Discuss: Guardians of the Galaxy movie

Karen: The latest Marvel film is getting rave reviews -I even read praise for it from the likes of Jim Starlin and Steve Englehart! So you know the drill -feel free to share your thoughts BUT PLEASE - NO SPOILERS for the first few days that the film is out! I can say I am diggin' the soundtrack already...

Giant-Size July: Avengers Annual 7

Avengers Annual #7 (1977)
"The Final Threat"
Jim Starlin-Starlin/Josef Rubenstein

Doug:  You might have noticed that we originally had this scheduled for later in the month, and of course followed by the story's conclusion in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2.  After some discussion at one of our editorial meetings, we decided to move these up as a fitting conclusion to the month-long reviews of Thanos and all of his evil doings.  We hope you'll indulge another two weeks of cosmic mayhem, although we think those of you preferring your heroes more grounded will enjoy the inclusion of the Avengers, Spider-Man, and the Thing in Jim Starlin's conclusionary tale.  Among Bronze Age aficionados, this two-parter is one of the highlights of the era.  Maybe it's not qualified to be alongside Amazing Spider-Man #'s 121-122, but it certainly has it boosters, and justifiably so.

Karen: It's rather bizarre that these two books ever saw print in the first place, as Starlin had essentially left Marvel at this point. Only through a serendipitous meeting with then Marvel editor Archie Goodwin did the assignment to work on this annual, and then the Marvel Two-In-One Annual, come to be. For anyone out there who might want to fill in some gaps prior to reading this issue, you can go back to my review of Warlock #11, done as part of the "Doug and Karen's favorite's" series (why aren't we doing more of those?).

Doug:  I don't know... there's not a good reason.  I'll see what I can do.  First one off the top of my head -- be on the look-out for a review of Avengers #56.  How's that?

Doug:   We open on a decimated world, where Adam Warlock has come to investigate what has gone before.  He expects nothing but death, but is surprised to find Gamora, once-faithful servant of Thanos, the mad Titan who had been a god when he commanded the power of the cosmic cube.  Gamora tells Adam of Thanos' plan for stellar genocide, and Warlock's blood begins to boil.  Saying she will accompany him, Adam Warlock quite emphatically pledges to find and destroy Thanos.  Cut to Earth, where Earth's Mightiest Heroes are in the Mansion kibitzing.  It's a pretty powerful assemblage, with the Big Three, the Beast, and the Vision and the Scarlet Witch.  Iron Man stands at a window brooding, and Wanda encourages the Vision to check on him.  Inquiring, the synthezoid approaches.  Iron Man tells him that he felt drawn to the Mansion this night, and that he could not shake a feeling of impending danger.  Suddenly, a window opens (!) and in steps Captain Marvel and Moondragon.  Moondragon, in her usual haughty way, tells that she and Mar-Vell felt drawn also to the Mansion, and that her sense is that only a gathering of eagles can stave off the coming catastrophe.  She starts, aware of the destruction of a star some distance away, laid waste by Thanos' starship.  Suddenly a stranger (to some) arrives to the Mansion -- Adam Warlock.  In a great nod to the Silver Age, the God of Thunder calls Warlock by the name "Him"; Warlock assures Thor that he's come as an ally.

Karen: Let's get this out of the way: I like this pairing of Starlin and Rubinstein perhaps the best of all the art teams we've seen -the Starlin -Janson team is pretty close. The art here in these opening pages is just majestic. It screams 'epic.' I also enjoyed the little head shots running down the side of the splash page -that was a fun touch. Warlock's assimilation of Gamora's soul as she lay dying was touching for those of us who had followed his series. She had been the dupe of Thanos, a deadly warrior but unaware of her master's larger schemes. Although there had never been a romantic relationship between her and Warlock, they had at least come to respect one another and perhaps something might have developed, given time, but given the overall tragic arc of  his life that never happened. Warlock's acceptance of his role as Thanos' mortal enemy is almost an acceptance of defeat, or at least of his fate. But after the events of issue #11, he knows his time is limited. Might as well do the best he can with it. I thought it was funny that Wanda suggested Vision should speak to the brooding Iron Man, since they're so similar; boy, the Downey portrayal in the films really is a far cry from the comics version! The gathering of the "eagles" as Moondragon calls them is exciting and I got a laugh out of how Warlock's sudden entrance startles the skeptical Beast.

Doug:  Warlock recaps much of the Thanos narrative (as we've been telling you, contained in the incredible tpb The Avengers vs. Thanos -- get it!), including the stories we reviewed in June.  Thanos was emotionally devastated when Death rejected him after his defeat at the hands of Captain Marvel (see Captain Marvel #33), and began a universal search for that which might please her.  He determined that he would possess the six soul gems -- united they would return him to the power levels he possessed when he had mastered the cosmic cube.  He obtained five of the gems -- through theft, combat, guile, and appropriation.  The sixth and final gem was that of Adam Warlock, and in a previous adventure Thanos had been able to siphon power from the gem.  He had then crafted a synthetic gem of epic proportions into which he channeled the energy of the six gems.  Warlock then explained that Thanos had determined what his love offering to Death would be.  Thanos would destroy every star in the sky.

Karen: I think I'm going to have to buy that book. Otherwise I'll keep mangling my comics. The recap is interesting to read, having just come off our reviews. Seeing Thanos' acquisition of the soul (not infinity, not yet) gems was intriguing. I like the fact that Warlock explains that he learned all of this from absorbing Gamora's soul, and hence, her memories. Thanos' obsession with the personification of death is nearly as sad as Drax's uncontrollable obsession with destroying Thanos. They can't help themselves (atlhough in Drax's case, he's been programmed to feel that way).

Doug:  A small craft lighted on Thanos command ship, Sanctuary II.  Emerging through an airlock came Pip the Troll, friend of Adam Warlock and acquaintance (reluctantly) of Thanos.  Thinking the vessel deserted, Pip spoke aloud.  Just as he was about to give his true feelings of the Titan, who should emerge from the shadows but Thanos himself? -- and in a less than playful mood.  Grabbing the troll, Thanos says they are no longer on friendly terms.  Back on Earth, Avengers Mansion gets a mayday call from StarCore.  Interstellar sensors have picked up an invasion force even larger than that of the Skrull armada of a few years prior.  The Avengers don't balk -- they know it's up to them.  Jim Starlin gives us a great look inside the heads of those who have been fighting this protracted war with Thanos -- Moondragon, Iron Man, Captain Marvel.  We also sense the thoughts of our other heroes -- Thor, the Vision, Cap, the Beast, and the Scarlet Witch.  Each ponders their mission, Thanos, and Adam Warlock and his role in this whole affair.  It's a very well done two pages.  And as long as we're tossing kudos, I have to say that this is some of Starlin's best art in this entire saga.  It's really just about perfect -- camera angles, depth of the characters, facial expressions, backgrounds, the whole enchilada.  I couldn't state how much of an influence Joe Rubenstein has on the doings, but the synergy between penciler and inker is par excellence.

Karen: This time it's me having to apologize for not reading ahead -- but hey, I think we can both praise the art on this book, it's that good! 

Doug:  You are certainly forgiven!  And yes, we could probably go on and on about the art.  I had a devil of  a time choosing images for our art samples.  I easily could have scanned the entire story!  However, readers beware -- I do make a comment in next week's post comparing the art in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 to today's showing.  We'll see what you think then.

Karen:  I thought that Pip's encounter with Thanos was terribly menacing - as a reader, you feel for the poor troll. I also enjoyed the sequences inside each hero's head -and the unique framing Starlin did around the panels of both Moondragon and Iron Man. He has a good take on all of their voices. Everyone sounds different, and if you just heard the words without the pictures, you'd have a good chance to figure out who was speaking based n the speech patterns.

Doug:  As the team rockets along, Cap moves to the front, ordering everyone on alert -- the fleet should be almost in view.  And what a view, as thousands of space vehicles suddenly appear, with Thanos' starship in the middle.  Cap immediately tells Thor and Iron Man to get after an interference mission so the rest of the team can reach the command vessel.  And run interference do they ever!  The God of Thunder is relentless in his attack, destroying ship after ship.  Iron Man moves just a bit slower, but no less impressively.  Even when Thor takes a counter-attack, he channels the energy back out as lightning; the scene is incredible!  The Avengers' craft is able to land on top of Thanos' ship, but finds no place to actually dock.  No trouble, as Cap asks Mar-Vell if he can breach the hull.  He does so with a photon blast, and the Avengers stream onto the mother ship.  It's a battle royale over the next four pages as the team is contested by all sorts of inter-galactic goonies.

Karen: That's one heck of a fleet. It seems impossibly large, and the captions tell us that the Avengers recognize that their chances of returning from this mission alive are pretty much zero. But being heroes, they strive on. They may still be able to take down Thanos' ship itself. I love seeing Cap taking command and giving orders -it just feels right. The panels with Thor doing his godly thing are awesome -pure power. Iron Man is no slouch either. I really love seeing this space action from our Avenging crew! The rest of our gang, dropping in on Thanos' main ship, really show why they are such an elite team. It's also fun seeing the many bizarre aliens that Starlin throws against them. I got a chuckle out of the scene where the gigantic alien with the see-thru  dome head yells at the Beast in English and he says, stunned, "Lord, this one can talk!"

Doug:  Starlin used a great roster for this story.  Hey, if you're going to go up against a foe with the power of a god, then you'd better have all of the heavy hitters on deck!

Doug:  The team accomplishes the mission of getting Moondragon to the ship's controls so that she can recalibrate everything and turn Thanos' weapons against the attacking star cruisers.  Mar-Vell wipes out a bunch of baddies, and then heads for a suspicious door where he thinks the end game might commence.  As he approaches, though, he knows that Thanos has played them for fools once again; this has been too easy.  Blowing through the door, Mar-Vell finds Adam Warlock on his knees in front of Pip the Troll.  In a scene very reminiscent of Taylor's reuniting with Landon, Warlock has discovered that Pip has been mind-wiped -- he is effectively a vegetable.  Warlock takes Pip's soul into his own soul gem, and then tells Mar-Vell that he knows where Thanos is hiding.  The two champions exit near the speed of thought, and head for the far side of the sun.  There, they find Thanos' real command ship, and see that it readies for the destruction of Sol, and its solar system.


Karen: I hadn't thought of that comparison to Planet of the Apes, but it works. You can truly feel Warlock's pain here, and more than that, the sense that he feels some responsibility for what has happened. Thanos' leaving Pip alive yet brain dead is far worse than killing him.Here again though, as Warlock remarks, we see Thanos planting seeds of his own destruction, for by absorbing Pip's soul, Warlock also learns of the location of the real command ship.

Doug:  Mar-Vell rockets himself into the blast cannon, dislodging the huge gem.  Thanos really pays him no heed, merely shrugging it off with a bit of surprise.  He'd expected Warlock, not Mar-Vell.  Careful what you wish for.  As Thanos turns he is struck by Warlock.  It's a short fight, as Thanos kills Adam Warlock with one punch and one energy blast.  Dead.  Thanos almost shows a sign of respect for Warlock as he muses to himself.  But then the Avengers enter, and it's Thor who takes the lead.  But the Odinson doesn't get the match he'd craved earlier, as Iron Man destroys the giant soul gem.  Thanos almost cries over it like a baby, and then blinks out.  In another room, Mar-Vell regains consciousness to see one Adam Warlock stand over another.  He who stands speaks with a voice that transcends time; he who lays speaks of human foibles -- time, love, pain.  The fallen remarks to the strong that he knows that his soul will now be taken; the Magus will never again appear.  The Avengers enter and ask what has transpired; Captain Marvel is speechless.

Karen: Readers of Warlock knew that the scene you've described was coming, someday, although I suppose we'd hoped it was a long way off, perhaps even something that might never come to be, since the title had been cancelled. But here it was. Warlock's death was not a heroic one but rather one of futility, like much of his life. That scene, and especially its dialog, have stuck with me ever since I first read it. "My life has been a failure. I welcome its end." That's heady stuff for a comic from that era. Captain Marvel's reaction was handled well. As an aside, it was very cool to see Starlin's two cosmic crusaders together for the only time.

Doug:  The last two pages are really done well.  We get the contemporary juxtaposed with the spiritual retirement of Adam Warlock.  The Avengers plot their next move, and Iron Man asks what they should do with Warlock's body.  Mar-Vell tells them nothing -- there is nothing to do, as Adam Warlock is now at peace.  And we see Warlock arise, to be greeted by Gamora and Pip.  Pip explains that they are in a place where there is no pain, where all are well.  They have come home, to the soul gem (Heaven?) and now reside with all of their fallen comrades, in the peace of a state of love.  But somewhere out in the tangible universe, Thanos lurks...

Titanic Troubles, Part 4: Captain Marvel 33

Captain Marvel #33 (July 1974)
"The God Himself!"
Steve Englehart/Jim Starlin-Starlin/Klaus Janson

Doug:  Words?  You say the words are more important in a funnybook than the pictures?  Well then, you've come to the right place today, as Silver-Tongued Steve Englehart takes over the wordsmithing chores.  Hokey smokes, Bullwinkle -- but this is a lot of words!

Karen: You ain't kidding. I think I remarked to Doug in one of our emails a few weeks ago that this issue felt like a giant-size book written by Roy Thomas! It's just chock full of words. Even the previous issue was pretty heavy in this area, but Englehart manages to blow it out of the water.

Doug:  Karen and I have said on numerous occasions that we're not going to just scan comic pages for the sake of scanning them; however, in this case we'll make an exception because a) it's so danged long, it'd take me two long paragraphs to summarize anyway, and b) Englehart really does do a nice job of encapsulating about a year's worth of plotlines in just two pages.  And Jim Starlin's pictures aren't bad, either!  So, gaze if you will below on pages 2 and 3 of today's issue.  I think you'll agree that it's really a neat bow on what has gone before, leading us up to the material we've been covering this month on the BAB.

Karen: Basically, if you'd never read an issue of Captain Marvel before, those two pages would tell you all you needed to know to follow the story! Starlin makes some unusual coloring choices on the second page of the recap -the top series of panels are all in reds and oranges, the middle series is pastels, and the bottom is green hues. It all works but it's noticeably different from your standard coloring of the day. In fact, the coloring of the entire book looks pretty gorgeous.

Doug:  Now, after that, what a way to follow it up but with a beautiful 1/2 splash page that serves as the final bridge to "current" events.  Rick Jones, faced by a raging mad Thanos at the conclusion of Captain Marvel #32, bangs the nega-bands together and brings forth the Captain himself to do physical battle with the mad Titan.  Mar-Vell engages his enemy, who as Karen remarked two weeks ago is about 12-feet tall!  The Captain's blow barely moves the giant, who returns a ferocious assault of punches, rays, and more punches.  But just as he's about to finish Mar-Vell, Thanos is distracted by one of the ships from his space fleet crashing to Earth (see last week's review of Avengers #125).  He smugly remarks to himself that the Avengers have taken his bait.  His attention now drawn away, Thanos extinguishes the blaze within which he and Mar-Vell had done combat, and leaves.  Captain Marvel lies prone, until he hears a voice -- the holographic image of ISAAC.  The manifestation of Titan's computer system records that Mar-Vell was easily defeated, which the Captain begins to contest.  As they talk, ISAAC chastises the Kree warrior somewhat, asking him if he does not know that the only way to counteract the power of the cosmic cube is with cosmic awareness -- which Mar-Vell possesses.

Karen: Thanos batters Mar-Vell mercilessly. It's just no contest. Seeing that, you can't help but wonder how Thanos will be beaten. But it becomes clear that his space assault was not what it seemed. I also like seeing Mar-Vell's frustration here. He really doesn't know what he's going to do to beat Thanos, but he knows he has to try.

Doug:  I'll admit to being a bit stumped by the next part of the story.  We've remarked throughout this series of reviews that omnipotent villains do everyone a service by not just blotting out reality.  I suppose even gods need their leisure, and delaying the seeming-inevitable must be a part of that.  We flash back to the end of the aforementioned Avengers #125, where Thanos lurks on the roof of Avengers Mansion, watching Earth's Mightiest Heroes disembark their crafts.  And then he says to himself that of which I'm unsure (motive and manifestation, I guess) -- he says that he has shifted the entire planet Earth into a space/time continuum one heartbeat ahead of normal, and that the Avengers are now out-of-sync with the planet, effectively living between the seconds.  Say what?

Karen: I'll admit, I have no good answer for you regarding why Thanos would go to so much trouble to take the Avengers out of the picture. Surely he could have just put them all in a stasis field (as he had before) or sent them a billion light years from Earth, or simply destroyed them with a thought. Why he would bother to go to such an extravagant plan makes no sense, other than the idea that he wanted to toy with them. Actually, it would make more sense if the Avengers could see what was transpiring but were helpless to do anything about it. But other than Mantis, who we'll get to, I'm not sure they really knew what was happening.

Doug:  On Titan, Mentor has nursed Moondragon back to health, and takes her to see what is in a prison -- 17 survivors of Thanos' assault on Titan.  Mentor's anger towards his mad son boils, and he voices that he wishes Thanos be crushed!  Back on Earth, Captain Marvel picks up the cosmic cube and begins to try to formulate his next move.  Suddenly he is aware of another presence in the room, when Mantis appears to him in the form of a wraith!  She tells that while she possesses complete control of mind and body, she and her teammates will be of no use to Mar-Vell.  This isn't going to be easy...

Karen: Seventeen Titans left from the 114 who had survived Thanos' first attack on Titan years prior. You have to wonder how Mentor could allow Thanos to go free after the first attack on Titan, but then, he was his son. I know we've both expressed some annoyance with Mantis in the past, but she was obviously Englehart's darling and he manages to work her into the story here. Although she does little more than provide a sounding board for a Mar-Vell that's about at the end of his wits. I thought it was interesting that rather than have Mar-Vell and Rick discuss what to do via the link they share, Rick was out of the picture for this final issue and Mantis took on that role. The Captain is really in the depths of despair once he hears that the Avengers will not be able to help him; "One by one, my hopes are being stripped from me - soon I'll stand naked and alone- and soon I must meet Thanos -for the final time!"

Doug:  Death appears, and Thanos continues to court her.  She looks to the sky, however, and Drax the Destroyer returns, pledging once more to exterminate the mad god.  He attacks, and Captain Marvel soon joins the fray.  I felt that there was a compliment paid to both warriors when Thanos gave up his humanoid form and reverted to his "spirit in the sky" mode.  The three combatants fight tooth-and-nail, with Thanos pulling a stunt somewhat akin to the unbelievability of ol' Hercules towing Manhattan island back into place (Marvel Team-Up #28, which we some day must review!) -- he uproots a skyscraper and hurtles it after the fleeing Drax and Mar-Vell!  And nothing falls apart!  Wow!  Drax turns on the projectile, however, and shatters it with one punch -- now that's power.  Mar-Vell tells his ally to cover him -- he has an idea.  Landing back on the roof where he'd seen Mantis, Mar-Vell finds that she and ISAAC are there.  The three of them talk, and come to the conclusion that Thanos, fancying himself a god, can only be a god if he is worshiped.  Since all who know him fear him and wish him dead, his power must then not be natural but only from the cosmic cube.

Karen: Every time we see the Destroyer in this saga it is pure excitement! Drax has one goal, one purpose in life: to destroy Thanos! He goes at this with relentless fury. Starlin seems to really throw everything he has in to these scenes -the art bursts from the pages. And of course, when Thanos throws a building at them, it holds together -he's a god! He wouldn't be much of a deity if he couldn't pull that off. The theory developed by Mar-Vell, Mantis, and ISAAC doesn't really hold up for me -what about Thor or Odin? Where are their worshipers? But perhaps since they once had worshipers, they were already empowered. I like the idea though -it has sort of a Twilight Zone feel to it.

Doug:  But, Thanos (being omniscient, you now), suddenly turns his attention to the rooftop and attacks.  The assault forces Mar-Vell to drop the cube; as he dives for it, Thanos warps reality in an effort to disorient his foe.  He then does what he most likely should have done all along -- murder Captain Marvel.  Mar-Vell begins to age rapidly, but as he does he takes his last lifeforce and hurls his body toward the cube.  With one big karate chop, Captain Marvel crushes the cube.  Instantly, Thanos blinks out of existence, and we see Death... celebrate?

Karen: Thanos' attack on Mar-Vell seems genuinely threatening. The panels that show the Captain aging are very effective; there's a feeling of suspense as he brings his withered hand up to strike the cube. The sequence of panels on the next page, showing Death going from beautiful woman to cackling skull are also smart story-telling.

Doug:  Back on the rooftop, things slowly begin to return to normal.  Steve Englehart, for all the kidding I was giving him at the top, really seals the deal with his script on the last page.  I won't put a stain on it with my own words -- as you can see, it's presented in its entirety below.  It's really a fantastic page.

Karen: There have been times where we (or other folks around here) have questioned some of Englehart's work, such as West Coast Avengers.But this page is an example of why Englehart might very well have been the best writer of the Bronze Age. The man had a way with words, and was one of the best at conveying emotion.

Doug:  To my partner, I say "thanks!" for scheduling this four-pack of cosmic comics.  I had only previously read Avengers #125, and it's somewhat out-of-context without the two bookend CM issues.  And as a middler-not-a-hater on cosmic stories, I had a blast.  This was really well done and top-notch talent-wise.  I enjoyed Jim Starlin's art throughout, and we got a very nice treat in seeing his pencils embellished by Joe Sinnott, Dan Green, and Klaus Janson.  I'll put that threesome up against just about any other threesome, at least as this played out in June.  To say that the entire plot (of course going back several issues before we picked up the trail) was grandiose would be an understatement.  Just a really well-executed, fun, slice of Bronze Age comics reading glory.

Karen: I had a blast revisiting these books and doing the reviews with my partner. I'm very happy that he enjoyed them and glad that they got such positive response from all of you. And I can't wait to jump on to the two 'biggies' -Avengers Annual 7 and Marvel Two-in-One Annual 2!

Titanic Troubles, Part 2: Captain Marvel 32

Captain Marvel #32 (May 1974)
"Thanos the Insane God!"
Mike Friedrich/Jim Starlin-Starlin/Dan Green

Doug:  I feel sort of funny being the lead voice/framer of today's post.  It's long been known around here that the cosmic guys of Jim Starlin are more in Karen's wheelhouse than my own.  But with her blessing, I'm going to do the plot summary with the great hope that she'll add her usual sparkling commentary and make me sound like I actually know what I'm talking about!  Power cosmic, indeed!

Karen: I'm sure my partner is more than up to the challenge! Besides, it'll be fun to read your take on this whole cosmic saga. I've been a fan of it for so long that I'm probably not the most impartial reviewer.

Doug:  Hopefully after her prompting last week, you read Karen's much-earlier review of Captain Marvel #31; if you didn't, that link will take you to it.  Thanos, in possession of the cosmic cube, has elevated himself to the status of a god.  He stands opposed only by Mar-Vell, Iron Man, Moondragon, Starfox, Mentor, and Drax the Destroyer.  Drax, pledged to destroy the mad Titan, lashes out -- only to incur Thanos's wrath.  The observatory on which our heroes stand begins to shake and then to come apart.  In the melee, Moondragon is struck by some flying debris and goes down.  Mar-Vell knows she needs medical attention, which Mentor offers.  Mentor implores Mar-Vell to get to the Titan computer ISAAC -- the only chance these heroes (and the universe) have in defeating this mad god.  So in a quest to reach the Hall of Science, Mar-Vell, Iron Man, and Starfox take off.  But as they shortcut through the Eternity Tree they are attacked, as was Dorothy in Oz.  Mar-Vell and Iron Man are able to stay free, and Eros encourages them to leave him and go onward.  They do.

Karen: Right off the bat I have to comment on the art: Dan Green does a very capable job here inking Starlin. His line work is neither too thin nor too thick -as Goldilocks would say, it's just right. I'm looking at the Captain Marvel Marvel Masterworks so I can't really comment on the coloring, although in this volume, it looks very good. The way Starlin depicts the ascended Thanos, as a sort of transparent floating head in the stars, is at once simple and yet striking. Eros (I still have a hard time thinking of him as Starfox) is taken out of the picture rather quickly. But his capture does lend a heightened sense of threat to the whole affair.

Doug:  Back at the observatory, Drax rises from the destruction and again decries the vengeance he knows he will bring against Thanos.  Meanwhile, Mar-Vell and IM begin to stroll through the Hall of Science.  I thought this was strange, given the urgency of the circumstances, but it does buy Jim Starlin some time to recap for the reader what has gone before.  Thanos had kidnapped the above-named heroes and made them witness his star fleet heading toward Earth.  After that, he showed his power by imprisoning Kronos.  When the heroes had escaped, rather than kill them he again imprisoned them and made them watch his transformation to godhood.  Mar-Vell insists that it's Thanos's vanity that is his downfall; that and the fact that his newfound power is still too new for him to even grasp his capabilities.  The heroes guess that this instability in Thanos's decision-making may be their salvation.  But as they continue to move toward ISAAC, Mar-Vell senses that Thanos is indeed focusing his attention on them and is preparing to strike!

Karen: I looked upon the situation in the Hall of Science as a chance for Mar-Vell and Iron Man to slow down and try to figure out a plan -- as Thanos himself says moments later, these two are fighters and thinkers.And of course a big part of all this is that Marv has snatched up the seemingly inert Cosmic Cube; apparently when Thanos used the Cube to transform himself into God, he used all of its power. But Mar-Vell still feels it may be the key to defeating him. Starlin manages to give us a fairly concise rundown of what's happened here; that won't be the case with the next issue of CM!

Doug:  You're not kidding!  I've been a good lad and have read ahead to the end of this material we're reviewing.  When Steve Englehart takes over as scribe in Captain Marvel #33, it's all-words, all-the-time!  Man...

Doug:  The attack by Thanos comes in a strange form, and seems almost typical of megalomaniacal baddies -- rather than just off their nemeses, they insist on toying with them.  In this instance, Thanos chooses to create demons who rise up from the floor to attack Mar-Vell and Iron Man.  A battle begins to rage, and Iron Man is soon overcome.  Mar-Vell fights valiantly to free his ally, but the odds are turning against them.  Knowing the demons are soulless, the heroes fight with no holds barred, but still they succumb.  Mar-Vell is cornered, when a new being materializes -- a man wearing an iron mask.  In space, Thanos makes it official that he is indeed offering the universe to his mistress Death.  She makes no response, and the courting is interrupted -- the Destroyer has found the mad Titan!  In a nifty double-page splash, Drax attacks Thanos, reminding him that the only reason Drax exists is to destroy Thanos.

Karen: Just like in our review of Marvel Feature #12 last week, we see that Iron Man at this point in time was far from invincible! It seems so odd, looking back now, what with Shellhead being such a superstar, but he really was sort of a mid-level hero. I really love the way Starlin depicts Mar-Vell in action; he looks like a real fighter, going through actual combat moves. The two page spread with the Destroyer is just breath-taking. Drax was one of Starlin's best designs and I thrilled to see him whenever he appeared. He was so relentless!

Doug:  Thanos decides that he can bring more torture to Drax if he shows the Destroyer his true history -- we then get an origin story not only for Drax the Destroyer, but another nugget thrown into Moondragon's (which was shown in Daredevil #105, of all places).  I have to take issue with Starlin's memory, however -- he writes that real estate agent Art Douglas had taken his wife and daughter (Heather Douglas -- the later-to-be-named Madame MacEvil/Moondragon) to Las Vegas to see his singing idol, Elvis Presley -- in 1953.  Say what?  Elvis made his first recording at Sun Records in 1953, and didn't chart until Heartbreak Hotel in 1956.  Ah, whatever...  Anyway, Thanos's starship came into view of the Douglas vehicle, and being seen by humans couldn't have been good.  Thanos arranged for the car in which the family was traveling to crash.  The parents were killed; young Heather escaped, to be later transported to Titan and raised by Mentor.  When Art Douglas's soul began to ascend to the heavens, it was intercepted by Mentor and Kronos -- they realized they would need a champion to defeat Thanos.  Thus was born Drax the Destroyer.  But does Thanos succeed in further torturing Drax by revealing this to him?  On the contrary -- now the Destroyer hates him all the more!

Karen: Yes, the Elvis reference makes no sense, unless we're on Earth-72 or something. That's the sort of thing that makes you feel like there was a bit of sloppiness creeping in. Then again, I suppose it would take more effort than pushing a few buttons to find the answer! Still, it detracts just a bit from the story. Not enough to ruin anything but enough to make you stop and take you out of it for a moment.Still, the origin of Drax was pretty clever -- it sort of combines a 50s sci fi film motif with a bit of the Spectre and some mythological overtones. I like how Drax knowing the truth backfires on Thanos -- he's just made the Destroyer even more driven!

Doug:  At Avengers Mansion, Earth's Mightiest Heroes receive word from the Black Panther that the Russian-American spacelab, StarCore, has picked up evidence of a huge space fleet headed toward Earth -- the same fleet Mar-Vell had knowledge of.  The Avengers immediately leap to action -- as we shall see next Monday in our review of Avengers #125!  Back in the Hall of Science, Mar-Vell meets the new being in their presence.  No introductions are exchanged, although the new figure knows who Mar-Vell is.  Mar-Vell continues to fight Thanos's demons while they talk, and Starlin again uses the dialogue to inform the reader of past events -- Mar-Vell, since Captain Marvel #28, no longer considers himself a warrior of the Kree.  He has instead become a champion for the universe of which he has attained full awareness.  Eventually the man in the iron mask reveals himself to be a holographic representation of ISAAC, the Titan computer.  Mar-Vell takes advantage of the situation, asking him how to defeat these demons.  ISAAC tells him that he cannot -- that as long as he exists, so will these demons.  Cue Rick Jones.

Karen: You can look at most of Starlin's run on the book, from #25-33 at least, and see it as one long protracted war against Thanos, but it was also about the change in Mar-Vell. He went from being a warrior to being a protector -- as we are told sometimes repeatedly -- and this had a lot of significance obviously for Starlin, who was a Viet Nam vet. Mar-Vell still used his Kree training and powers, but as he explains in his monologue in this issue, "Force must only be used as the last possible solution -- and then only enough to resolve the situation! To use more would make me no better than those against whom I must defend!" These are admirable words to be sure, but hard ones to follow in a medium that is built around physical conflict! But that ideal was not uncommon for the times, and was reflected in a lot of places, including the Kung Fu TV show, which I know from interviews Starlin was a fan of.

Doug:  See, I knew your color commentary would be awesome!

Doug:  Mar-Vell slaps the nega-bands together, bringing Rick back from the Negative Zone.  The demons freeze, and Rick asks ISAAC (calling him "Zack") to send him back to Earth so that he can think and plan.  ISAAC agrees, and before sending him "home", Rick picks up the de-powered cosmic cube.  Once home, Rick doesn't have much time for thinking, or anything else -- Thanos has followed him!  Mar-Vell had deduced that Thanos's ego might be his only weakness.  So in his most obnoxious manner, Rick begins to goad Thanos, insulting him incessantly, challenging his godhood, manhood, and every other sort of 'hood!  But what he didn't bargain for was that the mad Titan would manifest himself again in corporeal form... uh oh!

Karen: Well, Rick can certainly be annoying even when he's not trying to get under your skin! I can hardly blame Thanos for wanting to crush him. But good grief, Thanos manifests himself about 12 feet tall! He's huge and rippling with energy! I thought Starlin got very creative here - we see Thanos' face in a sequence of spheres, striking Rick, a giant Thanos face with a mouth filled with flames, and other almost Ditko-like representations.

Doug:  I had a good time with this!  Not being very well-versed on the Starlin-verse, I thought it was still pretty accessible.  There were enough recaps along the way, and the Internet certainly helps us to fill in gaps, doesn't it?  Jim Starlin's art was great -- very detailed, due in no small part to Dan Green's inks, as Karen said at the top.  I know that those space scenes take a whole lot of time to do, and Green came through.  Although there was no colorist listed, a kudo to him or her as well.  According to the Grand Comics Database, it was Starlin himself.  Wow.  I'm definitely looking forward to the succeeding two chapters in this story -- and especially to next week's art team of John Buscema and Dave Cockrum!