Ms. Marvel (1977) #15 - 16
Two issues again, because her first appearance in Avengers (1963) is after this.
Feel free to take this image and just put whatever the hell you want in those thought/speech bubbles.
Key topics:
Check-ins with the Cast of Ms. Marvel (1977)
Wanda ♡ & Beast
Cool fights
Check-ins with the Cast of Ms. Marvel (1977):
Mike
enjoy this new fill in the blank via blatant panel manipulation. you get to decide what the hell Mike is saying
Carol: No Steady Girls for me, either, chum. Salia just blew up. :(
The real fill-in the blank is: Mike asks Carol what Kree was used as the template for her Kree memories; I think it's pretty explicitly Mar-Vell, people have addressed him in her memories. Also Mike calls her "babe".
He's less interesting here than in his last appearance, where he was drinking alone, head in hands, and pondering medical ethics.
Tabitha.
I was waiting to introduce Tabitha until after she had more of a purpose. Jonah stuck Carol with her, knowing she would be a subpar employee, to which Carol assured Tracy that maybe Tabitha will "work out" fine. So far, not yet.
"Shut the fuck up Frank, you're just out of shape." I like how Carol speaks to this man, it's always very abrasive lol.
More of Carol's very direct nature. She's calm, but does not dispense any bullshit or tact.
Frank.
These above scene is from the previous issue-- Carol's office gets burglarized, and Frank recognizes the burglar.
Fuckin' Frank.
He tells Carol he knows exactly who burglarized her office, has Carol meet with the police officer, and then makes Carol watch as he lies to her face. Couldn't have given her a heads up, man?
Anyway, Ballard (burglar) was this bigshot dude in the CIA, and Frank lied to the cops so he could investigate him himself.
Carol sends him off with a casual, "OK Frank. Don't die, I guess."
Also, Carol hates the CIA. (Based)
Carol
I live alone -- and plan to stay that way-- so I don't need all that much.
Carol gets an apartment! Huge but in need of some TLC. $300 rent in 1978 is about $1,550 today. Not sure how accurate the price Claremont made up for this issue was in NYC at the time, but assuming it is accurate: ...rrrrhhgghhghhhhhh!
Anyway. Carol lock that price in man, rent control, and try not to mysteriously vanish off the face of the earth anytime soon.
Wanda & Beast
Carol stumbles upon Tiger Shark's plot to kidnap Nita, and runs to Avengers mansion for assistance. Beast assumes she's an intruder, and starts a fight.
Ooh a point for the achievement tracker: she got angry and punched Beast through a window.
She even admits to losing her temper in the last panel, while she's giving Wanda the flirty eyes. A rare smile from Carol, there.
"Just like that, you barge in off the street and-- based on your word alone-- ask us to trust you?" "Yes." "I see. And, I think I will."
The start of Carol & Wanda's relationship!! Wanda is one of the most important characters in comics to Carol, up there with Jess Drew and Wolverine, imo. She was missing for a while, but they've begun to interact more again.
Wanda CAN fly, for the record. Not the first time Carol's princess carried her, anyway.
(Star (2020))
There's this really funny montage where Carol does science at the Avengers' lab; it's funny because she never ever does anything with chemistry or gadgetry again, as far as I recall. She loves physics, though.
She brought her coffee... and look at that middle panel.
[Here's a really fun ship manifesto on livejournal from 2010, breaking down their whole history up to that point.]
I got into CM well after my livejournal days, but I loved looking for old fansites when I was into BtVS and have tried to do the same for comics. I've found* a few good ones, but not as many as I'd like.
*[CHECK OUT THIS ONE] Oldschool.
And of course, regardless of people shipping them or not, they have an extremely fun relationship. Their friendship over time is extremely intense and full of tragedy and guilt; a very good time.
Cool Fights
One of Carol's special abilities is explicitly "judo-throw". It comes up a lot, and they always either call it that, or mention her using her opponents' strength against them. I think it's meant to express that a woman could hold her own against men, even if she's physically smaller.
(We saw her and Salia practicing their Judo Throws together...)
| "There must be an easier way to live my life."
[All her life, Carol Danvers has thought of other people before herself-- the trait's become as natural to her as breathing-- and more than once it's gotten her into trouble. Tonight, it may have cost her her life.]
What trouble do you think Carol's gotten into as a result of helping other people? Fun to ponder.
She's the oldest sibling (for now), so it's sweet to think that might be why she's a protective person.
Also, Carol spends a lot of time being surprised that she's still alive. I guess she hasn't realized how durable she is, and is always moving the line on what she thinks she can survive. "Grenade, huh? Get out."
Pretty sure this was Mystique, and sure enough, this comic is listed as her first appearance. Fun fact, this is her first appearance. Mystique was originally a Ms. Marvel villain before anything else, and we will see a lot of her.
Reading her wiki... Namorita is a clone of her mother, Namora, who is the cousin of Namor. ........She goes by Nita, understandably.
"The irony is, all Shark needs to do to beat me is simply swim away. I'd drown long before I could reach the surface. I'm as good as dead already-- but for Nita I've got to keep fighting. I still have about a minute left ... got to hit the pressure points on Tiger Shark's neck, cut off the flow of blood to his brain."
This is an awesome scene. Carol's submerged at the bottom of the ocean, and knows she will drown before she can possibly get to the surface. Still, she keeps fighting Tiger Shark, trying to kill him in the final minutes before she dies, to protect Nita.
Really excellent. Hi Carol ily.
Fortunately, Nita pulls her unconscious body from the ocean, and gets her medical attention. This sort of thing will happen again to her, by Jessica Drew (Avengers Annual #10).
(Captain Marvel (2019) #8)
Review: Women!
My favorite part of these issues was Carol trying to strangle Tiger Shark to death before she died, cold and deep in the ocean, wishing to see the sun one last time.
And all to save a cool (teenage??) girl, which is a noble cause to die for.
Also, the first appearance of Mystique, and Carol's first meeting with Wanda! And what a good meeting.