Bold Fashion Choices--We Miss You, Old Carol!!

I know it's just me, and I know it's not fashionable to say this...

...but I miss this costume.

And Dave Cockrum drew it so well!!

Anyway, this whole post is really just an excuse to show...

...to show Carol in that outfit versus a giant lizard guy!!

From Ms. Marvel #20 (1978)

Tony Stark Has A Way With The Ladies!

Oh, those swingin' 70s. Watch closely as Tony Stark shows his best moves:

OK, we all know that this ended up in...well, let's just say it's a good thing that the walls in Avengers Mansion are soundproofed!

No, you will never be able to unsee that scene.

Tony Stark--you hate him, but you know damn well that you wish you were him.

From Avengers #185 (1979)

Friday Night Fights--Dispersing Into The Ocean Style!!

A long 'un but a good 'un tonight, kiddies.

Spacebooger has declared that this week's Prize Fight for Friday Night Fights must feature "a fight where the loser gives up before getting beaten too badly," a la Roberto Duran.

Well, I've got your "no más" for you.

Crusher Creel, just recovered from his last bout with the Hulk, has decided he's had it with America. He's going to take a boat to South America, where "they don't have no super-heroes" and he can be "the biggest sonovagun without getting stomped all the time."

But along the way, he robs a store, kidnaps a clerk, busts up a restaurant, and attracts the attention of the Avengers. So... 

 Oops.

Iron Man joins the fray, but...

 KRUNG!!!

Geez, tough day, Creel.

No más, indeed.

Spacebooger wants to know why we've never had the Absorbing Man/Super-Adaptoid story that America has been demanding...

Crusher Creel gets crushed in Avengers #184 (1979), by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and inked by "D. Hands" (Marvel's code-name for "diverse hands," with contributing inkers probably including Joe Rubinstein, Terry Austin, Al Gordon, Klaus Janson, and others....)

Now is the time for you to go and vote for my fight. Why? Money is on the line, and papa needs a brand new pair of shoes. So go and VOTE!!

Monica Rambeau NOW!!

It's a hero's anniversary this year, although no one has remembered (admittedly, not even me, until I was looking something up yesterday):

Yup, 30 years ago saw the debut of Monica Rambeau as (the new) Captain Marvel:

Don't you feel old now?

Sadly, it's no surprise that's there has been no recognition, no celebration of this character's three decades as a hero.

Naming her Captain Marvel was a huge mistake, frankly. While Marvel decided to they had to preserve the trademark, if only to piss off DC, it left her the aura of not really being her own hero, as a place filler.

After Marvel decided to take the name away from her and give it to that dufus Genis (and how did that work out?), she went through a series of uninspiring name changes--Photon (which Genis once again took from her--WTF, Marvel?!?), Pulsar...And whatever your opinion of Nextwave, the goofiness of that title didn't help the public's perception of her any.

And, let's recall, her origin had her as a fairly badass character. She was a cop--New Orleans Harbor Patrol! A cop who didn't go by the book!

Even without her powers, she was a tough fighter:

And not going by the book? She's the type who knew how to infiltrate the oil platform of a Latin American dictator who was exploiting scientists to create weapons of mass destruction from extra-dimensional energy!

She would, while clad only in bikini and robe, fight off gumbas and sacrifice herself to save a threatened U.S. military base!

So, even before she got her powers, she was pretty great. Add to that a kick-ass power set:

And you've got the makings of a pretty rad hero, if you ask me.

Unfortunately, even in her origin story, writer Roger Stern is playing the "you're not the real Captain Marvel" card:

And unfortunately, once she joined the Avengers, even her creator Stern seemed to forget some of those character bits, as she was no longer the aggressive unorthodox cop who wouldn't play by the rules, no longer the fighter who could kick the crap out of people.

And after she (briefly) became Avengers chairman, she was sort of unceremoniously shuffled offstage, given a cameo here, a guest appearance there, until Nextwave, which made fun of her (and everyone else, in fairness). She never was used anywhere close to her potential.

Now, she's back, in a 2-part story of the current Captain Marvel. And all is well...except for her costume:

A trench cat and a useless leg band? Sheesh, throw in pouches and a love triangle with Crystal, and it's 1994 all over again!!

Anyhoo, the Carol Danvers/Monica Rambeau story is pretty damn great, Monica's got her groove back, and I hope the story is really a "backdoor pilot" for Monica to get her own series soon. She's a great character, and deserves it.

And what the hell--just call her Captain Marvel Junior. That will really piss off DC...

Art Adams' Avengers Babies

Things I did not realize, example #370: Apparently, Ms. Marvel is only 10 or 12 years old.

Oh, wait, I guess not:

Baby-faced yet gravity-defying Carol Danvers brought you courtesy of Red Hulk #8 and Art Adams

Friday Night Fights--Sugah Style!!

Ladies and gentleman, get ready for an old-fashioned butt-whooping, courtesy of Chris Claremont and Walt Simonson.

Let your minds drift back to the halcyon days of 1983. Rogue, who has been nothing but a evil mutant to this point, comes to the X-Men seeking help, as her powers have begun to rage out of control. One problem, though:

Carol Danvers had her memories and powers stolen by Rogue. Carol Danvers is now the ultra-powerful Binary. Carol Danvers is hanging out with the X-Men. Something tells me this is gonna be painful:


How hard was that punch?

Yup, Carol put her into frakkin' orbit!! Still, you can't keep a good mutant down, can you? Or a bad one...surely she'll smack the former and future Ms. Marvel a good one?


Nope. Rogue...stay down. For your own good.

It's ladies' night, because the ladies love Bahlactus!!

Severe beatdown from Uncanny X-Men #171, 1983