Marvel 1975.03 - Captain Marvel #37

Captain Marvel #37

Title: Lift-Off!

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: Al Milgrom

Villain: Annihilus, Nimrod (robot), The Watcher

Regulars: Rick Jones

Guests: Ant-Man, Wasp, Jarvis

This issue continues from Captain Marvel #35. Issue #36 was a Dreaded Deadline Doom (DDD) issue. Sigh... there were too many of them in the 1970's.

After Captain Marvel has thanked Ant-Man and the Wasp for their aid in issue #35, he delivers Rick Jones to his appointment with his manager Mordecai Boggs. As you hopefully remember, Captain Marvel and Rick Jones share their existence. While one of them is in our world, the other is in the Negative Zone. Rick is currently pursuing a career as a folk singer. Or is it a rock singer? Mordecai's assistant Dandy gives Rick a tablet she calls Vitamin C. I don't know what it's supposed to be, I just know that it definitely isn't Vitamin C.

Captain Marvel has to fly to the Moon to confront the Lunatic Legion. He needs ten hours for the flight. I thought he was faster than that. He can only be in our world for a maximum of three hours, which means he'll have to exchange places with Rick three times on the trip. Rick collects a space suit from Avengers Mansion for the journey.

Not far from Earth, Captain Marvel is attacked by Nimrod, one of the Lunatic Legion. Captain Marvel recognises that he's a robot and smashes him.

Rick Jones is attacked by Annihilus in the Negative Zone. Rick hits him, and he breaks up into hundreds of mini-Annihiluses. Or is the plural Annihili? Annihilus says he's still weak from his battle with Captain Marvel, but he'll return soon.

Ten hours later Captain Marvel arrives at the Moon's Blue Area, which was built by the Kree but is now the home of the Watcher. He has trouble concentrating. He doesn't know why, but we can see it's because Rick has swallowed the Vitamin C. Their connection is making both of them high from the one pill.

The Watcher attacks Captain Marvel, saying he wants to murder him. That's very unusual. The Watcher usually watches. That's what he does. The Watcher recognises that Captain Marvel is somehow ill and doesn't want to take advantage of his weakness. He knocks Captain Marvel and hands him to the Lunatic Legion.