of this ability never reached its full potential. A similar power to Cosmic Awareness is Spider-Man’s spider sense, but it could be greater than that.
Key (Notable) Issues In My Collection:
Captain Marvel #25 Vol 1 March 1973 - Jim Starlin’s debut art in a Captain Marvel title, Thanos has a cameo and referred to himself as Masterlord, and this issue started The Thanos War arc which ended in issue #33.
Captain Marvel #26 Vol 1 May 1973 - First cover appearance of Thanos, it’s Thanos’ second full appearance, and Death’s first appearance, who is a big motivation to Thanos’ plan.
Captain Marvel #27 Vol 1 July 1973 - Second appearance of Drax the Destroyer, the third appearance of Thanos, and the first full appearance of Eros, Thanos’ brother. Eros is later named Starfox by Wasp in Avengers #232.
Captain Marvel #28 Vol 1 September 1973 - Third appearance of Drax, the fourth appearance of Thanos, and the first appearance of Eon. Eon is a cosmic entity that created the Quantum Bands.
Captain Marvel #29 Vol 1 November 1973 - Captain Marvel was chosen as the protector of the universe. The first cameo appearance of Uranos, Thanos’ Uncle. The first appearance of Sui-San, Thanos’ mother. And the origin of the Eternals and the Olympians.
Captain Marvel #33 Vol 1 July 1974 - Origin of Thanos
Captain Marvel #46 Vol 1 September 1976 - The first appearance of Supremor. Sumpremor is an android version of the Supreme Intelligence and member of Starforce.
Honorable Issues:
Captain Marvel #3 Vol 1 July 1968 - the oldest issue I have from volume one of Captain Marvel.
Marvel Spotlight on Captain Marvel #1 Vol 2 July 1979 - Honorable mention because of the cover.
Marvel Spotlight on Captain Marvel #2 Vol 2 September 1979 - Honorable mention because of the cover.
Ms. Marvel #19 Vol 1 August 1978 - As you can tell this isn’t a Captain Marvel title, but Captain Marvel does appear in the issue. I love the connection between Mar-Vell and Carol Danvers. Carol later becomes Captain Marvel!
Why I Started Reading:
Before I started reading single issues, I had trade paperback books. Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity War were some of the first books I bought. It made me appreciate Jim Starlin as a writer and artist greatly. He became one of my favorite comic book creators since then. At the time, I didn’t know where to start for a complete storyline. I had no idea there was more backstory in the Infinity Gauntlet run. I went to research about it and found Captain Marvel. Jim Starlin had a couple of issues under Mar-Vell’s run, so I had to look into the character. He instantly became one of my favorite characters behind Spider-Man and Adam Warlock. I liked the story for Mar-Vell, plus I’m a big fan of the cosmic side of Marvel. Oh, and his suit is just amazing to me. The supporting characters were interesting as well. Mar-Vell has a devastating story, but it’s beautiful at the same time. When it comes to collecting his solo runs, it sucks, to be honest. My local comic shop doesn’t stock his mags since it is difficult to pick up an issue. I usually have to buy them at conventions. Sometimes I’ll buy them online, but I prefer finding them in a box at a store or vendor. The feeling you get when find issues hits differently. I’m on the road to collecting his entire volume one run within the next two years!
Hello there! I’m happy you took the time out of your day to read my post. Remember, if you have any questions or want to have a discussion, leave a comment! The following newsletter will be a Comic Spotlight. Stay tuned! Happy days and take care!