Captain Marvel – Carol Danvers’ First Appearance

When Carol Danvers first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 in December of 1967 she was not the Captain Marvel we know and love today. Rather, she was Mar-Vell, an alien Kree military commander who was sent to Earth to observe human behavior. He soon befriended a U.S. Air Force officer named Walter Lawson at a top secret military research facility. Mar-Vell and Lawson would become a couple with the two sharing a kiss on the lips in one of comics’ most horribly objectified scenes.

By the time Fawcett Comics went out of business, Marvel had already inherited their trademark on the character. They would license the superhero and use his name as a code word to transform into “Earth’s Mightiest Mortal,” but they couldn’t call him “Captain Marvel.”

In 1972, DC acquired the rights to Fawcett’s characters. But they could only publish the new character under the title Shazam! (along with his Uncle Marvel, debonair anthropomorphic tiger sidekick Tawky Taky, and the sound effect KTANG!).

The version of the character that fans saw on the big screen this year is highly indebted to the work of writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. She twisted the source material into a narrative fans deserve in 2019 and a more responsible plot for the first film starring a female hero.

While the movie has some flaws, it is a good start to the character’s new direction. Carmen Carnero’s art is impressive and expressive, while Tamra Bonvillain’s colors are full of life. The conversations are fun and engaging, while the action scenes are exciting. This is a great issue for newcomers to the character and a solid entry point for fans who enjoyed DeConnick’s run.