We're on to Captain Marvel #8, which has a striking cover by Gene Colan. The story is "And Fear Shall Follow!" and is once again by Arnold Drake and Don Heck (inks by Vince Colletta). We open in outer space and a starship piloted by the Aakon, a yellow-skinned race of aliens who are enemies of the Kree. They have an unusual way of speaking without pronouns, ie: "Must oppose, supreme sir!" or "Still get not a response from engine three!" It's an effort to develop something a little different than the usual loudmouth scheming super-villains which most Marvel aliens are (looking at you, Yon-Rogg). The Aakon vessel has been drawn to Earth because they've detected a Kree presence nearby.
Yon-Rogg realizes the Aakon are nearby and prepares a boarding party. Mar-Vell is concerned that they might expose their presence to Earth by engaging in this fight, but Yon-Rogg will not be stopped; for the first time in this series, Yon-Rogg is going into battle! He even puts his helmet on, which is a first for him. Squabbling all the way, the two officers led the Kree boarding party into the Aakon ship and Mar-Vell captures the Aakon commander. When the Aakon ask to discuss terms of surrender, Yon-Rogg refuses and instead asks his men for nuclear weapons. When refused, Yon-Rogg exclaims: "Hala!" the first time we've heard that Kree word. Just then, the Aakon shoot Yon-Rogg and Mar-Vell exclaims "Great Pama!" another important term in Kree lore making its first appearance. Mar-Vell abandons his captive and instead retrieves the fallen Yon-Rogg and orders their forces back to the Helion. Una is put to work on the injured Yon-Rogg. Once Yon-Rogg is stable, Mar-Vell returns to Earth, leaving an officer named Tir-Zarr in command of the Helion. Wait, what about the Aakon?
Uh, anyway, Mar-Vell flies to Walter Lawson's home, which turns out to be a massive futuristic-looking mansion carved in the side of a mountain. Mar-Vell wonders how Lawson came by this wealth. Within the mansion he discovers the mold for an immense robot which Lawson built. Mar-Vell recognizes the devices as rivaling "anything at a Kree multi-versity!" While Mar-Vell examines the computer cards for clues, two men with guns and wearing uniforms with helmets come breaking into the mansion. It seems they helped fund Lawson's experiments on behalf of their group the Organization and its leader Number One. The robot Lawson built was supposed to be a tool for assassinations. Captain Marvel eavesdrops on the two men but they discover him and escape, despite having nothing more sophisticated than rifles and grenades; then they drive over a cliff in their panic and die. Yep, these are some pretty fearsome enemies for the Captain.
Captain Marvel goes to Carol Danvers to tell her what he found in Lawson's laboratory; he did, of course, agree to help Carol in the previous issue. Carol reacts: "I don't know who or what you are--but I do know that I need your help--desperately!" She kisses Mar-Vell and requests he call her 'Carol'. Of course, Una sees this while monitoring Mar-Vell from the Helion; Yon-Rogg, now revived, gloats at Una's discomfort. Later, 'Lawson' takes the computer cards into the Cape's comptuer and determines the robot's test run was to find and kill Lawson himself. Oops; that means 'Lawson' is being stalked by the robot. Funny that this robot has been on the loose for so many months without achieving an assassination. Following Lawson's scent, it catches 'Lawson' near the Cape while he's getting a taxi ride from Chester (no idea why Lawson's scent would guide the robot to Mar-Vell). 'Lawson' escapes the robot and dons his Kree battle-suit. Mar-Vell wrecks the robot with his uni-beam, but the robot's self-repair system immediately goes to work...
Thoughts: There's good and bad in this issue; it's great to see Yon-Rogg actually enter combat and behave like a leader, while his injury also gives Una an opportunity to act as a medic. The Aakon are also an interesting villain for the Kree, one original to Captain Marvel, unlike the Skrulls who were principally Fantastic Four villains.
The downside is the introduction of our first big recurring villains: the Organization. In the 1960s, Stan Lee helped develop villain teams like Hydra, AIM and the Secret Empire; now, thrill to... the Organization? And their leader... Number One? Of all the secret villain groups of Marvel's 1960s, they've got to be the lamest.
We also have Carol and Mar-vell's first kiss, which is quite a development; I preferred her as a non-romantic interest, but at least it's giving Una something to do... uh, although she's not doing anything more than cry and feel jealous.
Next: The Aakon and the robot return! ...So do the Organization, dang it.
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