Rick notes that with Yon-Rogg dead, Mar-Vell doesn't have revenge propelling him forward so, what's his motivation now? "That's my problem, Rick... and one I'll face in due time." Um, yes, it would be good for the series' protagonist to have some motivation, y'know? Anyway, Rick picks up a newspaper and starts looking for work, but no one is interested in hiring him, primarily because of his age. One employer complains, "You look like one'a them hippie freaks to me...!" If anything, Rick dresses like a 1950s sock hopper. Determined he won't run back to the Avengers for a handout, Rick heads to the Minos Towers for a job. He's surprised to find the building looks like an immense fortress. The employer, a Dr. Webb, greets him through a video camera and the ground beneath Rick becomes a sophisticated elevator, lowering Rick into Webb's high-tech facility (earning a 'faaan-tastic' from Rick).
Cornelius Webb is slow to explain the details behind the job, but assures Rick that he's the exact age, size and emotional type for what he's doing. Webb is a sociologist performing an experiment and introduces Rick to his two pet lab rats, Theseus and Ariadne - aptly named, as they're both employed at running through a maze. Dr. Webb sends Rick back to the surface, where Rick gets to stay in one of the Minos Towers apartments. Rick makes friends with the other residents (such as a Mr. Weiss) in the days which follow and the building has impressive resources, such as an indoor swimming pool. Rick wonders where Webb's wealth is coming from and tries reading the book Webb wrote, but he can't understand it - it seems to be about nothing more than the social life of rats. One night, Rick hears his neighbour Mrs. Martino scream. He feels he could investigate this himself, but instead switches places with Captain Marvel. Having been stuck in the Negative Zone for days, Mar-Vell appreciates being released; Mrs. Martino says she saw a bat-like monster, but there's nothing there now.
Dr. Webb is curious about Mar-Vell as he watches him through his video feed (strangely, his cameras apparently missed Rick activating the Nega-Bands). In the days which follow, more residents see images of creatures. Rick is convinced Webb is behind this, although Mar-Vell is skeptical. Rick suggests Mar-Vell investigate Webb, but of course Mar-Vell can't - he can only see whatever Rick sees. Suddenly, a tiger-sized rat appears in Rick's room. Rick swaps places with Captain Marvel, but the rat vanishes as soon as Mar-Vell approaches it. At the same time, more problems arise in the building, as some residents are fleeing from smoke and others from a rising tide of water. When Mar-Vell tries to lead the other guests to safety, he finds a third danger: fire! As people begin to blame Mar-Vell for leading them to the fire, yet another problem arises as the walls of the building begin to close in on them. Mar-Vell saves one of the residents, then confers with Mr. Weiss, who is looking for Rick; Mar-Vell claims to have saved Rick.
It's Weiss who begins to put all of this into perspective. Watching the other people, Weiss remarks, "They are like the inmates of a concentration camp!" This comparison surprises Mar-Vell, who inquires further: "Auschwitz... 1945!" Weiss exclaims tersely. "I was one of the unlucky ones! I survived! No, do not look for scars, my friend! They are all... in my mind!" This outburst leads to an uncomfortable silence, when suddenly the building's elevator opens its doors. The frightened people file inside, but once the car is between floors, gas begins flooding the confined space! (yikes! having just make the comparison to the Holocaust, this is a legitimately terrifying development) Mar-Vell drags the elevator car to another floor and saves the people inside, but they've become despondant. "We're being herded, like lambs to slaughter!" One gripes.
At this cue, Dr. Webb appears on a video screen to taunt them all. Webb explains he gathered these particular people because of their ages, ethnic groups and income brackets so that he could perform this sociological test on them. He expects the book he'll write from this data will allow him to bask in royalties down in South America (which has a certain connotation when talking about the architects of the Holocaust). After this, immense blades strike from the ceilings, floors and walls around the captured people, but Captain Marvel defends them. Weiss is almost killed by one of the blades, but instead takes a stunning blow. Mar-Vell finally smashes the blades then breaks back into the elevator shaft, following it down below to reach Webb himself. Webb has automated defenses installed, tripped by Mar-Vell's body heat, but Mar-Vell destroys the sophisticated laser weapons before they can strike him. Rick can tell Mar-Vell is getting tired and implores him to rest, but Mar-Vell refuses, pressing on into Webb's lair.
As soon as Mar-Vell bursts in, Webb, ever confident, strikes him with atomic blasts while mocking him. "Really, my good captain, I was hoping for a somwhat more original exclamation from you! Something along the lines of 'great gamma rays!'... perhaps even 'holy molecules!' But, if you prefer a simple 'yaarrhhh! as your epitaph... so be it!" That Webb, he's a salty one. The atomic blasts can't kill Mar-Vell, but they are able to trigger the Nega-Bands to swap him with Rick Jones and Rick would be killed instantly in Mar-Vell's place.
Before Mar-vell can free himself, Mr. Weiss acts; having followed Mar-Vell to the basement and seen what Webb is doing, he is again reminded of Auschwitz. When Webb gloats, "After all, is it not for the betterment of the race... and well worth a few meaningless lives?" Weiss remembers an officer in the camp making the same expression. Shoving Webb aside, Weiss grabs the controls and tears out the wires; Webb's machine explodes as Mar-Vell and Rick switch places. Fortunately, the atomic energy has dissipated so Rick is fine, but the explosion of Webb's control panel killed Mr. Weiss. Webb is now truly insane: "He's only pretending... trying to fool me!" Webb raves as he stares at Weiss' corpse. "He'll get up in a minute and walk away... you'll see!" Webb insists. Rick finally gives us Weiss' full name - Jacob Weiss - and notes how Webb only refers to him by the number of his apartment: 6-K. A close-up on Weiss' forearm shows us his concentration camp number, making the parallel clear. "Excuse me..." Rick tells Webb, "I gotta go somewhere... and be quietly sick...!"
Thoughts: It should be noted that Gil Kane co-plotted this story with Roy Thomas; as Kane was Jewish, you can understand his personal interest in crafting a Holocaust story. This is an unusual way of looking at the Holocaust - it's not set in the 1940s, not even for a flashback scene. And yet, you'd have to be thick as a brick to miss all of the references and understand how Webb's experiments are being likened to those which the Nazis inflicted on their captives.
This is the first Captain Marvel story after Yon-Rogg's death and as Yon-Rogg had propelled much of the series up until now, it would be nice to get a sense of what our hero is after now. That element is lacking here, but as a stand-alone story this is easily the best issue of Captain Marvel up 'til now and I think probably the best pre-Starlin story.
Hopefully Mar-Vell will get a new purpose soon - like, he ought to be trying to get out of the Negative Zone, right?
Next: Captain Marvel makes his first-ever guest appearance! It's time for Avengers #72!
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