Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character or series. This post is all about the cosmic-powered ladies who go higher, further, faster: Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan – The Marvels!
(GIF via Tenor)
Who is Carol Danvers?
Carol Danvers is a US Air Force pilot who was exposed to an alien weapon that belonged to the militaristic Kree Empire. Gaining extraordinary powers of super-strength, flight, energy manipulation and energy absorption, Carol became a superhero. Currently bearing the title of Captain Marvel, she protects the Earth from intergalactic threats.
Carol as Ms. Marvel
Before Carol became Captain Marvel, she was Ms. Marvel, the distaff counterpart to the Kree warrior Mar-Vell, the first Captain Marvel. Carol was a steadfast member of the Avengers during this time, joining on the pro-registration side of the superhero Civil War, fighting against the Skrulls in the Secret Invasion, and opposing the X-Men alongside the entire Avengers roster in Avengers vs X-Men.
Carol as Ms. Marvel appearances
Ms. Marvel : this woman, this warrior. Volume 1, 1977-1978 / Claremont, Chris
The Avengers : the Kang Dynasty / Busiek, Kurt
Civil war : Ms. Marvel / Reed, Brian
Captain Marvel : Carol Danvers : the Ms. Marvel years. Vol. 2 / Reed, Brian
Captain Marvel : Carol Danvers : the Ms. Marvel years. Vol. 3 / Reed, Brian
Ms. Marvel on the Avengers
Avengers Disassembled (only on Libby)
House of M / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)
New Avengers: Volume 4 (only on Libby)
Civil war / Millar, Mark (also on Libby)
The Mighty Avengers : Venom bomb / Bendis, Brian Michael
Secret invasion / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)
Avengers vs. X-Men (also available in Te Reo, where Ms. Marvel is called Hinemīharo)
Carol as Captain Marvel
After going by Ms. Marvel, Binary, and Warbird, Carol took up the mantle of Captain Marvel. Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick (Pretty Deadly) and getting a slick new costume courtesy of artist Jamie McKelvie (The Wicked + the Divine), this series established Carol as a top-tier Marvel hero, gaining her a huge fan community called ‘The Carol Corps’ (which was later made canon in a Secret Wars comic). Here, Carol reconnected with her Air Force roots, confronted the Kree soldier responsible for her heroic origin, and travelled through space saving alien communities in need.
DeConnick Captain Marvel run reading order
Captain Marvel / DeConnick, Kelly Sue (collects the first appearances of the new Captain Marvel)
Captain Marvel. [Vol. 1], In pursuit of Flight / DeConnick, Kelly Sue (also on Libby)
Captain Marvel [2] : down / DeConnick, Kelly Sue (also on Libby)
Avengers : the enemy within / DeConnick, Kelly Sue
The Enemy Within storyline is also collected as Captain Marvel : Earth’s mightiest hero. Vol. 2 / DeConnick, Kelly Sue
Captain Marvel [1] : higher, further, faster, more / DeConnick, Kelly Sue (also on Libby)
Captain Marvel. Vol. 2, Stay fly / DeConnick, Kelly Sue (also on Libby)
Captain Marvel [3] : Alis volate propriis / DeConnick, Kelly Sue (also on Libby)
Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps / DeConnick, Kelly Sue (tie-in to Secret Wars)
Captain Marvel [3] and Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps are also collected together in Captain Marvel : Earth’s mightiest hero. Vol. 4 / DeConnick, Kelly Sue
Alpha Flight
After DeConnick’s departure, Captain Marvel’s series was taken up by Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas (Agent Carter). Here, Carol becomes the leader of Earth’s new space defense force, Alpha Flight.
Captain Marvel. Vol. 1, Rise of Alpha Flight / Fazekas, Michele
Rise of Alpha Flight is also collected in Captain Marvel : Earth’s mightiest hero. Vol. 5 / Fazekas, Michele
Alpha Flight later spun-off into the Hulk-hunting team Gamma Flight, who appeared throughout Immortal Hulk and eventually got their own series.
Civil War II
A surprise attack by Thanos catches the Avengers off-guard, leaving War Machine dead and She-Hulk comatose. As the superhero community reels from the attack, a new hero appears, Ulysses, who has the ability to predict the future. Carol embraces him, believing Ulysses could prevent further crimes and disasters before they happen. Tony Stark opposes her on the premise that these predictions could violate people’s rights, and the Marvel heroes choose sides, setting off a second Superhuman Civil War.
Carol in Civil War II appearances
Captain Marvel Volume 2: Civil War II (only on Libby)
Vol 2: Civil War II is also collected in Captain Marvel : Earth’s mightiest hero. Vol. 5 / Fazekas, Michele
Civil war II / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)
Ms. Marvel [6] : Civil War II / Wilson, G. Willow
Guardians of the Galaxy. Vol. 3, Civil War II / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)
A New Origin
After Civil War II, Carol returns to her role as leader of Alpha Flight, and learns the undiscovered truth about her heritage and her powers.
The mighty Captain Marvel. Vol. 1, Alien nation / Stohl, Margaret (also on Libby)
The mighty Captain Marvel [2] : band of sisters / Stohl, Margaret (also on Libby)
The mighty Captain Marvel [3] : dark origins / Stohl, Margaret (also on Libby)
The life of Captain Marvel / Stohl, Margaret
Kelly Thompson run
In Kelly Thompson’s run on her series, Captain Marvel explores apocalyptic futures, becomes an Accuser for the Kree Empire, and finds a new nemesis in Ripley Ryan, a reality-altering journalist.
Captain Marvel. Vol. 1, Re-entry / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel. Vol. 2, Falling star / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel [3] : the last Avenger / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel [4] : accused / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel [5] : the new world / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel [6] : strange magic / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel [7] : the last of the Marvels / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel [8] : the trials / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel. Vol. 9, Revenge of the Brood, part 1 / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel. Vol. 10, Revenge of the Brood / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel : dark tempest / Nocenti, Ann
Captain Marvel’s Teams
As Captain Marvel, Carol has been a member of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, The Ultimates, and the all-female team A-Force.
Captain Marvel’s team appearances
Avengers [1] : Avengers world / Hickman, Jonathan
Avengers by Jason Aaron. Vol. 1 / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)
Guardians of the Galaxy. Vol. 3, Civil War II / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)
A-Force : hypertime, 1 / Wilson, G. Willow
A-Force [2] : rage against the dying of the light / Thompson, Kelly
The Ultimates [1] : start with the impossible / Ewing, Al
Who is Monica Rambeau?
Monica Rambeau is a harbour patrol lieutenant who became a superhero with the ability to manipulate the electromagnetic spectrum, going by Captain Marvel, Photon, and Spectrum. A natural-born leader, Monica has commanded the Avengers, Ultimates, Thunderbolts, Strikeforce, and the anti-corporate splinter cell Nextwave.
Monica Rambeau appearances
Nextwave, agents of H.A.T.E. : ultimate collection / Ellis, Warren
Captain Marvel [2] : down / DeConnick, Kelly Sue (also on Libby)
Mighty Avengers. Volume 2, Family bonding / Ewing, Al
Mighty Avengers [3] : original sin : not your father’s Avengers / Ewing, Al
Captain America and the Mighty Avengers [2] : last days / Ewing, Al
Avengers : no road home / Waid, Mark
Strikeforce [1] : trust me / Howard, Tini
Captain Marvel [7] : the last of the Marvels / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel [8] : the trials / Thompson, Kelly
The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [4]
Thunderbolts : back on target / Zubkavich, Jim
Monica Rambeau. Photon / Ewing, Eve L.
The Ultimates
Both Monica and Carol (along with Black Panther, America Chavez, Blue Marvel, and a reformed Galactus) were members of the Ultimates, a team dedicated to solving larger-scale threats, like evil living universes and nightmarish cosmic beings. Here, Monica’s powers evolve to the point where she becomes a being of living energy.
The Ultimates reading order
The Ultimates [1] : start with the impossible / Ewing, Al
The Ultimates [2] : Civil war II / Ewing, Al
The Ultimates 2 [1] : troubleshooters / Ewing, Al
The Ultimates 2. Vol. 2, Eternity War / Ewing, Al
Who is Kamala Khan?
Kamala Khan is a Pakistani-American superhero fan from New Jersey who, after being exposed to the Inhuman’s ‘Terrigen Mist’, gained the ability to grow, shrink and shapeshift. Inspired by her idol Captain Marvel, Kamala took up the identity of Ms. Marvel, fighting any villains that threaten her home of Jersey City while balancing life as a high-school student.
Ms. Marvel reading order
Ms. Marvel [1] : no normal / Wilson, G. Willow (also on Libby)
Ms. Marvel [2] : Generation why / Wilson, G. Willow (also on Libby)
Ms. Marvel [3] : crushed / Wilson, G. Willow (also on Libby)
Ms. Marvel [4] : last days / Wilson, G. Willow (also on Libby)
Ms. Marvel [5] : super famous / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel [6] : Civil War II / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel. Vol. 7, Damage per second / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel [8] : Mecca / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel [9] : teenage wasteland / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel. 10, Time and again / Wilson, G. Willow
G. Willow Wilson’s entire run on Ms. Marvel are also collected in these double-sized volumes, which are read in this order:
Ms. Marvel : Kamala Khan / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel : metamorphosis / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel [3] / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel meets the Marvel Universe
Ms. Marvel : army of one / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel. Game over / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel : something new / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel : generations / Wilson, G. Willow
Ms. Marvel: Outlawed
In the most recent run on Ms. Marvel by Saladin Ahmed (Miles Morales), Kamala battles an alien invasion, gains her version of a symbiote in the living armour ‘Stormranger’, and inadvertently becomes the catalyst for a law that restricts the age of active superheroes to 18 and over.
Ms. Marvel [1] : destined / Ahmed, Saladin (also on Libby)
Ms. Marvel [2] : stormranger / Ahmed, Saladin (also on Libby)
Ms. Marvel [3] : outlawed / Ahmed, Saladin (also on Libby)
Ms. Marvel : beyond the limit / Ahmed, Samira (also on Libby)
Ms. Marvel’s Team-Ups
Ms. Marvel initially joined the Avengers, before she split off with Miles Morales and Nova to form the Champions, a team of young heroes dedicated to fighting the social justice issues that the Avengers don’t address.
Ms. Marvel Team-up collections
Ms. Marvel team-up / Ewing, Eve L.
Ms. Marvel : fists of justice / Houser, Jody
Ms. Marvel in the Avengers and Champions
All-new, all-different Avengers. Vol. 1, The magnificent seven / Waid, Mark (also on Libby)
All-new all-different Avengers [2] : family business / Waid, Mark
All-new all-different Avengers. Vol. 3, Civil War II / Waid, Mark
Champions [1] : change the world / Waid, Mark
Champions [2] : the freelancer lifestyle / Waid, Mark
The first two Champions volumes are also collected as
Champions : because the world still needs heroes / Waid, Mark
Champions. Vol. 3, Champion for a day / Waid, Mark
The Avengers & Champions : worlds collide / Waid, Mark
Champions [1] : outlawed / Ewing, Eve L. (also on Libby)
Champions. Volume 2, Killer app / Lore, Danny (also on Libby)
A grizzled, older variant of Kamala is a member of the Exiles, a multiverse-hopping team of heroes, each from a different parallel universe.
Exiles [1] : test of time / Ahmed, Saladin
Exiles. Vol. 2, The trial of the Exiles / Ahmed, Saladin
Other Captain Marvels
Marvel Comic’s original Captain Marvel was the alien Kree warrior Mar-Vell. Since his passing, both his son Genis-Vell and daughter Phyla-Vell (a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy) have been Captain Marvel, before Carol Danvers took up the name.
Genis and Phyla-Vell appearances
Genis-Vell : Captain Marvel / David, Peter
Guardians of the Galaxy. 1, Then it’s us / Ewing, Al
The Guardians of the Galaxy [2] : “Here we make our stand” / Ewing, Al
Of course, the original Captain Marvel was the Fawcett Comics hero (now owned by DC Comics) we now call Shazam. You can find out about his exploits on our blog for him here.
Moonstone and Star
Carol Danvers has inspired not just heroes, but villains as well. Her enemy Karla Sofen, the super-powered psychologist Moonstone, once impersonated her as Ms. Marvel on Norman Osborn’s ‘Dark Avengers’.
Moonstone as Ms. Marvel appearances
Captain Marvel : Carol Danvers : the Ms. Marvel years. Vol. 3 / Reed, Brian
Dark Avengers (only on Libby)
Siege : Mighty Avengers / Slott, Dan
Recently, Carol fought Ripley Ryan a.k.a Star, a reporter and wannabe hero who became the host to the Infinity Gauntlet’s world-altering Reality Stone.
Star appearances
Captain Marvel. Vol. 1, Re-entry / Thompson, Kelly
Captain Marvel. Vol. 2, Falling star / Thompson, Kelly
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