Marvel 1976.09 - Captain Marvel #46

Captain Marvel #46

Title: Only one can win!

Writer: Steve Englehart, Chris Claremont

Artist: Al Milgrom

Villain: Supreme Intelligence

Regulars: Rick Jones

Flashbacks:

    Drax, Captain America, Sub-Mariner

    Blazing Skull, Original Vision,  Original Human Torch

    Cyclops, Angel, Iron Man, Black Bolt, Medusa

    Thor, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Spider-Man

This comic was hit by Steve Englehart's sudden departure from Marvel, which I discussed in my review of Doctor Strange #19. Fortunately, it hasn't been harmed too much. Steve Englehart plotted the story before leaving, so Chris Claremont only had to write the dialogue. 

At the end of the last issue Captain Marvel, Rick Jones, Fawn and the cyborg Rambu left the Mind Gem. Now they're flying through space towards Hala, the Kree homeworld. I'm not sure exactly how they're flying, because Captain Marvel isn't fast enough to fly such long distances in less than a year. Maybe they're being assisted by the Supreme Intelligence. Steve Englehart would have explained it if he'd written the dialogue himself. My guess is that they weren't trying to fly to Hala, they were just heading towards the Kree battle cruiser in orbit around Deneb IV. That ship could carry them to Hala in minutes.

The Supreme Intelligence teleports Captain Marvel and Rick Jones. They arrive at different destinations. Captain Marvel is in the Supreme Intelligence's chamber, facing a physical representation of the Supreme Intelligence.

He sure is ugly! Note that it isn't the Supreme Intelligence himself, because we can still see him in the machine behind him. 

Rick Jones is in the Kree battle cruiser, and he's also facing the physical representation of the Supreme Intelligence. Note that he's standing in the same pose and speaking almost the same words.

The two heroes fight the Supreme Intelligence in two separate fist fights. Whenever one of them is winning, the other is losing. It's the same problem as in the last issue. Captain Marvel and Rick Jones share the power of the nega-bands, so when one of them uses more of the power, the other weakens.

Fawn and Rambu enter the battle cruiser. Fawn uses an energy blast against the Supreme Intelligence. He says that the power matches his own, but it came from nowhere. He can't see Fawn. He's puzzled when he sees Rick Jones talking to an unseen person. Then he realises what's happening. Rick displayed his power to create superheroes in Avengers #97. Now he's unwittingly used his nega-band to create the perfect woman. Using this knowledge, the Supreme Intelligence is able to see her. He fires an energy blast that kills her.

Captain Marvel feels Rick's anguish. This distracts him, and the (other) Supreme Intelligence knocks him out.

The Millennia Bloom is now blossoming in the chamber of the Supreme Intelligence. He says that when it's in full bloom it will sing, and the song will remove the will of both Mar-Vell and Rick Jones. They will become slaves of the Supreme Intelligence. Rick will be sent to destroy the Earth.

Mar-Vell stands up. He was feigning unconsciousness. He fights the Supreme Intelligence with his natural strength alone, letting Rick use the full power of the nega-bands. Mar-Vell telepathically sends a message to Rick, telling him to fire the battle cruiser's missiles at Hala's sun. There's a massive sun flare, threatening to destroy Hala. The Supreme Intelligence has to use all his power to protect the planet.

Hala is badly damaged, but still exists. The Supreme Intelligence's screen is blank. He's probably recovering. Rick Jones finds Captain Marvel, who suggests that they return to Earth.

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I'll stop reviewing the Captain Marvel comics at this point. In Captain Marvel #47 Gerry Conway takes over as writer. In the letters page he says that he's bringing Captain Marvel back to Earth to bring him into contact with Earth's superheroes, especially Spider-Man. The mind boggles. Doesn't Gerry Conway have the least idea what Captain Marvel is about? He's a cosmic superhero, not someone who hangs out in New York.

Fortunately, Gerry Conway left the series after two disappointing issues. Scott Edelman took over, definitely an improvement, but his stories reminded me more of Roy Thomas' early Captain Marvel comics, not the cosmic hero as created by Jim Starlin. After that, Doug Moench stepped in as writer. He obviously knew something was wrong with the comics, because he turned the character around. He made him a cosmic superhero again. I have mixed feelings about the stories written by Doug. His ideas were the right ones, but it's like he was pushing it too far. He was too cosmic, if that's possible. I'll re-read his stories this week, even if I don't review them.

Summing up, I liked Captain Marvel when Roy Thomas was the writer, but Jim Starlin turned him into a completely different character. Steve Englehart took over by maintaining the Jim Starlin character, but developing him in his own way. In retrospect, Jim Starlin and Steve Englehart were the only writers who had a feeling for Captain Marvel. The writers who followed them tried their best, but none of them came close.

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I'll take a short break from writing about Marvel. I have to concentrate on the White Nights film festival. I'll resume my Marvel reviews next week. I've already mapped out the comics I want to review for the next three years. When I finish them I might return and add others. I don't know yet.