Thursday, March 28, 2019

Space-Born Super Hero Part 6: Captain Marvel #3

We pick up the series with Captain Marvel #3 and the story "From the Ashes of Defeat!" by the usual creative team of Roy Thomas and Gene Colan (once again Vince Colletta inks). The Super-Skrull has just defeated Captain Mar-Vell and drags him off to his spaceship. Tearing off the hero's helmet he states, "Beneath your battle-helmet, you are as loathsome as I expected--almost as repulsive as the Earthlings themselves!"

Strapping Mar-Vell into his Psycho-Probe, the Super-Skrull begins observing Mar-Vell's memories. This provides an opportunity to recap what's happened so far; in particular, considering the story began in Marvel Super-Heroes #12-13, it's the first time those events have been recapped in the pages of Captain Marvel; the recap takes up 3 pages of the story! What the memories don't explain to the Super-Skrull is why a Kree soldier was fighting a Kree Sentry; yeah, it didn't really make sense based on what we knew about Mar-Vell at the time, I understand the Skrull's confusion.

Mar-Vell revives and uses his uni-beam to break out of the Psycho-Probe, beginning a second fight with the Super-Skrull. Having decided the Super-Skrull is simply too powerful to fight, Mar-Vell attempts a hasty retreat, setting course for Yon-Rogg's ship, which we now learned is called the Helion. Thanks to the Helion's aura of negativism the Super-Skrull doesn't know the vessel is there; the problem is that Mar-Vell's jet-belt isn't built for in-orbit flight (also that Yon-Rogg might not bother helping Mar-Vell, even against a Skrull).

Indeed, Yon-Rogg declares he can't reveal his presence to the Super-Skrull in order to justify abandoning Mar-Vell. However, Mar-Vell's belt manages to barely reach the Helion and Yon-Rogg has no choice but to permit his entry. The Super-Skrull turns back to retrieve the cylinder he found earlier. This is the first time Mar-Vell has met face-to-face with Yon-Rogg and Una since his first appearance. Naturally, this means Mar-Vell has to justify destroying the Sentry to his superior (something which happened earlier in that same day by the timeline so far). Yon-Rogg accuses Mar-Vell of speaking like "a research scientist who has become enarmored of his own guinea pigs." To this, Mar-Vell suggests he contact the Imperial Minister personally to explain his actions. In the midst of all this, poor Una is miffed that Mar-Vell hasn't taken any time for her (patience, m'dear... let him clear his reputation first).

Mar-Vell contacts the Kree homeworld, which is depicted like a ringed planet surrounded by confetti. Mar-Vell describes it as "artificial rings of defensive space-mines... and its flotsam-like cosmic sea of enemy-detecting sub-sonic crystals." Mar-Vell begins to explain the danger of his cylinder's nuclear bomb going off; the Imperial Minister isn't interested in that, but definitely wants Mar-Vell to dirve off the Super-Skrull. Meanwhile, the Super-Skrull transforms into the appearance of Walter Lawson and goes looking for Sentry#459, asking General Bridges and Carol Danvers to guide him there. Mar-Vell returns and fights the Super-Skrull for a third time. The Super-Skrull finally decides to resort to his seldom-used fifth super-power, super-hypnosis (he only brings it out when the other four powers fail); unfortunately, Super-Skrull chooses to use this when a solar mirror on the Cape is lying nearby and a blast from Mar-Vell's uni-beam causes the Skrull to mesmerize himself; with the Skrull in a suggestible state, Mar-Vell finally retrieves his cylinder and deactivates the nuclear bomb, then orders the Super-Skrull to get into his ship and leave Earth. Meanwhile, Jeremy Logan is in a coma and being sent to a hospital.

Thoughts: Not too much happens in this issue, what with the lengthy recap; considering the enmity between the Kree and Skrulls, I wish Yon-Rogg had actually aided Mar-Vell for a change; it would have shown a different side to his character. Yon-Rogg and Una are both pretty bland and they don't offer much at this stage besides watching Mar-Vell get into fights.

Next: Roy Thomas bids the series farewell and drags in one of his favourite characters for the occasion! It's Captain Marvel #4!

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