Credit, undue

Following on from yesterday's post about Public Domain, I have a few thoughts about a current headline on comic book creators receiving their due credit.

Until recently, Marvel's official credit byline for the character Wolverine cited writer Len Wein with artists Herb Trimpe and John Romita (Romita designed the costume but Trimpe drew the finished comic). As of the recent movie Deadpool and Wolverine, Roy Thomas is now included at the end of the byline. This apparently came about because Thomas has for himself a very cutthroat talent agent - and because Wein, Trimpe and Romita are all deceased. Thomas has been very pleased with himself for getting a co-creator credit on Wolverine, although he did pause to complain that his name was listed last when it "should have" been first in a classic case of "shut up when you're winning."

Until I arrived on the internet in 1998, I didn't realize that Thomas was a bit controversial in comics fandom. I knew him only from his works, from the editorials he wrote on the letters pages of his various Marvel and DC titles over the years. I was especially flummoxed when I began to meet other fans of 1940s super heroes online and discovered none of them seemed to like Thomas' work very much. Why, wasn't it Thomas who did more than any other writer to bring back forgotten heroes of the 1940s to give them new adventures in places like Marvel's Invaders and DC's All-Star Squadron? Sure, they rejoined, and he did more than other writer to retcon 1940s heroes out of existence, kill them off or turn them into villains.

Heck, on at least three occasions Thomas brought out a story where a classic hero comes back, goes insane, turns evil, fights the heroes, then destroys himself (Toro in Sub-Mariner #14; Red Raven in Sub-Mariner #26; Marvel Boy in Fantastic Four #165). That should have been a clue to me.

Thomas' case for being Wolverine's co-creator is that he was the editor of Wolverine's first appearance and participated in the original brainstorming sessions for the character. I'd like to say it's not cricket to claim that this makes you a co-creator, but I'm afraid Marvel has already been building precedent along these lines. The Kamala Khan version of Ms. Marvel has always been credited as a co-creation of editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson and artists Jamie McKelvie and Adrian Alphona. With the precedent established, why not take advantage of it?

Well, for one, you could injure your legacy. For Roy Thomas, he's an aging creator (turns 84 this year) and he's not liable to produce more art in the future as counterweight against his present legacy. Thomas was already someone fans had a few misgivings about - now they're looking at him as the true inheritor of Stan Lee's mantle, and not in a good way - that like Stan Lee, he wants to claim more ownership over ideas than he is due.

Comics don't pay very well and offer few incentives to reward loyalty, even for those who put decades of their lives into careers at the major companies. If you view the business from a libertarian dog-eat-dog perspective then sure, Thomas can demand and receive compensation for Wolverine and any other characters whose first appearances he might've edited (which his agent is apparently trying to do). You can "prove" you deserve more credits and more dollars from your corporate publishers. What you can't prove is how it makes you any better than Bob Kane.

For a man who rose up the ranks from fandom, Thomas hasn't had a great reputation within fandom and not because of sour grapes. I'm afraid that when Thomas passes on, fandom will not long mourn him. And that's a pity, because if he would just stick to his actual accomplishments he would leave a legacy to be celebrated.

Space-Born Super Hero Part 41: The End.

Here are my parting thoughts on the series I've been running on this blog called 'Space-Born Super Hero'. The recent Captain Marvel motion picture prompted me to think about the character of Captain Mar-Vell, and in particular how out-of-focus his adventures prior to the arrival of Jim Starlin were. By the time Starlin drew Captain Marvel #25, Captain Marvel had been a Marvel super hero for about six years. What went on during those six years?

Now, my own exposure to Mar-Vell's earlier adventures was somewhat limited - although I wrote for The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, I never needed to delve into the character often. Heck, I'm not sure if I even had to do a write-up on the Kree. I suppose blogging about the early Captain Marvel stories interested me because it was an avenue of Marvel Comics I hadn't delved into before, likely the only 1960s super hero stuff I hadn't read from start to finish.

At the same time, I knew of the book's reputation. I knew many in fandom at the time despised the series because he had 'robbed' the moniker 'Captain Marvel' from the defunct Fawcett hero. I have some fascination with terrible comic books, as my Bitter Fruit series targeting the Shadow will attest. However, I also enjoy defying conventional wisdom. Perhaps the comics weren't that bad? So... what did I find?

Not as advertised.

Perhaps the strangest discovery I made was that the picture I had in my head of Captain Marvel's personality was all wrong. I'd based my ideas on Jim Starlin's stories (which I first read in The Life of Captain Marvel) and I had the impression that Mar-Vell came to Earth as an invader but had the heart of a hero, causing him to take a stand against the Kree. I knew he had loved Una and lost her to one of his enemies. I had this image of a noble but tragic hero who gives up everything from his upbringing to save Earth.

But... that's not really what happened. Mar-Vell is frustratingly obtuse about his motives throughout the early parts of the series. There is a sense that he's a dedicated soldier who refuses to betray his uniform, but at the same time is ordered to take hostile actions against humanity. However, he would find loopholes to avoid having to take a stand for his principles, such as in Captain Marvel #7 where he tricked Yon-Rogg into thinking he killed a town of people with a plague (they were all robots).

Instead, Mar-Vell lacks agency; Yon-Rogg despises Mar-Vell from the start and wants him dead (although strangely, not so much because of Una, which is what I thought his motivation was; he only really claims that was his motivation after Una dies). The Kree are shown as paranoid war-mongers who have it in for Mar-Vell and will execute him the moment he shows signs of disloyalty. In the end, what causes Mar-Vell to leave the military? He destroys the Organization after being told to form an alliance with them. Like, seriously, Mar-Vell is given the death sentence because he killed humans.

Once Mar-Vell is forced out of the military, he's motivated by revenge, not any affection for Earth or anyone else. His nobility is still lacking; even after bonding with Rick Jones, where Mar-Vell is frequently cast in the role of Rick's conscience, he mostly pops out of the Negative Zone to help save Rick from a problem he's gotten himself into. Again, where's the agency? What does Mar-Vell want for himself? Why does he do the things he does?

Such a limited sphere.

Part of what makes Captain Marvel so boxed-in and easy to avoid is that almost no one introduced in the pages of Captain Marvel goes on to bigger and better things. You've got Mar-Vell and his two iconic costumes; you've got him bonded to Rick Jones via the Negative Zone; you've got supporting character Carol Danvers... that's it. He is part of the Kree-Skrull War, but it goes on entirely in the pages of the Avengers, where the character with the most impact on the plot is the Vision. None of Mar-Vell's brand-new foes such as the Metazoid, Solam or the Organization went on to greater things. Heck, outside of Lou-Ann Savannah, almost no one in the first 24 issues has any bearing on Jim Starlin's run.

And there's Zo.

Yeah, Zo. So, Zo was terrible, but not quite as terrible as I'd been led to think. The idea of Mar-Vell having a cosmic benefactor is one which Starlin came back to with his character Eon. Zo, however, is just way too much of a non-character. Eon's purpose is clear from the start - he's a champion of life and needs Mar-Vell to help defeat Thanos, so gives him the power he needs. Zo doesn't explain what he wants or why Mar-Vell is the person to help him get it and grants him odd powers which Mar-Vell barely ever thinks to employ. Gary Friedrich added some minor interest to the character by bringing in trippy hippie visuals, but Zo's presence continued to highlight the problems with the series - which again and again, come down to Mar-Vell possessing a poorly-defined character motivation.

Was it all terrible?

No, certainly not. Gil Kane's issues were absolutely lovely and Mar-Vell appearances in the Avengers were all classic stories I quite enjoyed. I found much of Don Heck's art lacking, but he pulled off some very nice art in Captain Marvel#16.

There was promise, certainly. That's what I felt in the last few issues of Captain Marvel. Gerry Conway's story in Captain Marvel #22 started off well enough, but I felt Marv Wolfman whiffed it on the second half; the same thing happened with Captain Marvel #24, which had some nice art by Wayne Boring and great character designs, but became a little muddled when Wolfman had to write an ending to the story.

The nadir, I'm sorry to say, were the Arnold Drake issues. I commend him for trying to create new adversaries for Mar-Vell, particularly the Aakon. I also think his idea that Mar-Vell's other identity - Dr. Walter Lawson - was actually a villain was a fascinating idea, yet he barely glanced on it, other than using it as a means to get the world's worst robotic assassin into comics. I'm torn between which of his stories was the worst; was it the rushed and poorly-scripted Captain Marvel #10? Or was it Captain Marvel #11, where they muffed up Una's death, drew the wrong villains and introduced Zo? Wait, I take it back, #11 was definitely the worst.

I'm glad I know more about this little cul-de-sac of the Marvel Universe. And now to move on and never think of it again...

Space-Born Super Hero part 35: Avengers #97

Welcome back to 'Space-Born Super Hero' as I delve into the final chapter of the Kree-Skrull War storyline: Avengers #97 (1972) and the story "Godhood's End" by Roy Thomas and John Buscema (inks by Tom Palmer). We resume in the Negative Zone where Rick Jones is once again stranded and face-to-face with Annihilus. Annihilus recognizes him from before (Avengers #89) and closes in for the kill - but a ray of light shines out from Rick's forehead and drives Annihilus back. Rick has no idea what just happened.

Back in the Andromeda Galaxy, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch try to free Captain Marvel, but he's trapped within a sphere of negative energy by the Skrulls until the Omni-Wave Projector is complete. Princess Anelle is quite skeptical about her father's schemes and the many Skrulls who have died because of him, but Emperor Dorrek is so miffed he muses he'd kill her if only she weren't "the sole offspring of an emperor!" It was Mar-Vell's use of the Omni-Wave Projector to call the Avengers that cast Rick into the Negative Zone, but Mar-Vell now smashes the device; he explains to the Scarlet Witch that the Omni-Wave Projector is only a communication device, provided the user is Kree - it's only in the hands of a non-Kree brain that it becomes deadly.

Rick is being dragged towards the explosive center of the Negative Zone but by concentrating reopens the portal to the Supreme Intelligence and confronts the being, demanding answers. While the Supreme Intelligence talks around the problem, Ronan is spying on them and sends Kree soldiers to kill the Supreme Intelligence and Rick. The Supreme Intelligence tells Rick to focus again on the super heroes of his youth (as he did in Avengers #92) and as he does so, the heroes Captain America, Blazing Skull, the Fin, the Sub-Mariner, the Vision, the Angel and the Human Torch are brought to life to defend Rick. Although Rick calls Cap and Namor "real" the other heroes are dismissed here as mere comic book creations brought to life (but later Marvel Comics would establish all of them as having existed in the Marvel Universe's past).

As the heroes eventually fade, the Supreme Intelligence directs Rick to use his power in a different manner, immobilizing every member of the Kree and Skrull races, bringing the war to a sudden halt. The Avengers on the Skrull throneworld and those battling the Skrull armada witness the effects; likewise frozen in his tracks is H. Warren Craddock, who is exposed as a Skrull and then killed by an angry mob. Rick still doesn't understand how he has the power to do these things, but the Supreme Intelligence explains he's unleashed Rick's dormant potential. "For untold eons, Skrull and Kree hae stalked the cosmic corridors like twin races of malevolent gods--never knowing each of their star-spanning clans has reached--a dead end. Live a billion billion years, neither will ever advance one more rung up the ladder of evolution. Now, they can but snarl at each other across the sea of space, hating both each other--and the human race--which they subconsciously sense to be their ultimate superiors!"

These ideas are similar to those which we learned of in Captain Marvel #16. Rick falls unconscious from the strain placed upon him, but the Supreme Intelligence summons all of the affected heroes (Avengers and Captain Marvel) and tells the unfrozen Captain Marvel that he and Rick must once again be merged in order to save Rick's life. Mar-Vell doesn't want to share his life with another person again, but unwilling to see Rick die, agrees; once more, they are bound together by the Nega-Bands. The Supreme Intelligence now reclaims leadership over the Kree, declaring that it hopes "this time, to be more deserving of his name!" The Supreme Intelligence sends everyone back to Earth, where they're met by Nick Fury and the real H. Warren Craddock. They determine the Skrull who impersonated Craddock and inflamed the public against aliens was the missing fourth Skrull who hadn't become a cow way back in Fantastic Four #2. It's only then that the assembled heroes realize Goliath is missing.

Thoughts: A fair bit happens in this issue and not much of it has to do with the Avengers, who take a serious backseat to the affairs of the Skrulls & Kree. In fact, despite all the emphasis given to Vision's feelings for the Scarlet Witch in earlier issues, their reunion at the climax of the war is left unremarked upon.

It's a strange kind of ending to a story which seemed to be steadily escalating, with the fleets of starships only just being introduced in the previous issue, but considering the backdrop against which this story was set - the immensely unpopular Vietnam War - it makes sense that the solution to the war isn't found in punches or ray beams.

Poor Captain Marvel had precious little to do in this story - in issue #89 he fled from the Avengers like a criminal, then spent almost every issue afterward being confined by someone (first the Kree, then the Skrulls) and only in #96 finally began fighting back. All he gets to do in the finale is bond again with Rick Jones, but this time his reluctance at doing so shows off his emotional side. It's strange way to test the waters and see if people wanted more Captain Marvel stories - essentially shoving him in the background of the story instead of the foreground - but I guess it paid off because Captain Marvel got his comic back!

Next: Mar-Vell is back in his own book! Captain Marvel #22!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 34: Avengers #96

Welcome back to 'Space-Born Super Hero' which is now up to the penultimate chapter of the epic 'Kree-Skrull War'! Yep, it's Avengers #96 (1972): "The Andromeda Swarm!" by Roy Thomas & Neal Adams (inks by Tom Palmer). The Avengers (comprised of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Goliath and the Vision) head to the SHIELD space station to confer with Nick Fury, who notes he's disobeying direct orders from H. Warren Craddock by allying with them. "I figger I'm gettin' too old for this line'a work, anyhow," Nick philosophizes. Nick gifts the heroes with a spaceship they can use to retrieve their allies - it's powered by Mjolnir, enabling it to travel past the speed of light. As they are about to exit the Solar System, they discover a massive fleet of Skrull starships is gathering to invade! The Avengers' ship emits an illusion of duplicates of itself to try and frighten the Skrulls, but the Skrulls confer with Emperor Dorrek, who orders them to investigate. A single Skrull vessel streaks towards the Avengers' craft.

Captain America and Goliath get inside one-man shuttles for a fight, while Thor, Iron Man and Vision have no trouble engaging the Skrulls in space, with Thor destroying a missile the Skrulls launch at them. Thor and Vision then tear their way through the Skrull ship's hull; Cap and Iron Man follow them aboard while Goliath remains outside in his shuttle; now that he's completely out of growth serum, Goliath's power is somewhat restricted. The four Avengers storm to the ship's bridge, where the officer, Kalxor confronts them. Emperor Dorrek appears on Kalxor's viewscreen to taunt the Avengers, showing them Captain Mar-Vell is in the midst of building an Omni-Wave Projector for them (last time he built it in about a half hour; hmm...). As the Avengers don't know Mar-Vell very well, Iron Man suggests he never was their ally to begin with. However, the Mar-Vell labouring over the device turns out to be a hologram which Mar-Vell created using the Omni-Wave Projector; the device is complete, but Mar-Vell's not sharing it with the Skrulls and he moves to release the Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver from their cells.

So, Emperor Dorrek's attempt at taunting the Avengers has not gone as he foresaw. Kalxor tries to execute orders which Dorrek sends him, but Vision restrains Kalxor and begins threatening him. "Tell me of this contingency plan--and the location of Throneworld, as well." When Kalxor refuses to comply, Vision starts beating him. Iron Man tries to restrain his comrade: "Vision--stop! Your android strength--! You'll kill him! You don't know what you're doing!" Vision disagrees: "Another correction, Iron Man: My brain is a miniaturized, high-speed computer. I always know precisely what I am doing. I--am--killing--him!" Ultimately, Thor and Iron Man have to drag him away, but the bruised Kalxor gives up the information. The contingency plan is to fire a nuclear warhead at Earth so powerful it can destroy all life on the planet. The Avengers inform Goliath and he sends his shuttle to intercept the ship carrying the warhead; Goliath boards the ship, but without any powers, he's in a tough position.

Meanwhile in the Kree Galaxy (the planet Hala), we're finally checking in with Ronan the Accuser (who has strangely reverted to pink skin). Ronan is disappointed at his men for bringing Rick Jones to him as a prisoner, but then he recalls Rick was one of the people who destroyed his citadel on Earth. Rick heroically grabs a weapon from one of the guards and strikes Ronan in the face, but it does absolutely nothing; Ronan swats him aside. Rick mocks him: "Hey, that was pretty brave, Ronan-baby. Whatcha doin'--workin' your way up to beltin' women an' kids?" Ronan admits, "You possess--a certain rudimentary courage, whelp." Ronan decides to let Rick live and be his personal "body-slave" (that sounds gross). He takes Rick out to a balcony and shows him how highly advanced the Kree civilization is compared to Earth. Rick wonders if the Kree and Skrulls are both so advanced, why does Earth matter to either of them?

Ronan explains Earth simply lies midway between the Kree and Skrull empires; it's nothing personal - Earth is just a convenient port for their forces. Rick tries to escape Ronan's clutches, but Ronan strikes him with a bolt of energy from his Universal Weapon. Rick vows, "Some day--some way--I'm definitely gonna kill you, creep!" Ronan throws him into a room which turns out to be the immense theatre where the Supreme Intelligence rests; you'll recall he was deposed at the beginning of this storyline. This rates a "faaan-tastic!" from Rick. The Supreme Intelligence reveals he's been secretly manipulating a lot of the war through his mental powers, such as inflaming tensions against aliens on Earth and compelling the Kree in Attilan to take Rick prisoner. He was even responsible for guiding Rick out of the courtroom during the Avengers' hearing and concealing the Super-Skrull's true identity from Mar-Vell. The Supreme Intelligence then opens a portal to the Negative Zone and deposits Rick inside, placing him within striking distance of Annihilus! To be concluded!

Thoughts: We get one of the most memorable moments of the storyline when Vision loses his cool against Kalxor. It's also of note that the Avengers engage in some fierce combat against the Skrull ship - it's not clear if they took any casualties; I know some fans assume they did kill a few Skrulls, but surely there'd be some mention of that on panel, considering how shocked they are by Vision's behaviour.

Sending Rick back to the Negative Zone seems to bring him back to where he was at the start of this storyline and is, I suppose, the first sign that Rick and Mar-Vell will be returning to their previous status quo when this story is done.

Next: I wrap-up looking at the Kree-Skrull War with Avengers #97!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 33: Avengers #95

Hello and welcome to another entry in 'Space-Born Super Hero', which now up to Avengers #95 (1972) and the story "Something Inhuman This Way Comes...!" by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams (inks by Tom Palmer). The previous issue ended with the Avengers battling SHIELD Mandroids outside of their mansion when Triton emerged from the sewers. We now flash back a little to show Triton swimming to New York, commandeering a van, being shot by the police, fleeing into the sewers, and finally emerging in the middle of the firefight outside Avengers Mansion. H. Warren Craddock is watching the progress of the battle gleefully, while Nick Fury is rather glum about sending his agents to attack his friends. Suddenly, the Mandroids go inert as Iron Man thinks up a better plot than 'ram them using my roller-skates': he uses his power-pods (those devices on his armour's hips) to unleash all of their energy at the Mandroids and short out the armour. Thor wonders how he knew this work without hurting the SHIELD agents. "I knew, Thor! Isn't that enough?" This is before Tony began sharing his secret identity with any of his fellow Avengers.

Rick Jones notices the injured Triton and goes to help him; Triton was actually looking for the Fantastic Four, but Rick tells him the F.F. are out of town (huh? they were in town last issue). Triton quickly recaps the events of the Inhumans' stories as Maximus the Mad used his mental powers to seize control of Attilan while the rightful ruler Black Bolt has been lost in San Francisco, amnesiac. Thor encountered the Inhumans during that story and verifies what he can, but the Vision isn't interested. "I vote--no!" the android declares icily. He reminds the team about their present woes in the midst of the interstellar Kree-Skrull War and of Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel's capture (but mostly, we surmise, he's concerned about the Scarlet Witch's capture). Vision saw for himself how the Super-Skrull couldn't pierce the barrier around Attilan and observes, "Only a fool would attack it--when Thor's hammer could carry us just as easily to the stars." Goliath finds himself having to step in between Vision and Iron Man to prevent a fistfight and points out all of them want to help both groups, the Inhumans and the kidnapped heroes. Captain America asks the Vision to pick the division of teams to handle these separate problems; Vizh asks Cap, Rick and Goliath to go with Triton to San Francisco while he, Thor and Iron Man head to the Andromeda Galaxy. Just as Cap's team departs, the inert Mandroids are revived by remote control while the armours' operators remain unconscious.

In San Francisco, Black Bolt and his young friend Joey are about to be fired upon by a gang of criminals when Captain America comes to their rescue. Black Bolt's memory has returned and he's happily reunited with Triton, then (through sign language) urges Goliath, Rick and Cap's help in returning to Attilan. They even bring Joey for some reason; I guess Rick used to tag-along with the Avengers in his younger days, so it isn't too ridiculous. Anyway, while they travel Black Bolt remembers when he was younger and discovered Maximus was plotting an alliance with the Kree (with Ronan the Accuser, no less). Black Bolt used his sonic scream to destroy the Kree starship with Maximus' allies aboard, but it crashed upon Bolt & Maximus' parents, crushing them both to death.

Back at Avengers Mansion, Iron Man disables the Mandroids for good, while Vision has a change of heart; he now wants to help Triton. Thor uses Mjolnir to open a portal to the Great Refuge just outside of the barrier which surrounds Attilan (he doesn't explain why he didn't simply open the portal inside Attilan). Vision can't phase through the barrier and although Mjolnir can pass through, it simply circles around and back to Thor without creating an opening. The team from San Francisco arrives and Black Bolt utters one word; the barrier falls before his voice and Black Bolt is reunited with the Inhumans, drawn in that crazy style which is signature Neal Adams.

The Inhumans are under Maximus' control and forced to attack the heroes while Maximus has resumed his alliance with the Kree, promising to aid them in the war with the Skrulls. As the heroes fight Maximus and his allies, Rick is snatched aboard a Kree vessel which departs immediately for the Kree Galaxy. Maximus is otherwise easily beaten and Black Bolt regains his throne. Elsewhere, we see the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver & Captain Marvel: prisoners of the Skrulls! We see the Supreme Intelligence stating obliquely: "The players are all in place. Let the final phase begin!" And finally Captain America declares "We're coming for you--Kree and Skrulls alike! And nothing can stay our hand from vengeance--nothing but death!"

Thoughts: Although Thomas & Adams were primarily concerned with tying up loose ends from their Inhumans story (to the benefit of both of the Inhumans' fans), the Inhumans did, at least, have a natural link to the Kree and by making Maximus a Kree ally the story isn't as much of a diversion as it could have been. The Vision's rising temper about their situation is also a good touch, as he rightfully--but, very heatedly in an unusual fashion for his character--points out the team is already in the middle of a conflict with enormous stakes and their friends' lives on the line.

Next: The Avengers take the fight to their enemies in Avengers #96!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 32: Avengers #94

Welcome to another entry in my blogging series 'Space-Born Super Hero' as I work my way through Captain Marvel's career prior to the arrival of creator Jim Starlin. Today I'm up to Avengers #94 (1971), another entry in the ongoing 'Kree-Skrull War' saga with the story "More Than Inhuman!" by Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, and John Buscema (inks by Tom Palmer). The Avengers have just defeated three Skrulls at a farmhouse in upstate New York. The team calls up Mister Fantastic to let him know about the Skrulls and ask if he can come up with a way to track the Skrull starship which escaped with the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Captain Marvel aboard. Unknown to the team, the Vision phased inside the ship before it escaped and he's now spying on the heroes' captor, the Super-Skrull. The Skrull ship isn't headed for outer space, though - it's headed to Attilan, the home of the Inhumans! The Super-Skrull is about to launch a weapon to destroy Attilan when the Vision emerges from hiding and fights him. Unable to best the Vision, the Super-Skrull simply turns invisible and throws the lever on his weapon!

The ship emits a massively destructive explosion, but none of it pierces the defensive shield which surrounds Attilan's Great Refuge. The Super-Skrull is infuriated at the survival of the "Kree-spawn" (as noted back in Avengers#90, the Inhumans were engineered by the Kree) and it seems his only reason for the assault was that he considered them Kree-by-proxy. Vision considers continuing the fight against the Super-Skrull, but he worries that the Scarlet Witch could be killed in the clash, so he phases out of the ship and departs as the Super-Skrull sets his course for the Skrull Galaxy; at least now Vision can tell the other Avengers what he's learned.

As the Super-Skrull's ship uses a space-time warp to return to the Andromeda Galaxy, Mar-Vell ponders the situation from where he's been confined. He knows the Skrull will want to interrogate him for Kree strategic information and wonders what decision he would make if the Skrulls forced him to choose between the Kree and Earth; realizing he doesn't know the answer, he begins to think the humans were right to question his motives. The Super-Skrull's ship is met by heavy fire - not because of the Kree, but because the Super-Skrull is in exile and Emperor Dorrek has no reason to want him back. The only inch Emperor Dorrek is willing to grant the Super-Skrull is that he "pierced the nega-shield which the Kree have placed" around Earth. This is the first we've heard of this shield. Anyway, Dorrek contains the Super-Skrull inside an energy sphere. When the Super-Skrull attempts to blast his way out using the Human Torch's nova flame, he burns up his oxygen supply and falls unconscious; what a dope.

Dorrek is all too happy to accept the prisoners from the Super-Skrull's ship and transfers Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel to his own prisons. When Dorrek notes Mar-Vell became a rebel for opposing Ronan, his daughter Anelle remarks, "If he hates Ronan, he must be a good man indeed." Anelle asks her father to release the trio, but Dorrek wants the secret of the omni-wave projector from Mar-Vell; Mar-Vell notes the Super-Skrull already tried and failed to accomplish that goal. Dorrek notes he can't "abuse" Mar-Vell because of the "Convention of Fornax" (I believe this is the first mention of Fornax, which is later established as a major galaxy in the Marvel Universe), so he'll simply torture Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch until Mar-Vell gives in. The siblings are placed in a confined room with a massive reptillian creature and a number of small, pink, fuzzy creatures. The green monster seems like the greater threat, so Quicksilver runs about to generate a cyclone, but the force of his movement causes the pink creatures - Druffs - to be flung everywhere and each time one of them strikes something hard, they duplicate themselves. Before you can say 'Tribble', the Druffs become so numerous that they threaten to smother the two heroes to death.

Mar-Vell can't bear to see Wanda and Pietro suffer such a horrible (albeit goofy) death, so he relents, noting those two had already saved his life once. Dorrek releases the Avengers from the cell and informs Mar-Vell if he doesn't turn over the secret of the omni-wave projector, the two Avengers will die.

We cut back to Earth as H. Warren Craddock is continuing his search for aliens in the midst, subjecting government employees to an alien-detection device; he starts by subjecting the research scientists who testified at the Avengers' hearing (Avengers #92); the scientists now regret having gone to Craddock with their information. After this, Nick Fury sends a coded message to the Avengers, suggesting they might want to get out of town. The team is rejoined by the Vision, who begins to explain what's happened when Craddock's forces appear outside Avengers Mansion and demand the heroes exit. Craddock has brought tanks and helicopters, as he didn't expect the heroes to come willingly: inside the helicopters are the Mandroids, three SHIELD agents wearing powerful suits of battle armor built by Tony Stark (a footnote informs readers they're not connected to the Mandroid from Captain Marvel#18, which you'll recall was also written by Roy Thomas).

Goliath is down to his last dose of growth serum but uses it to attack a Mandroid, only to get an electrical shock from him. The armor can also generate an anti-magnetic field to ward off Captain America's shield. However, these guys were trained by Tony Stark, so Iron Man has an obvious advantage, and that is... they don't know about his armor's roller skates!

... No, seriously, that's what he thinks his advantage is. He rolls himself at two of the Mandroids to bwol them over but the third fires a blast which makes Iron Man go tumbling head over heel. The Invincible Iron Man, ladies and gentlemen. Suddenly, Triton crawls out from the sewers below and-- the story is to be continued!

Thoughts: I've always enjoyed the Kree-Skrull dynamic which Roy Thomas first hinted at way back in Captain Marvel #2 and it is neat to see the scenes where Dorrek and Anelle comment about the Kree. As both races are villains in the Marvel Universe, it's intriuging to see what they think about each other.

Roy Thomas, Neal Adams and Tom Palmer had previously been the Inhumans' creative team over in Amazing Adventures, so they use the Kree-Skrull War as a means of wrapping up the series. This begins what will become a recurring tradition of audiences rejecting the Inhumans but Marvel creators forcing them into a more popular series anyway. It's the circle of life.

Next: The Kree-Skrull War (and those pesky Inhumans) continues into Avengers #95!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 31: Avengers #93

Welcome back to 'Space-Born Super Hero', which is currently knee-deep in the Kree-Skrull War epic! Today I'm up to Avengers #93 (1971) and the story "This Beachhead Earth". Once again the writer is Roy Thomas but he's now joined by the superbly dynamic Neal Adams (with inks by Neal Adams). I love Sal Buscema's artwork a lot, but Adams brings in a new vitality. We open at Avengers Mansion where Captain America, Iron Man and Thor are surprised by the Vision, who staggers into the room and collapses. Although the 'Big Three' aren't sure whether he's dead or alive, they're joined by Ant-Man, who offers his scientific expertise. You might recall that in issue #90, Hank Pym said he was retiring as Yellowjacket -- apparently he meant he was just retiring that identity, for here he is, back in his original costumed identity. Although Pym doesn't know too much about the Vision, he observes he did create Ultron and Ultron then created the Vision, so he has a decent shot at figuring out Vizh's problem.

Ant-Man crawls down the Vision's throat with his ants and begins his exploration. Pym discovers Vision's body has defensive measures similar to those found in a human body. Pym doesn't miss an opportunity to compare the experience to that of the film Fantastic Voyage ("Only thing missing so far is an assistant who's built like Raquel Welch"). Pym has suddenly become very well-versed in pop culture, remarking "What it looks like is a left-over movie set from Metropolis. Fritz Lang's, not Clark Kent's! Just the place for an old E.C. Fan-Addict like me!" In fact, the weird landscape of the Vision's interiors does look like something Wally Wood might have conjured up for Weird Science. Pym also finds tiny spheres which cause him to phase when they touch him, as they transmit Vision's density-altering powers. Ant-Man cleverly uses the bubbles to help him evade another of the body's defense systems and activates a plexiglass seal around his helmet to supply himself with air as his voyage continues (a new addition to Ant-Man's outfit).

Ant-Man reactivates the Vision's brain and sees something which gives himself momentary pause, but has to exit Vision's body before he can explore it further. It's an extremely disguised clue, but the first of many references which will lead to the Vision being established as the recreated original Human Torch. As the Vision awakens, Ant-Man takes his leave of the team. Vision still feels hurt by the 'Big Three' for disbanding the Avengers, but the trio are puzzled; they came to Avengers Mansion because Tony Stark received a letter from Jarvis mentioning the team's disbansion. Thus, the three men who disbanded the Avengers last issue weren't the real Captain America, Thor and Iron Man. Hm.

Vision explains how he, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Goliath left town in an ordinary car to seek out the farm upstate where Carol Danvers had brought Captain Marvel. While Goliath simply steps over the perimeter fence, Vision offers to help the Scarlet Witch over, which upsets Pietro, increasing the growing tension between them. Vision flies over the fence alone, when suddenly something strikes him and he falls into the pasture, next to three cows. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch investigate and discover the three cows are shapeshifters who assume the appearances of Mister Fantastic, the Thing and the Human Torch! Vision phases below ground while the other two Avengers are taken prisoner by the shapeshifters. Eventually, Vision hovered back to Avengers Mansion. As Vision finishes his story, the other Avengers agree to help their teammates.

Inside the farmhouse, Captain Marvel is being held prisoner by the Skrulls, who were (of course) the three cows. Strangely, they're dressed in red & blue instead of the typical Skrullian purple & blue. Carol has also been placed in restraints, but they forgot to capture Goliath (how on Earth do you overlook Goliath, of all the Avengers?). Goliath has met up with Rick Jones by now and the two are attacked by the three Skrulls, again as three of the Fantastic Four. The Skrulls recount how they were beaten by the Fantastic Four way back in Fantastic Four #2 (the first appearance of the Skrulls) and the three of them were hypnotized to assume the forms of cows: "Until a Skrull hyperbeam from space revived us". Left unattended, Mar-Vell is able to activate his Uni-Beam and break out of his restraints, then releases Carol Danvers. Recalling the news that his people are at war with the Skrulls, Mar-Vell (due to some prompting from Carol) resolves he should warn the Kree of the Skrull presence on Earth. He quickly begins assembling an omni-wave projector: "That alone can send out an instantaneous message to the Kree Galaxy--across the void of hyper-space!"

The other Avengers arrive to battle the three Skrulls, but just as Mar-Vell is about to use the Omni-Wave Projector he stops, having realized it could also be used as a weapon and that the reason Carol has been guiding him to build it is because she's not 'Carol' at all-- she's the Super-Skrull! Mar-Vell hasn't seen him since way back in Captain Marvel#3! The Super-Skrull knocks Mar-Vell unconscious and reveals he's still got Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch in his hands and the three heroes are what he's been after all along. The Super-Skrull's spaceship was hidden inside the barn all along and he activates the ship to return to the Skrull Galaxy (abandoning his three comrades). Goliath tries to grab the ship and stop it, but runs out of his size-changing ability just at that moment; the Skrull ship escapes and the Avengers are left dejected at having lost three of their allies to the Skrulls, and by Goliath's sudden power loss. And they still don't know what the Skrulls are after...

Thoughts: We're five chapters in to the Kree-Skrull War and it's getting more and more interesting by bringing in the Skrulls on Earth to increase the paranoia the heroes are experiencing. With Goliath's powers gone and the Vision angsting over Wanda, the regular cast are at a pretty intense moment, so the return of Thor, Iron Man & Captain America to the book helps ground the team.

The Omni-Wave Projector figures in a few more Kree stories over the years; considering how powerful it is, you'd think it would be an even bigger deal in Kree lore, especially considering how easily Mar-Vell builds one from inside the Skrull ship.

Next: The Kree-Skrull War heats up in Avengers #94!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 30: Avengers #92

'Space-Born Super Hero' continues as I look at Avengers #92 (1971), a continuation of the Kree-Skrull War with the story "All Things Must End" by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema (inks by George Roussos). First, a word about the cover: it depicts Captain America, Iron Man and Thor standing in judgment over the present team of Avengers. It was around this time that Captain America, Iron Man and Thor began acquiring their reputation as the 'Big Three', as they were the Avengers with their own titles and they tended to show in the book when a big event went down. Fandom began to ascribe this 'Big Three' status to them as some kind of half-remembered hazy vision of the Avengers' golden age and in due time, fans would judge the 'worthiness' of an Avengers team on the basis of how many 'Big Three' were present. The truth is, the 'Big Three' never really had a dynamic in the 60s and didn't truly develop one until the late 70s.

We pick up at Avengers Mansion where the Avengers are enjoying some downtime, when Jarvis rushes in to show the team a newspaper headline: 'Alien Plot to Conquer Earth Disclosed!' It seems the research scientists whom the Avengers saved from the Kree (last issue) blabbed everything to the press. Turning on the television they see the President has appointed H. Warren Craddock as head of the new 'Alien Activities Commission', granting him emergency powers to deal with the supposed alien crisis. Craddock says he has a list of "153 'model citizens' who are actually alien spies." If any of this reminds you of the infamous House of Un-American Activities, then congratulations, you're paying attention. Captain Marvel and Rick Jones are still staying with the Avengers and Mar-Vell considers turning himself over to the authorities, lest he taint the Avengers by association. At first the Avengers leap to Mar-Vell's defense, but Goliath thinks the idea has some merit. "Then everybody'll calm down," Goliath assumes. Vision points out this could be start of a slippery slope: "If first a man of the Kree can be confined for no reason, then detainment of androids will follow--next of mutants--then giants..." It seems like a stretch to say it will follow, but Vizh has a point. Still, Mar-Vell worries about what's going on with his people as they fight the Skrulls.

Meanwhile, a helicopter vehicle brings Carol Danvers to New York. As the Avengers are looking at the mob which has formed outside the mansion demanding 'Give us Captain Marvel!' (well maybe you should have bought his comic when that was an option) Just then, Carol's helicopter draws near, when it suddenly plummets from the sky. Captain Marvel hears her send a radio distress call to the mansion and quickly flies to her rescue. Or, he tries to; Mar-Vell tries to catch the vehicle and slow its descent but he's not very good at it so Vision joins him and absorbs most of the impact (poor Vizh). The Avengers recognize Carol (they met her in issue #90) but Wanda is concerned for the Vision and the damage he took. The Vision tries to dissuade her, telling her not to concern herself about him. This upsets Wanda, but Vision dismisses her as being "too emotional". The romantic tension continues! Pietro takes offense to Vision's tone, thinking he's being insulting to Wanda. Poor Pietro -- eventually he'll figure out what's really going on and then he'll be unhappy.

Scanning the skies, the Avengers see a squad of SHIELD jet planes patrolling overhead, with Nick Fury & Dum Dum Dugan among the crew. The Avengers realize they've been placed under surveillance. Taking Carol inside the mansion, they ask her if she's part of the surveillance but she tells them she's taken a leave of absence from the Cape and wants to aid Mar-Vell in return for saving her life more than once; her suggestion: Mar-Vell could hide at her family farm upstate. Well, running and hiding isn't Mar-Vell's choice as he hasn't even had a chance to defend himself from accusations, but Vision agrees with the plan and encourages them to depart; Carol and Mar-Vell borrow a Quinjet and quickly outpace the SHIELD agents. And who's watching the watchers? It seems Fury is being observed by Craddock and he accuses Fury of letting Mar-Vell escape, but Fury notes Mar-Vell still hasn't been charged with a crime. Just after switching off his video link to Craddock, Fury confides to Dugan that, having memories of the Japanese concentration camps during World War II, he's not particularly avid about obeying these orders.

Goliath notes that by aiding Captain Marvel in his escape the Avengers have broken their record of cooperating with the law. Rick suddenly finds himself thinking about old comic books and sees images of various old super heroes from the 1940s (some of Roy Thomas' favourites), and several of them aren't even Marvel characters (like the Heap). It comes out of absolutely nowhere, but this is a pivotal detail in the finale. Goliath spies a man being bullied outside the mansion for standing up for the Avengers. Goliath storms out to save the man, but it's a trap: the man being bullied delivers a summons to the Avengers. Seeing no other course, the Avengers (and Rick!) head to the city courthouse, where they find the Fantastic Four have also been summoned due to their own experiences with the Kree. Under Craddock's directions, the research scientists testify about how Ronan transformed them into cavemen; Mister Fantastic explains what he knows about the Kree's history and of Sentry#459. The Thing is no help as he claims he doesn't recognize Goliath, Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Vision as the real Avengers; Ben is the original revisionist Avengers fan! Ben also clucks his tongue at the team for letting Captain Marvel depart.

The Vision is the first Avenger to take the stand but after admitting he's an android, Craddock tells him to stand down, declaring that "a robot could only parrot what others tell it to say." Vision is outraged by this but quietly sits down, cautioning Craddock to end this "trial by accusation". Rick begins to recall a dream he had of Mar-Vell following Carol out to her farm house, but being attacked by something with tentacles. Perhaps he and Mar-Vell still have a psychic link? Rick tears out of the courthouse, determined to help Mar-Vell. The disruption caused by Rick's exit convinces Craddock to end the hearings for the day. Returning to the mansion, the Avengers find the place has been ransacked by the mob outside. To make matters worse, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor have popped up to wag their fingers. "We feel you acted irresponsibly in shielding Captain Marvel from investigation. Thus, by authority of our by-laws, we three hereby declare the Avengers disbanded--for all time." Iron Man concurs: "Better no Avengers than those who have disgraced the name." Disheartened, the Avengers depart, leaving Jarvis to clean up.

Thoughts: One of the most compelling elements of the Kree-Skrull War is that it depicts how the conflict is viewed from the outside by the men and women who live in the Marvel Universe. This becomes a sort of recurring element in various Marvel epics to come; not that there's anything sexy about super heroes talking about laws and regulations, but it does make for quality drama and can provoke the characters to put into words a rousing defense of why they do what they do. I mean, unless the writer wanted the bureaucrats to be proved right. Fat chance that would ever happen!

Captain Marvel's story diverges somewhat from the Avengers here, but it will continue as a subplot as the series continues.

Next: The Kree-Skrull War continues in Avengers #93!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 29: Avengers #91

Welcome back to 'Space-Born Super Hero' as my tour through Captain Marvel's story continues in the epic 'Kree-Skrull War' with Avengers #91 (1971)! The story, "Take One Giant Step--Backward!" is by Roy Thomas & Sal Buscema and picks up where the last one left off: a brainwashed Goliath joining Sentry#459 in attacking the Avengers, while a mutated Yellowjacket menaces the Wasp and Captain Marvel is imprisoned by Ronan. Fortunately, Yellowjacket doesn't kill the Wasp as he finds her beautiful and instead carries her off into the jungle. Ronan sees this and makes an odd comment: "Natural enough, on a barbarian world such as this--where childbearing has not yet been superceded by more civilized practices." Is he implying that the Kree grow all their children in laboratories?

Rick tries to help the Avengers by throwing a rock at the Sentry's head; the Scarlet Witch casts a hex which turns that rock into a magnet which covers up the Sentry's face. Meanwhile, the Vision carefully inserts part of his body into Goliath and increases his density, causing intense agony which stuns Goliath unconscious. Quicksilver had been wondering why the Vision seemed to be holding back in the fight - he realizes it was because Vision didn't want to kill Goliath by accident (Vizh's partially-solidified trick becomes a regular power feat as time goes on). Vision tries to use the same trick on the Sentry, but the Sentry has had time to prepare for the attack and generates a feedback surge which stuns the Vision. The Scarlet Witch tries to help Vision, only to be snared by the Sentry, so Quicksilver finally runs away with Rick.

Vision and the Scarlet Witch are strung up in Ronan's base nearby Captain Marvel. As Wanda begins to express how glad she is that Vision wasn't hurt, they lean close together and almost kiss - but Vision pulls away from her, declaring that as a synthetic man he can't be in love; this is the introduction of the great Vision/Scarlet Wich romance, which would become legendary as the greatest romance subplot in the history of the Avengers (which is why so many later writers would do their best to obliterate it; them what can't create, gotta destroy). Ronan is amused by their affection for each other, which reminds him of Yellowjacket and the Wasp. Yellowjacket is fighting several other cavemen (formerly research scientists). Ronan is so engrossed at mocking his foes and boasting to Mar-Vell that he hasn't been paying attention to Quicksilver. Since earlier we saw Vision show off a neat power feat, it's Pietro's turn: using a sharp metal rod, he becomes a human drill and shatters his way inside Ronan's fortress!

While Quicksilver distracts Ronan and Sentry#459, Rick tries to free Mar-Vell. Mar-vell instructs him to take the Uni-Beam off his wrist and fire it at Ronan's control panel. The blast frees the heroes and begins tearing Ronan's fortress apart. Just as Ronan and the Sentry are preparing to make an escape, Ronan receives an urgent message from the Kree Galaxy (which he's supposed to be ruling now): it seems the Kree are at war-- with the Skrulls! Yep, the Kree-Skrull War has truly begun! Realizing he needs to be back in the Kree Galaxy, Ronan teleports home. The Sentry realizes it has no programming for self-preservation, so decides it should try to use its power to hold the fortress together; it can't, and is quickly destroyed. Goliath revives and joins the Avengers & Captain Marvel as they flee the base and pick up Yellowjacket, Wasp and the research scientists (all back to normal). As they watch the Kree citadel sink beneath the ice. Yellowjacket admits he wasn't much help to the team and announces he's resigning from the Avengers; the Wasp concurs, always loyal to Hank. The Avengers wonder if the Kree will ever come back... not realizing that the Kree-Skrull War isn't done with them yet.

Thoughts: This concludes the first segment of the 'Kree-Skrull War' arc. It doesn't do much with the Kree-Skrull War proper, simply mentioning that the war has begun near the end - but with Ronan established as the Kree leader, the Supreme Intelligence deposed, Vision & the Scarlet Witch falling in love and Captain Marvel & Rick Jones no longer bound together through the Negative Zone, a few of the important pieces have been moved into place for the epic as it continues to grow.

Next: The Skrulls strike back in Avengers #92!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 28: Avengers #90

I'm back with another entry in 'Space-Born Super Hero' as I continue with the 2nd part of the 'Kree-Skrull War' from Avengers #90 (1971); it's entitled "Judgment Day" and is by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema. We open on Sentry#459 attacking the Avengers and Captain Marvel at the hospital where Mar-Vell had just been given a decontamination treatment. The Avengers try to fend off the Sentry, but the Vision is weakened from using his solar jewel to help Mar-Vell and the Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver aren't able to do much more than slow the Sentry down; when Vision tries to hold back the Sentry by increasing his density, the floor gives out beneath them. Finally, the Sentry kidnaps Captain Marvel, declaring he's activating 'Plan Atavus' before teleporting away.

While the three Avengers and Rick Jones try to determine their next move, Carol Danvers arrives. It seems she's still security chief at the Cape (we haven't seen her since Captain Marvel#18). This, then, is Carol's first encounter with the Avengers, a team she'll eventually join. After a quick debriefing, the Avengers (and Rick) return to their Quinjet to pursue Mar-Vell. Although Rick has no particular idea of where the Sentry has gone, he recaps the history of the Kree for the Avengers, relating how they created the Inhumans and the battles the Sentry & Ronan had with the Fantastic Four, then Captain Mar-Vell's arrival, his battle with the Super-Skrull, death of Una and bonding to Rick Jones. There's also a recap scene where Mar-Vell declares he now fights for Earth instead of the Kree, set right before Una's death -- but that never happened. I always assumed there must have been such a moment in Mar-Vell's history, but nope. You might wonder why the Inhumans & Super-Skrull are worth bringing up in a history of the Kree; future chapters of this storyline will make it clear this is foreshadowing.

The Quinjet flies back to New York and parks in Avengers Mansion, but the team find a recorded video message waiting for them - it's from Goliath, who answered a call from the Wasp to help her and Hank Pym in Alaska; Goliath has already gone to investigate so the Avengers (and Rick!) race past Jarvis to help their friends.

In Alaska, Goliath meets up with the Wasp at an icebreaker ship; she explains how she and Yellowjacket (Hank's identity at the time) came to Alaska to study the effects of oil drilling on local wildlife. During their exploration, they found an island covered with jungle lying in the Arctic Circle. As they flew closer to the island, Hank began to feel a strange sensation; trying to protect the Wasp, he knocked her away (is this technically the first time Hank hit Jan?), then fell into the jungle. Goliath insists on continuing the investigation solo as he's still reeling from breaking up with the Black Widow and never getting anywhere with the Scarlet Witch, concluding therefore that he "can't work with women around." On the island, Goliath defeats a large simian creature, but then Ronan appears from the trees and fires a beam from his Universal Weapon which stuns the hero. And Sentry#459 is with him! What a coincidence that this seemingly unrelated Avengers case is actually the next phase of the villain's plan!

The Quinjet soon follows Goliath, bringing the Vision, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Wasp and Rick. Unfortunately, the Kree have done something to Goliath to sap his willpower, placing him under the control of Sentry#459. While Goliath and the Sentry fight the Avengers, Ronan hangs back inside his base on the island, where Captain Marvel is kept as his prisoner. This gives Ronan someone to monologue to as he describes the 'evo-rays' which created the island (they seem pretty similar to the Organization's weapon from Captain Marvel#10). The goal is to reverse the Earth into "the state in which the Kree first found them, eons ago" and in so doing, eliminate humanity from existence. These evo-rays have also affected Yellowjacket, who has been transformed into a hulking caveman who now steps forward to threaten the Wasp!

Thoughts: We're two chapters and the only Skrulls have been glimpsed in Rick's recap, but we'll get there... again, at the time this would have seemed like just another Avengers story, just one which seemed to be tying up loose ends from Thomas' Captain Marvel. This is a fine super hero comic, but there's better yet to come.

Next: The Kree-Skrull War continues in Avengers #91!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 27: Avengers #89

Welcome back to 'Space-Born Super Hero'! After Captain Marvel's title was suspended in 1970, he drifted out of sight for about a half a year before returning in 1971 via Avengers #89 and the story "The Only Good Alien..." by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema (inks by Sam Grainger). This is the beginning of the epic Kree-Skrull War, which many fans have heard of, but I've found isn't particularly well-known. It definitely is an epic, but not the sort which fans of latter-day tales like The Infinity Gauntlet or even the Avengers story Operation: Galactic Storm would expect.

Captain Marvel is still in Miami (where we last saw him in Sub-Mariner #30) but he's wandering around furtively, dressed in a trenchcoat. Suddenly, the Vision, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch approach him and he blurts in alarm, "It can't be you--not here--not now!!" The Avengers ask Captain Marvel to come with them for his own good, but as you may recall, Mar-Vell hasn't actually met the Avengers before, only Rick Jones is familiar with them, so Marv reacts badly, wondering how they know who he is. Throwing off his trenchcoat, he pummels Quicksilver (for once, Pietro is not the most quick-tempered person in the fight). As he tangles with the Vision, Mar-Vell fires a photonic Uni-Beam from his right Nega-Band which is a big 'what?' moment as up until now, the Nega-Bands haven't had a blaster built into them. Anyway, the inexplicable Uni-Beam immobilizes the Vision and Mar-Vell tries to fly away, only to encounter Rick Jones at the top of a building and Rick stuns Mar-Vell with a blaster. Rick and Mar-Vell aren't bonded? What's going on? (great opening, I must say)

Rick regrets his actions instantly. "Okay, Avengers--I did your dirty work for you." Quicksilver insists Rick should be "proud" as they load Mar-vell into their Quinjet. The Scarlet Witch takes a moment to appreciate how Mar-Vell "is an alien--marooned here from a distant star--while Pietro and I are mutants--no more at home on Earth than he! We are all strangers--in a strange land." (Roy Thomas was hep to Heinlein, whose Stranger in a Strange Land was a big deal to contemporary youth culture). The Avengers bring Captain Marvel to a hospital at Cape Kennedy where a Dr. Donaldson asks them to place "the alien" into a decontamination chair. As the Avengers watch the process anxiously, Rick remembers how it all began.

Our flashback takes us to a club in Bleecker Street where Rick was booked by his manager, Mordecai P. Boggs (who was not Rick's manager the last time we saw him, but had been trying to hire him, so evidently it finally happened). In the middle of his set, Rick suddenly felt a headache and had to get off stage. Stepping into an alleyway, he and Mar-Vell conversed mentally as Mar-Vell shows Rick an image of the Fantastic Four's Mister Fantastic inside the Negative Zone, battling Annihilus (a scene from Fantastic Four #109). We now learn Mar-Vell had been off to the side watching the entire clash and saw Mister Fantastic's escape from the Negative Zone; Marv wants Rick to help him find the same exit which Mister Fantastic used. Rick heads to the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building home and strikes his Nega-Bands together, unleashing Captain Marvel. Rick tells Mar-Vell to hurry, as he thinks he's being watched. Mar-Vell claims that's impossible as the 'aura of negativism' is concealing him. This is the first time it's been brought up in the context of the Negative Zone - for those keeping track, the 'aura of negativism' is the invisibility screen which the Kree used - Ronan the Accuser and the Helion starship could both become invisible.

Mar-Vell reaches the 35th floor of the Baxter Building: "Here comes the pay-off! Hmmm--perhaps I'd best get this over with quickly. Every day, I talk more and more like a bona fide Earthman!" The Fantastic Four aren't home, so Captain Marvel breaks into their home. At Avengers Mansion, most of the team is out investigating the Hulk, so only the Vision, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are present to learn of the break-in. Getting into their Quinjet they head to the Baxter Building while Mar-Vell opens the building's portal to the Negative Zone. It works and Rick leaps out just as the Avengers arrive, but Rick was right about being watched: Annihilus was right behind Rick and he crosses into the Baxter Building! The Scarlet Witch didn't know who Mar-Vell was but after hearing Annihilus rant about conquering the Earth she deadpans: "Suddenly, it's very easy to tell hero from villain in this melee." While the Vision holds Annihilus back, Rick reopens the portal to force Annihilus through. Annihilus thinks he can simply grab the Vision, but of course had no idea Vizh could make himself intangible; it's a sweet moment, as we readers are familiar with Vision's powers and can enjoy Annihilus quick defeat. Rick closes the portal.

However, Captain Marvel exited during the clash and stole the Avengers' Quinjet. Quicksilver notices a geiger counter in the Baxter Building is going wild; apparently Mar-Vell is carrying a dangerous level of radioactivity which he absorbed while in the Negative Zone. Rick tells the Avengers that previously Mar-Vell couldn't remain outside of the Negative Zone for more than 3 hours, so they surmise they have perhaps 3 hours to catch Mar-Vell before something tragic occurs. It seems when Rick entered the Baxter Building, he and Mar-Vell lost their Nega-Bands, which is why Marv needed the Quinjet. Mar-Vell flies the craft to Florida and picks up an old Uni-Beam he hid there (explaining its sudden reappearance in the opening sequence). The flashback ends as the decontamination chair drains off Mar-Vell's radiation, with Vision donating energy from his solar jewel to help power Dr. Donaldson's machine.

Meanwhile, in the Kree Galaxy, the Supreme Intelligence is confronted by Ronan the Accuser, who has escaped the confinement which the Supreme Intelligence inflicted on him. Ronan has killed the Supreme Intelligence's guards and declares he's now the ruler of the Kree Empire and will have revenge on Mar-Vell for besting him before. To do so, he turns back to Sentry#459, who has been immobile at the Cape ever since Captain Marvel #2. Ronan fires a beam of energy all the way from the Kree Galaxy to Earth (he used express postage) and revives the Sentry, ordering it to kill Captain Marvel. The Sentry bursts into the hospital while Mar-Vell is still unconscious; to be continued!

Thoughts: For a Kree-Skrull War, not a lot of Skrulls yet, huh? Well, just wait. It's a very subtle opening, but then, Roy Thomas had no idea he was penning one of the most famous Avengers stories of all time when he wrote it. Primarily, I think he just wanted to get back to Captain Marvel and used the opportunity to free Rick from his bond to the hero so that if Mar-Vell's series didn't return, Rick would still be a viable character.

There are quite a few great dialogue exchanges and it uses continuity pretty well, as Mar-Vell getting Rick out of the Negative Zone through the Baxter Building is a solution I'm sure every reader of Captain Marvel was suggesting at the time.

Next: The Kree-Skrull War continues in Avengers #90!

Space-Born Super Hero Part 26: Sub-Mariner #30

Welcome back to 'Space-Born Super Hero' as I look back on the appearances of Captain Marvel prior to being written by Jim Starlin. At this point, we're entering an era where the Captain Marvel series had been cancelled. However, the character didn't go into comics limbo as Roy Thomas found other places for him to appear. Today we're looking at the first of those: Sub-Mariner #30 (1970) and the story "Calling Captain Marvel!" by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema (inks by Joe Gaudioso).

We open in Miami, Florida as Rick Jones is in town for a gig. Walking by the shore, Rick sees the Sub-Mariner rise out of the water. Alarmed, Captain Marvel tells Rick to switch places with him. Mar-Vell confronts Namor and is surprised with the Sub-Mariner launches into an attack against him, crying out: "You!! You have seen the Sub-Mariner--and so--you must die!" Mar-Vell tries to fend him off, but the Sub-Mariner doesn't recognize him from their first encounter (way back in Captain Marvel#4). Suddenly, Namor collapses. Puzzled, Mar-Vell carries Namor back to the beach house where Rick is staying.

When Namor comes to, he's greeted by Rick, but instead of becoming violent, he jumps out the window, running to the shore - only to collapse on his knees in terror, seemingly unable to return to the ocean. By now, it's obvious to Rick that Namor is having some kind of mental troubles. Namor returns to Rick's beach house and Rick shows him a newspaper headline, identifying Namor as having recently sunk a yacht. Namor doesn't remember doing that. A television news report then goes over Namor's history, recalling everything from his heroism during World War II to his battles with the Fantastic Four and confrontations at the United Nations. Rick observes that "music hath charms" and suggests Namor attend his set in the hopes of calming his mind. Namor consents.

At the club - the Electric Seaweed - one man points out Namor as the Sub-Mariner - but he's actually a fan wearing a pair of false ears! According to the people in the club, the Sub-Mariner is "the first folk-hero of the ecology scene"! "Personally," one woman opines, "I still think ol' princey stole the whole bit from Mr. Spock!" Considering how popular Spock was among young people of the 60s, I could see Namor having a big following. As Rick gets up and sings a cheerful song about how all humanity is doomed because of the atomic bomb (way to go, Rick), Namor's mind snaps and he storms out of the club. "Either that's--the real Sub-Mariner--or else we just found out whatever happened to Charles Atlas!" one patron remarks. Rick switches places with Captain Marvel and Mar-Vell intercepts Namor mid-air, knocking him back to the ground near a hotel.

As Namor gets up from the fall, he discovers his memories have returned. Namor had found two men named Hugo and Markham who had designed a molecular polluter to "make a death-house out of the oceans". When Namor burst in on the men they fired a concussion grenade at him; the grenade stunned him, causing his addled state. Captain Marvel agrees to help Namor find Markham and stop the Molecular Polluter. Mar-Vell confronts Markham, who says there are two molecular polluters and he can't resist activating it, even though he knows it will make the sea radioactive. Before Mar-Vell can stop him, Markham activates the device. The Sub-Mariner confronts the device itself underwater and fends off Markham's men, then grabs the machine and flies back to the surface, heading for the skies. Captain Marvel joins him and together they fly the machine into space, where it detonates. As they return to the Earth, Mar-Vell's power is spent and he switches places with Rick. Namor carries Rick back to the ground but when he asks how Rick is linked to Captain Marvel, Rick refuses. Calling Rick "ungrateful one" Namor heads back to the ocean; Rick instantly regrets his words.

Thoughts: This is an odd issue - it takes its time with the addled-Namor and doesn't introduce the issue's villains until the last 6 pages, but it's not bad - basically a fill-in issue of Sub-Mariner, which makes it a decent place for Captain Marvel to pop into.

The best parts are the scenes in the club where everyone's into Namor; Roy pulls off some funny dialogue and it's altogether some of the better 'youth culture' material from the era.

Next: Captain Marvel's still got no series of his own. What's next? Why, the Kree-Skrull War! Avengers #89!