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Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel #1
Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel, Vol. 1
Look out! Captain Marvel, the space-born super hero, is coming at you with scintillating super hero sci-fi adventures! Branded a traitor by the vicious Col. Yon-Rogg for defending the people of Earth, Captain Mar-Vell assumes the human identity of Walter Lawson and becomes our planet's protector against an awesome array of interstellar enemies. The massive Sentry #459, the savage Super-Skrull, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Quasimodo the Living Computer all wage war against Captain Marvel here in his very first adventures.
COLLECTING: Marvel Super -Heroes (1967) 12-13, Captain Marvel (1968) 1-9
COLLECTING: Marvel Super -Heroes (1967) 12-13, Captain Marvel (1968) 1-9
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2005
About the author
Roy Thomas
4,561 books283 followersRoy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 11, 2018
3 stars is being generous. These issues cover the very beginning of the Captain Marvel story. Way before Jim Starlin took over and changed the Marvel universe. Very basic art and plots. And to tell you the truth nothing that stood out. Only for folks who want to read the complete Captain Marvel history. Looking forward to the Starlin stories.
March 13, 2019
This was always one of my favorite comic series as a kid. I enjoyed the fact that the main character was not just your usual superhero fighting the bad guys. Of course Stan Lee gave him the usual conflicting emotions and problems he infused into the Marvel characters of the ‘60s. Great SiFi comic series, oh and of course later in the run this is where Thanos really comes to the fore as a major villain. Very recommended
May 8, 2018
Marvel Comics take on the Captain Marvel character. Gone are the teenage boy and his mentor along with SHAZAM. They are replaced with a 60's style and cameos galore from other Marvel characters.
Captain Mar-vell is a member of the Kree Space Empire sent to Earth to learn the fate of Sentry 459 destroyed by the FF. His superior wants him dead to take the woman Mar-vell loves for his own. Jealousy and intrigue with a lot of great sci-fi action for the true believers. Nuff said.
Captain Mar-vell is a member of the Kree Space Empire sent to Earth to learn the fate of Sentry 459 destroyed by the FF. His superior wants him dead to take the woman Mar-vell loves for his own. Jealousy and intrigue with a lot of great sci-fi action for the true believers. Nuff said.
June 12, 2015
Overall: a perfect collection of Stan Lee's 1960s comics. Cliche now, but revolutionary at the time, I'm sure.
A collection of nine Captain Marvels which are interwoven with the Fantastic Four and Submariners story lines.
I picked this up to look at a collection of 1960s era Marvels and it did not let me down. It's cliche and outdated now, but they are classic examples of what made Lee the superhero of comic book creators. I'll admit, the repetitive story lines with "insert here" villains gets old quickly, but does anyone complain about the way a classic car runs without power steering or power windows? Nope! Classic are classics, even though Captain Marvel wasn't the most famous classic. He's the Chevy Malibu of classic cars.
I would recommend this to: comic book lovers, historian readers and classic lovers.
A collection of nine Captain Marvels which are interwoven with the Fantastic Four and Submariners story lines.
I picked this up to look at a collection of 1960s era Marvels and it did not let me down. It's cliche and outdated now, but they are classic examples of what made Lee the superhero of comic book creators. I'll admit, the repetitive story lines with "insert here" villains gets old quickly, but does anyone complain about the way a classic car runs without power steering or power windows? Nope! Classic are classics, even though Captain Marvel wasn't the most famous classic. He's the Chevy Malibu of classic cars.
I would recommend this to: comic book lovers, historian readers and classic lovers.
January 29, 2015
The dialogue and science are ridiculous (but hey, I like old comics), and the women get sexist treatment, but the plot and cast are surprisingly good. I love the setup of this alien spy torn between his soldier's duty and his own moral compass, a hero on Earth constantly having to make excuses about it to his superior officer (who is secretly trying to kill him). It's like if My Favorite Martian was about a secret agent. Plus, Carol Danvers!
December 20, 2019
Yes, it's dated and tedious to read at times, but I liked all the cameos and the multiple HR violations committed by Yon-Rogg.
January 12, 2020
mar-vell is my son. my SON. i can’t say i didn’t fall asleep through some of these stories but marv is such a like-able little alien, and his team-up with rick jones is adorable.
February 16, 2026
As explained in Roy Thomas' Introduction to this Marvel Masterworks volume, Marvel's Captain Marvel was expressly created so that Marvel Comics could trademark the name "Captain Marvel." The initial origin story was written by Stan Lee. The four subsequent stories were written by Thomas. All five of the initial stories were illustrated by Gene Colan.
These stories do an adequate job of introducing the character. They establish a basic set-up--he's literally Captain Mar-Vell, a Kree warrior given the task of studying Earth. Mar-Vell loves Medic Una, and is hated by his commanding officer, Yon-Rogg, who covets Una. It's a bit of a Snidely Whiplash set-up. If Yon-Rogg had a mustache, he would surely twirl it every time he secretly plots to kill Mar-Vell. On Earth, Mar-Vell adopts the identity of a scientist, Dr. Walter Lawson, who has conveniently died in a plane crash on the the way to a missile base in Florida, where the Kree Sentry (recently defeated by the Fantastic Four) is being kept. There he meets Security Officer Carol Danvers, soon to become his human love interest.
It's all pretty perfunctory, relying on absurd coincidences. And you can almost hear Stan telling Roy, "Let's set up a love triangle quick, so we can give the hero a hang-up." It doesn't help that Mar-Vell (dubbed "Captain Marvel" by the Earthers) is a pretty generic superhero. He has super strength (aided by Earth's lighter gravity and his Kree battle-suit), can fly (when he wears his Kree jet belt) and has a wrist-lens uni-beam that blasts stuff. None of this is terribly exciting, by superhero standards.
Still, Roy Thomas and Gene Colan managed to make Captain Marvel interesting in the few stories that they worked on. If they'd stayed on the book it might have developed into something more than its rather generic debut. But then the Captain Marvel comic book was handed over to a new creative team, Arnold Drake (scripter) and Don Heck (illustrator). When they took over the book, it felt like it regressed 10 years.
Heck's artistic style, while it may have been fine for romance comics from the '50s, was never quite right for superhero comics. It was certainly not right for a space-faring superhero like Captain Marvel. He just couldn't do those outer-space vistas they way a Gene Colan or a Jack Kirby could. He's not much better with human figures, either. His male characters look like boxes with limbs. He also has a tendency to put large, black splotches on the faces of his male characters. In one case (Issue # 6, p. 17) he depicts an Air Force general with black splotches up and down both sides of his face and on his forehead. I guess that they're supposed to be shadows, but they look like someone went crazy on his face with a mascara brush that morning.
On top of the black splotches, he gives Captain Marvel a jutting chin. In some panels Mar-Vell's chin juts out so much it lines up with his nose. In others, it seems to jut out even further than the nose. It's only something you notice when he draws Mar-Vell/Lawson in profile--but once you notice it, it's hard to unsee it.
Arnold Drake's stories make you realize just how good of a comic book writer Roy Thomas was. Drake's favorite plot is having Mar-Vell battle a giant. Mar-Vell fights three giant monsters (although one is only a hologram) and one giant robot in five stories. It gets tiresome after a while.
If Drake needs something to advance his plot, it just appears. If he needs a hospital X-ray machine that somehow fires X-ray blasts, so be it. If an entire amusement park (with no paying guests, apparently) populated by automatons comes in handy, there one is. My favorite plot development is discovering that the late Dr. Lawson had built the aforementioned giant robot and, to test the killer robot out, "Lawson instructed it to hunt down and kill--HIMSELF!" Smart move, Mr. Brilliant Scientist.
The cringiest part of these stories is the sexism, exhibited not just by Mar-Vell but other charcters as well. Perhaps the most telling line in this collection is when Yon-Rogg, accusing Mar-Vell of cowardice before a mission, sneers, "Perhaps you would PREFER to stay behind to protect the WOMEN and provisions!" Or maybe the most telling line is when Mar-Vell, as Dr. Lawson, tells Security Officer Danvers, "Naturally psychological conflicts must arise when a beautiful young woman is asked to play at POLICEMAN!"
Fortunately better things were to come for Captain Marvel. He'd get a better haircut. He'd ditch his Kree Captain's uniform and get a snazzy new costume. After Jim Starlin took over the strip he'd become Cosmically Aware and battle Thanos.
And, best of all, that woman he accused of playing at policeman would become Captain Marvel herself and get her own movie!
These stories do an adequate job of introducing the character. They establish a basic set-up--he's literally Captain Mar-Vell, a Kree warrior given the task of studying Earth. Mar-Vell loves Medic Una, and is hated by his commanding officer, Yon-Rogg, who covets Una. It's a bit of a Snidely Whiplash set-up. If Yon-Rogg had a mustache, he would surely twirl it every time he secretly plots to kill Mar-Vell. On Earth, Mar-Vell adopts the identity of a scientist, Dr. Walter Lawson, who has conveniently died in a plane crash on the the way to a missile base in Florida, where the Kree Sentry (recently defeated by the Fantastic Four) is being kept. There he meets Security Officer Carol Danvers, soon to become his human love interest.
It's all pretty perfunctory, relying on absurd coincidences. And you can almost hear Stan telling Roy, "Let's set up a love triangle quick, so we can give the hero a hang-up." It doesn't help that Mar-Vell (dubbed "Captain Marvel" by the Earthers) is a pretty generic superhero. He has super strength (aided by Earth's lighter gravity and his Kree battle-suit), can fly (when he wears his Kree jet belt) and has a wrist-lens uni-beam that blasts stuff. None of this is terribly exciting, by superhero standards.
Still, Roy Thomas and Gene Colan managed to make Captain Marvel interesting in the few stories that they worked on. If they'd stayed on the book it might have developed into something more than its rather generic debut. But then the Captain Marvel comic book was handed over to a new creative team, Arnold Drake (scripter) and Don Heck (illustrator). When they took over the book, it felt like it regressed 10 years.
Heck's artistic style, while it may have been fine for romance comics from the '50s, was never quite right for superhero comics. It was certainly not right for a space-faring superhero like Captain Marvel. He just couldn't do those outer-space vistas they way a Gene Colan or a Jack Kirby could. He's not much better with human figures, either. His male characters look like boxes with limbs. He also has a tendency to put large, black splotches on the faces of his male characters. In one case (Issue # 6, p. 17) he depicts an Air Force general with black splotches up and down both sides of his face and on his forehead. I guess that they're supposed to be shadows, but they look like someone went crazy on his face with a mascara brush that morning.
On top of the black splotches, he gives Captain Marvel a jutting chin. In some panels Mar-Vell's chin juts out so much it lines up with his nose. In others, it seems to jut out even further than the nose. It's only something you notice when he draws Mar-Vell/Lawson in profile--but once you notice it, it's hard to unsee it.
Arnold Drake's stories make you realize just how good of a comic book writer Roy Thomas was. Drake's favorite plot is having Mar-Vell battle a giant. Mar-Vell fights three giant monsters (although one is only a hologram) and one giant robot in five stories. It gets tiresome after a while.
If Drake needs something to advance his plot, it just appears. If he needs a hospital X-ray machine that somehow fires X-ray blasts, so be it. If an entire amusement park (with no paying guests, apparently) populated by automatons comes in handy, there one is. My favorite plot development is discovering that the late Dr. Lawson had built the aforementioned giant robot and, to test the killer robot out, "Lawson instructed it to hunt down and kill--HIMSELF!" Smart move, Mr. Brilliant Scientist.
The cringiest part of these stories is the sexism, exhibited not just by Mar-Vell but other charcters as well. Perhaps the most telling line in this collection is when Yon-Rogg, accusing Mar-Vell of cowardice before a mission, sneers, "Perhaps you would PREFER to stay behind to protect the WOMEN and provisions!" Or maybe the most telling line is when Mar-Vell, as Dr. Lawson, tells Security Officer Danvers, "Naturally psychological conflicts must arise when a beautiful young woman is asked to play at POLICEMAN!"
Fortunately better things were to come for Captain Marvel. He'd get a better haircut. He'd ditch his Kree Captain's uniform and get a snazzy new costume. After Jim Starlin took over the strip he'd become Cosmically Aware and battle Thanos.
And, best of all, that woman he accused of playing at policeman would become Captain Marvel herself and get her own movie!
September 1, 2023
Mar-Vell is a Kree soldier sent to study the people of Earth to evaluate their strength and threat level as a precursor to invasion. Mar-Vell is in love with his ship's medic Una. Unfortunately, so is their superior officer Yon-Rogg and he intends to use this mission as a way to get Mar-Vell out of the picture.
Mar-Vell arrives on earth outside of the NASA launch centre at Cape Canaveral. Taking over the identity of deceased scientist Walter Lawson, Mar-Vell infiltrates the Cape. However, after chief of security Carol Danvers defends Mar-Vell when Yon-Rogg tries to kill him with a giant android, Mar-Vell starts to consider that maybe humans shouldn't be wiped out.
It was really interesting to read the early origins of the Captain Marvel character, and to see its surprising influence on the Captain Marvel film, but these comics really aren't very good. They're dull and repetitive and mostly unimaginative. It improves somewhat when Arnold Drake takes over for Roy Thomas and starts to give the Kree more personality, but unfortunately he also starts reducing Carol Danvers to the role of love interest/damsel in distress, which is pretty disappointing. I know it gets heavily revamped when Roy Thomas comes back with Gil Kane for #17 so I'm looking forward to that.
Mar-Vell arrives on earth outside of the NASA launch centre at Cape Canaveral. Taking over the identity of deceased scientist Walter Lawson, Mar-Vell infiltrates the Cape. However, after chief of security Carol Danvers defends Mar-Vell when Yon-Rogg tries to kill him with a giant android, Mar-Vell starts to consider that maybe humans shouldn't be wiped out.
It was really interesting to read the early origins of the Captain Marvel character, and to see its surprising influence on the Captain Marvel film, but these comics really aren't very good. They're dull and repetitive and mostly unimaginative. It improves somewhat when Arnold Drake takes over for Roy Thomas and starts to give the Kree more personality, but unfortunately he also starts reducing Carol Danvers to the role of love interest/damsel in distress, which is pretty disappointing. I know it gets heavily revamped when Roy Thomas comes back with Gil Kane for #17 so I'm looking forward to that.
November 2, 2020
Not. Good.
A definite slide from the level of quality in other Marvel titles of the time.
Very frustrating to have such a preposterous premise overlaid on a promising one (alien agent infiltrating Earth, starting to respect the native population, while his villainous superiors literally hang over his head - ruined by the credulity-obliterating Walter Lawson/missile base conceit).
I'm usually a Don Heck booster, but his work on this title is definitely perfunctory.
Roy Thomas' writing is not up to the standard he's setting for himself on the Avengers and elsewhere, and then Arnold Drake comes in and all the worst aspects of his X-Men run come with him - bizarre plots abandoned halfway through, confusion causing art snafus, no stakes from one arc to the next.
This book was just not it. Some of you are blatant attempts to grab a trademark and it shows.
A definite slide from the level of quality in other Marvel titles of the time.
Very frustrating to have such a preposterous premise overlaid on a promising one (alien agent infiltrating Earth, starting to respect the native population, while his villainous superiors literally hang over his head - ruined by the credulity-obliterating Walter Lawson/missile base conceit).
I'm usually a Don Heck booster, but his work on this title is definitely perfunctory.
Roy Thomas' writing is not up to the standard he's setting for himself on the Avengers and elsewhere, and then Arnold Drake comes in and all the worst aspects of his X-Men run come with him - bizarre plots abandoned halfway through, confusion causing art snafus, no stakes from one arc to the next.
This book was just not it. Some of you are blatant attempts to grab a trademark and it shows.
July 26, 2023
An exciting glimpse at the early days of Carol Danvers! That's obviously not the point of these comics, our here here is Mar-vell, the Kree man sent to spy on earth who keeps putting the wellbeing of earthlings above his mission parameters. He's very interesting and I've enjoyed getting to know him and seeing how his motivations and sympathies change.
But I also love Carol, and it's cool to see her start in the 60s, where she is already a confident woman in a "masculine" role (head of security) who takes her job very seriously. (and if she gets to kiss an alien superhero every so often that's great for her too). She does face a lot of work-place sexism though, which is frustrating, but also makes me wonder what the writers were intending with that.
Anyway, a great book if you like looking at the origins of these marvel characters.
But I also love Carol, and it's cool to see her start in the 60s, where she is already a confident woman in a "masculine" role (head of security) who takes her job very seriously. (and if she gets to kiss an alien superhero every so often that's great for her too). She does face a lot of work-place sexism though, which is frustrating, but also makes me wonder what the writers were intending with that.
Anyway, a great book if you like looking at the origins of these marvel characters.
August 1, 2023
I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I went into this fully anticipating it being a slog to get through and not really entertaining but it came through in so many ways. The amazing art by Don Heck along with the recurring storylines of Yon-Rogg constantly trying to get Mar-Vell killed made for such a compelling story in my opinion. The love triangle between Una and Carol Danvers starts to blossom and unfortunately the masterwork only went up to Issue #9 so we don’t see the payoff of this plot thread. I really hope Marvel publishes Epic Collections of this material one day as I prefer not dishing out lots of money for the omnibus.
January 5, 2018
Quaint
Marvel comics hadn't even figured out who this character was or would be by the time they started publishing his tales. They just needed a place-holder to retain the rights to the name, so they published a generic sci-fi character motivated by conflicting drives. One is his sense of duty to the empire, one is for his girlfriend. Quaint, generic, and long-winded. I get into moods where this kind of thing is exactly what I want, and no one does it better than our friends from the early days of the Bullpen.
Marvel comics hadn't even figured out who this character was or would be by the time they started publishing his tales. They just needed a place-holder to retain the rights to the name, so they published a generic sci-fi character motivated by conflicting drives. One is his sense of duty to the empire, one is for his girlfriend. Quaint, generic, and long-winded. I get into moods where this kind of thing is exactly what I want, and no one does it better than our friends from the early days of the Bullpen.
March 2, 2019
Ah the 60's...when Capt. marvel wore green.
It was a time of somewhat simpler art( although Gene Colan and Don Heck were great), simpler plots, and silly names for villains and gear. Also interesting how women were viewed, Marvel gets kudos for having a woman as head of security, not so much for the "it must be hard to be a girl in that position" and the woman as victim trope. Still, historically interesting for how we got here, with Carol Travers as Marvel and a movie soon.
Not great, not Marvel's best, but interesting
It was a time of somewhat simpler art( although Gene Colan and Don Heck were great), simpler plots, and silly names for villains and gear. Also interesting how women were viewed, Marvel gets kudos for having a woman as head of security, not so much for the "it must be hard to be a girl in that position" and the woman as victim trope. Still, historically interesting for how we got here, with Carol Travers as Marvel and a movie soon.
Not great, not Marvel's best, but interesting
March 30, 2019
The adventures of Marvel's Captain Marvel are mix of superhero action with space age espionage as Mar-Vell, "man of the Kree" is torn between his duty to the empire and his newfound affection for the people of Earth. The sci-fi fin-headed helmet makes Captain Marvel stand out from other Marvel heroes of the time and the set up is an interesting twist on a few different ideas. Gene Colan's art on the initial issues is spectacular and his successor Don Heck is no slouch either. Definitely not the top shelf of Marvel history but some fun comics nonetheless.
October 29, 2026
Look, Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel, Vol. 1 is the definition of a page-turner, and I don't throw that phrase around. Thomas, Roy drops a mother into a parking lot at midnight with a missing kid and no phone, and the scene where she tries every unlocked car door looking for a clue had my heart pounding. A few of the plot choices defy common sense, though, and I yelled at the book more than once. Great for fast-read thriller fans. Pass if you can't stand characters who ignore obvious clues.
March 24, 2019
Loved to jump into the old school style
where the bad guy was always bad and the good guy was just
only in this book
the good guy is an alien who might just have to destroy the Earth
and he struggles with his conscious as get to know these strange earthlings and solves their problems
where the bad guy was always bad and the good guy was just
only in this book
the good guy is an alien who might just have to destroy the Earth
and he struggles with his conscious as get to know these strange earthlings and solves their problems
January 23, 2021
A reread for the sake of tracking a number of cosmic threads in my Fan Four 60th anniversary read-through. There are some fun components to the alien spy caught in the in-between, but the components are showing. You can feel the screws and the glue that have composed the drama.
February 10, 2023
Classic
I've never read Captain Marvel before, other than the Thanos War, so wanted to read the full run. Classic art, dated for sure, but great to read books from 50+ years ago the still impact the characters we know today.
A fun read, just but my cup of tea.
I've never read Captain Marvel before, other than the Thanos War, so wanted to read the full run. Classic art, dated for sure, but great to read books from 50+ years ago the still impact the characters we know today.
A fun read, just but my cup of tea.
August 31, 2017
Yon-Rogg is not a believable villain. Other than that, the square-jawedness of it is interesting in how out-of-date it is.
June 25, 2018
Simply awesome!
The storyline was amazing. For this time period, it's amazing to read anything that still holds true today. Well done!
The storyline was amazing. For this time period, it's amazing to read anything that still holds true today. Well done!
April 4, 2019
Old stories still hold up today.
This collection of classic stories is definitely dated, but if you read it with the era it came from in mind it's still fun.
This collection of classic stories is definitely dated, but if you read it with the era it came from in mind it's still fun.
October 20, 2023
marvellous marvel
Old school heroic tales debuting the Marvel comics Captain Marvel.
Gene Colan artwork , Stan Lee scripts, a great read.
Old school heroic tales debuting the Marvel comics Captain Marvel.
Gene Colan artwork , Stan Lee scripts, a great read.
September 5, 2024
Possibly the most generic silver age comic book I have read. Not actively bad, but forgettable.
January 31, 2017
I have been a big fan of Marvel's Captain Marvel for years. I had most of the issues of the comics, but was missing the very beginning of his origin and story, so I picked up the Marvel Masterworks edition one day at my local bookstore. I enjoyed it very much. It is hard sometimes to read these older comics. They had a different tone, a different way of writing; they have more innocence than the newer comics. Although disastrous things happen, the idea that there is someone to save the day and the violence isn't quite so in your face. At times it took me out of the story a bit, but at the same time, it was like going back to my childhood sitting reading comics for hours while the breeze blew through my bedroom window.
February 21, 2019
A bit antiquated in thinking, too many plot holes to mention, and sometimes the words are just a bit odd. Overall, illustration is cool, but looking forward to reading a modern take on Captain Marvel. Reminds me of how many Superman knock-offs exist, but nonetheless a good aspect on Krees. Nice to see a bit of history before diving into new stuff. This begins my yearly comic book kick-off.
May 28, 2015
A fun read of a Kree who is sent to Earth to observe for the Empire before they decide the fate of Earth. Things are complicated when his commanding officer wants him dead while the love of his life waits in torment.
August 18, 2015
I only read this because I'm a collector of the Marvel Masterworks collection, but it was great fun. Granted it contained an awful lot of comic book tropes that have been done better and that were more memorable, but for a character I'd never read about before this was a welcome introduction.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews