The Life of Captain Marvel #1

The Life of Captain Marvel (2018)

by Margaret Stohl, Julian Totino Tedesco (Cover Art), Carlos Pacheco (Artist)

THE DEFINITIVE ORIGIN OF CAPTAIN MARVEL! Carol Danvers was just a girl from the Boston suburbs who loved science and the Red Sox until a chance encounter with a Kree hero gave her incredible super-powers. Now, she’s a leader in the Avengers and the commander of Alpha Flight. But what if there were more to the story? When crippling anxiety attacks put her on the sidelines in the middle of a fight, Carol finds herself reliving memories of a life she thought was far behind her. You can’t outrun where you’re from — and sometimes, you HAVE to go home again. But there are skeletons in Captain Marvel’s closet — and what she discovers will change her entire world. Written by best-selling author Margaret Stohl and drawn by fan-favorite comics veteran Carlos Pacheco, this is the true origin of Captain Marvel.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Fiction

34 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2018

About the author

Margaret Stohl is the #1 New York Times, PW, USA Today, LA Times and Internationally bestselling co-author or author of twelve books, including the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES NOVELS, the DANGEROUS CREATURES NOVELS, the ICONS NOVELS, MARVEL'S BLACK WIDOW NOVELS, ROYCE ROLLS & CATS VS ROBOTS THIS IS WAR (forthcoming!) She writes the MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL comic for Marvel Comics (ongoing) and has contributed to countless videogames; currently, she is a Narrative Director at Bungie.

From the author:

Goodreads Peeps! Please note I no longer review the books on my shelf, "stars"-wise. I do list books I read, and they're all automatically marked as 5 stars. That's because a) I don't list books that I didn't like enough to finish and b) I didn't want to delete the ratings I had already given. If I particularly love a book and feel inclined to comment, you'll still see the comments here. Sadly, I have to ask: please don't reproduce these comments on book jackets, websites, or in any other medium for the marketing of books. They're only meant for fellow goodreaders. Thanks so much!

ABOUT ME:

Writing has gotten me in and out of trouble since I was 15 (back then, mostly just in trouble.) For 10 years, I designed &/or wrote for lots of video games, one of which was nominated for “Most Innovative Game Design,” but I lost to a rapping onion. If you know games you get why my two bad beagles are named Zelda and Kirby.

School: I spent more years in it than a person ever should, because let’s face it, reading books is so much better than having a job. I fell in love with American literature at Amherst and Yale, earned an MA in English from Stanford, and studied creative writing under the late great poet George MacBeth at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. I taught Intro to Film as a TA at Yale and Romantic Poetry as a TA at Stanford. Don’t tell the people at Yale but sometimes I taught the section before I’d seen the movie it was about...

I live in Santa Monica, CA, with my family, most of whom were enslaved into working with me in one form or another on my first YA book for Little, Brown. I’m not kidding; when my daughters wanted to go to school I said “Why are you so selfish? Get back in there and edit,” and by said I mean yelled and maybe threw things, it’s all a haze. Now the Beautiful series has wrapped, but you can see the movie on February 13, 2013 or read my new book ICONS on May 7th. Nothing gold can stay, Ponyboy.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der Auftakt zu Carol Danvers Origin-Story hat mir wirklich sehr gut gefallen und ist von den aktuellen #1-Heften bei Marvel (derer es ja nicht wenige gibt) mein Favorit. Die Artwork ist sehr schön und sympathisch; Die Story richtet den Fokus nicht auf die Superheldin, sondern auf das junge Mädchen und die junge Frau, deren Herkunft alles andere als super ist. Charakter und Story sind hier gleichberechtigt. Inzwischen haben bei Marvel die Heldinnen ihren männlichen Kollegen so ziemlich den Rang abgelaufen, aber das ist auch okay so. Es scheint, dass komplexere Persönlichkeiten bei den Herren Superhelden momentan nicht so angesagt ist, und wenn, dann werden sie gerne demontiert (siehe die aktuelle Spider-Man-Reihe).

[shal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this is actually the first time I've read a book on exactly the same day it was released. I have been waiting for a good Captain Marvel title ever since MCU announced the movie and I watched a fan made trailer of the same which was really good and read two Captain Marvel titles by Kelly Sue DeConnick - Captain Marvel, Volume 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More and Captain Marvel, Volume 1: In Pursuit of Flight which were good but not amazing. I wanted to read her origin stories and early days. Of course, there are many books on Ms. Marvel published in the 20th century which I never read because the character and look of Carol Danvers is too different in them to be relatable. So, I decided to wait for this series.

"The Life of Captain Marvel" deals with the flashbacks into the abusive and unhappy childhood of Danvers which are messing up with her pysche and actions in the present. This is something common in both the character sketch by Stohl in this series and Kelley in the "In Pursuit of Flight" - the enormous anger and uncontrolled emotions. I personally prefer funny and relatable superheroes such as Spidey and the new Ms. Marvel whose comics are almost always light hearted and fun to read.

Till now of all the Captain Marvel titles that I have read, Higher, Further, Faster, More by Kelley is my favorite. Hope this series will show more dimensions of Danvers' personality. I'll most probably read the next issue of the series with the hope that this title will grow on me eventually. The excitement of reading individual issues as soon as they are released truly transcends the fun of reading the whole volume at once.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of 1-3. Got this on the recommendation of G. Willow Wilson’s Twitter feed and am hooked enough to read it in singles. Carol Danvers meets Manchester by the Sea. Also, I am convinced now that Eliza Danvers and the Midvale beach house are shifting between the Marvel and DC universes. What’s in a name? A lot apparently.

[Sophia Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really like this retelling. It’s not completely estranged from the original but it cuts all a lot of its overlying problems. I really like Margaret Stohl and what she has done with this character, with this and with The Mighty Captain Marvel.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are about to get real.

Coming home isn't always easy.

[maida ♡⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know if I liked this comic or if I love Carol Danvers way too much to give her less of a rating.

[Libra1bk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to read some of the comics to better understand the characters before I see the movie adaptation :)

[francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A promising start, bright and emotional. Excited to finally see Carol's 'official' origin story. This'll also help get me prepped for the movie next year. Can't wait to see where else Stohl will take the series!

[Will Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. I love that the writer, Margaret Stohl, chose to dive deep into the character and personal struggles Carol has with her childhood and past. The flashbacks are drawn by a separate artist than the main panels, so that helped differentiate them from each other.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

[Elien · Rating 4 out of 5]

EN: The Life of Captain Marvel #1 is a visual feast. The content is good as well, with Carol Danvers' lightly modified background exposed through flashbacks. The comic is therefore told from the present and features a lot of introspection, but the ending promises - and makes me crave - more.

ENG: The Life of Captain Marvel #1 is een echte lust voor het oog. Ook de inhoud is goed, met een lichtjes aangepaste achtergrond voor Carol Danvers die vanuit het heden wordt toegelicht met flashbacks. Veel introspectie in dit eerste issue, maar het einde belooft - en smaakt naar - meer.
Volledige review: https://www.geekster.be/comics/us-com...

[Simeon Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decided to check this out because even though I'm a huge Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) fan, I've never really looked into Captain Marvel (Ether of them) and I think this worked pretty well as an introduction to the character. I don't know how much of this backstory has been shown before but I would be surprised if it isn't mostly new coz I've never heard anyone talk about some of this stuff and I found it all pretty interesting. Gonna try and remember to pick this up when it's all in trade if not remember to grab the next issue when it comes out.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked the backstory, it is unfortunate that she had to go through that but it is a reality of life. That is what makes a hero stronger by overcoming their past and focusing on their strengths. Really like how she went back to her family for support, because they are the ones that care about you the most. She is an amazing super heroine and cares about the people in her life. Really nice plot and liked the conflict that she had which was her past, and how she can become better than it. Family matters most in the end and will be there to support each other.

[Carol Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first Captain Marvel graphic novel I have read. I rather enjoyed it. The story is told in flashbacks and and address how Carol got her powers. It also explores the dynamics of her family. It features some mature themes like alcoholism, emotional and physical abuse of children and how that carries into adulthood.

I want to add that I read the graphic novel that combined all five issues. Unfortunately Goodreads does not have that edition listed as a choice.

[Neyebur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi primera lectura sobre las aventuras de la Capitana Marvel tras haber visto su película ha sido esta primera parte de una revisión sobre su vida. Es un comienzo interesante, me gusta sobre todo que muestra que Carol Danvers es imperfecta, no es normal ver a un héroe con ataques de ansiedad.

Espero poder leer más de esta heroína.

[Artemis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still not sure about this episode. The topic discussed is a sensitive one and I'm not sure if I'm okay with the direction that was taken but it wasn't done in a disrespectful manner.
How I feel about this episode, I feel, is going to be impacted greatly by what follows in the next 4.

[Jose Carignan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Life Of Captain Marvel", doesn't feel like Captain Marvel books, you connect with the character on a so much more personal way experiencing the psyche of Carol Danvers. the human experience she still faces that everyone ignores because shes a superhero.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family origin story so far - looking forward to reading more of this. Beautifully drawn.

[Lorne Mcinnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

My first ever kindle comic. Use to read comics some 50 years ago or more. So far love it and look forward to more

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Updated Origin Story

Is this updated origin story leading up to the movie in March 2019? It will be interesting to see if any of this shows up in the movie.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved to know her family more, her human side more.
Loved the relation Tony had with her

[Noor ElBahrain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review on the entire 5 issue series.

I really loved how this improved Carol's origin story.

[Martha Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's my wife and I love her!!! Also, the art style is so gorgeous in this.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a movie coming out in March of 2019 there’s a bit of hype around Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers). This book provides excellent background on the character, stuff we never knew before about her youth, and revels that while a super hero and probably one of the most powerful out there, she also has her own struggles to deal with, such as anxiety. This hits close to home and makes the writing all the more powerful. I’m thoroughly enjoying this title.

[Münevver]

Eğer kahramanların hayat hikâyelerini okumayı seviyorsanız bu seri tam sizlik. Marvel konusunda çok bilgili olmasam da Carol Danvers'ı hep sevmişimdir. Bu seriyi okumak o anlamda süper keyifli olacak. İlk sayı itibariyle de fikrimin arkasındayım.

[Kate]

I fully bought this because I liked the cover.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not terribly familiar with Captain Marvel, having only seen her in a supporting role in some other titles, so I don’t know how well this issue shows her character, but it is a very intriguing and human story. It feels very real, in a way that resonated with me...occasionally too much. But I will definitely return for issue #2