Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel & Ms. Marvel – Definitive Collecting Guide & Reading Order

The definitive, chronological, and up-to-date guide and trade reading order on collecting Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel comic books – including everything Carol Danvers – via omnibuses and trade paperback graphic novels. Find every issue and appearance! Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated September 2023 with titles scheduled for release through April 2024.

Looking for Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel or Monica Rambeau as Capt. Marvel? They both graduated to their own guides! See Guide to Ms. Marvel – Kamala Khan or Guide to Monica Rambeau – Photon, Spectrum, & Capt. Marvel.

It’s fitting that the title of Captain Marvel has passed through the hands of so many Marvel heroes, since it tacitly implies the holder as a mascot for the entire Marvel Universe just as Captain America stands as a patriotic symbol of America.

Similarly, it makes sense that the title of Ms. Marvel – originally tied to women’s liberation in the 1970s – is now the name of a new generation of Pakastani-American hero.

In reality, adopting the name was a copyright grab by Marvel Comics, who wanted to prevent Fawcett Comics from using it for their own hero, rechristened Shazam (and later purchased by DC Comics) – which explains both the emergence of Ms. Marvel and why Marvel also finds a way to re-use the title for a new hero.

The original Captain Marvel wasn’t even of this planet! Captain Mar-Vell was a Kree Officer that found Stan Lee riffing on Silver Surfer by bringing an alien meant to scout Earth into its protector. However, it was Jim Starlin who made Mar-Vell truly notable when he became a cosmic hero and began to battle Thanos.

Later, a former police officer and frequent Avenger, Monica Rambeau, took on the name in the 1980s. Rambeau is a proven tactician who could transform her body into any kind of energy, including visible light and electricity.

In the late 90s, the title would pass to Mar-Vell’s son Genis-Vell, and after that to his sister Phyla-Vell. In Dark Reign, when many villains took on the mantles of heroes, Grant Morrison creation Noh-Varr AKA Marvel Boy wore the Captain mantle, though that was short-lived.

However, the majority of modern-day fans now know Captain Marvel as the original Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers. Danvers is one of Marvel’s earliest leading ladies and she’s been through it all – everything from being an Air Force pilot to having her mind and powers stolen in Rogue’s debut to gaining a flaming head and traveling through space with the Starjammers. After a powerful return to her own title in 2006, it felt incredibly fitting when she was promoted to “Captain” in 2012, and it seems that this title will stick for a long while thanks to Marvel adding Carol Danvers as Capt. Marvel to its Cinematic Universe.

With the name “Ms. Marvel” freed up by Danvers, Marvel created a new hero to fit the name. Kamala Khan is a teenage girl, major Carol Danvers fan, and a dormant Inhuman whose shape-changing powers are activated by the aftermath of Infinity. [Read more…] about Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel & Ms. Marvel – Definitive Collecting Guide & Reading Order

New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – September 20, 2023

September 19, 2023 by krisis Leave a Comment

It’s time to take a look at what’s out from Marvel Comics this week! This post covers Marvel Comics September 20 2023 releases.

This list includes every comic and digital comic out from Marvel this week, plus collected editions in omnibus, hardcover, paperback, and digest-sized formats. For each new release, I’ll point you to the right guide within my Crushing Comics Guide to Marvel Comics to find out how to collect each character in full – and, if a guide is linked from this post, that means it is updated through the present day!

Plus, I’m getting close to caught up on reading all of the Marvel Universe – so I have some commentary on some of the single issues and new collections.

Marvel Comics September 20 2023 Collected Editions

The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection, Vol. 22: Round Robin
(2015 paperback, ISBN 978-0785192688 / 2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302950545 / digital)
See Guide to Spider-Man, Peter Parker (1963-2018). I’ve just updated all of the Amazing Epic Collections on the guide and I was shocked at how many of them have been back to print in the past three lines. Even Epics of relatively insignificant runs! Marvel has truly found a way to create a Manga-Style, well-organized, evergreen line of their entire comics history and we love to see it.

The Avengers Omnibus Vol. 4
(2023 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302953621 / digital)
See the freshly rebuilt Guide to Avengers (1963-1996)! This is the last of the four reprints in addition to a brand new Volume 5 out this month. We love to see this line advancing without new Avengers movies on the big screen, which used to be the only way it got a new volume.

Bloodline: Daughter of Blade
(2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302924423 / digital)
See Guide to Blade. This series has an awkward history – originally it was meant to be launched by Tim Seeley several years ago, and then it was shelved and seemingly lost before it was revived (and revised) by Danny Lore. Unfortunately, this just didn’t hold together for me. It wasn’t Lore’s fault – I think the artist had trouble keeping up with a story that repeatedly mixed casual scenes with action scenes. The discontinuity of storytelling in the art eventually wore me down.

Captain Marvel: The Saga of Carol Danvers
(2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302951818 / digital)
See Guide to Captain Marvel – Carol Danvers. This is a peculiar trade that’s more of a sampler for the movie crowd then a trade for a consistent bookshelf. It collects the opening eights issues of Kelly Sue DeConnick’s 2012 Carol Danvers series (which includes a great pair of issues where she meets up with Monica Rambeau) as well as the origin-redefining The Life of Captain Marvel (2018), which brought her comic origins more in line with the MCU (booo!).

New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – September 13, 2023

September 12, 2023 by krisis Leave a Comment

It’s time to take a look at what’s out from Marvel Comics this week! This post covers Marvel Comics September 13 2023 releases.

Plus, I’m getting close to caught up on reading all of the Marvel Universe – so I have some commentary on some of the single issues and new collections.

Marvel Comics September 13 2023 Collected Editions

Bishop: War College (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302948054 / digital)
See Guide to X-Men – The Age of Krakoa. I read the first issue of this book back when it was released, and it’s an odd bird. A book about Bishop training young X-Men in the defense of Krakoa would’ve been a solid hit, but what we actually got was Bishop dealing with an inane alternate universe side quest while the X-kids got cornered by a villain in their own subplot. If I’m being honest, this pitch never should’ve received a green light.

Captain America: Cold War (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302952389 / digital)
See Guide to Captain America – Steve Rogers. This collects the crossover intersection between the Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson Cap titles. There’s only another three issues of both titles combined after this, which makes it odd that they didn’t simply close out the runs in this volume, but there will be a separate “Finale” volume in a few months with Sentinel of Liberty #14, Cap #750, and a Finale issue.

Captain America by Ed Brubaker: Captain America Lives! Omnibus [AKA Vol. 3] (2023 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302954468 / digital)
See Guide to Captain America – Steve Rogers. This omnibus reprint tracks the return of Steve Rogers at the end of the period where Winter Soldier was serving as the primary Captain America. This book doesn’t stand so well on its own – you probably want to first read Brubaker Omnibus, Vol. 2: The Death of Captain America (2009 hardcover, ISBN 978-0785138068 / 2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302929619) to understand the story.

Captain Marvel: Game On (2023 digest-sized paperback, ISBN 978-1302951153)
See Guide to Captain Marvel – Carol Danvers. In a totally brilliant move by Marvel, this is a recollection of the all-ages Marvel Action Captain Marvel (2019) #1-6 and Marvel Action Captain Marvel (2021) #1-5. Both the kid and I absolutely loved these books – they’re very close to actual Marvel continuity and Sam Maggs’s writing for Carol is spot on. Highly recommended for Captain Marvel fans of truly any age!

Captain Marvel: The Saga of Monica Rambeau (2023 “Saga of” paperback, ISBN 978-1302950996 / digital)
See Guide to… Monica Rambeau? Hmm, I should probably have one of those… maybe you should check back in a week or two 😉. In the meantime, Monica’s comics appear in Guide to Captain Marvel – Carol Danvers. If you want Monica’s early comics history, this is a fairly complete collection of her greatest hits and solo stories of the 80s and 90s reprinted from a 2019 Direct-Market-only volume.

Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness: The Art of the Movie (2023 hardcover, ISBN 978-1302945879)
See Guide to Doctor Strange.

Marvel-Verse: Kraven The Hunter (2023 digest-sized paperback, ISBN 978-1302950644 / digital)
In a relief to me specifically, this “kids and libraries” targeted digest-size collection does not collect any in-continuity Spidey stories, so it is not covered by any of my guides! It collects Collects Marvel Action Spider-Man (2018) #5-6, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man (2005) #7, Marvel Adventures Super Heroes (2010) #4, Spidey (2015) #9.

Moon Knight Vol. 4: Road to Ruin (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302947354 / digital)
See Guide to Moon Knight. This is more of Jed MacKay’s spectacular Moon Knight run, one of of my favorite books at Marvel! While I think this series is worth reading from the start, this story does pick up from a solid jumping-on point for the big antagonist in the past year of this run.

Star Wars: Sana Starros – Family Matters (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302933074 / digital)
See Guide to Star Wars Expanded Universe Comics (2015-Present).

Venom Epic Collection: The Madness (Vol. 3) (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302953874 / digital)
See Guide to Venom. This is the the third Epic Collection volume in the Venom line, but it’s actually the first that is fully collecting Venom’s own mini-series, rather than mostly his appearances in Amazing Spider-Man. While his landmark first mini Lethal Protector is in the prior volume, this collects his mini-series from 1993 and 1994.

Wolverine Omnibus Vol. 4 (2023 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302953997 / digital)
See Guide to Wolverine – Logan. This collects the year of stories leading up to Logan losing his adamantium in issue #75 in 1993, which is the final issue in this collection – as well as the original graphic novels and Marvel Comics Presents issues released at the same time.

X-Men Epic Collection: Proteus (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302950538 / digital)
See Guide to Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont (1975-1991). If it’s helpful to you to think about this another way, we could call this Epic Collection “Phoenix Saga Prologue.” It covers the break-up and reunion of the team after their throwdown with Magneto in his volcano base, plus the debuts of Alpha Flight, Arcade, and Proteus! That’s a lot of major X-Men history packed all into one book. If you enjoy Phoenix Saga, this is a natural extension for you. However, if you only enjoy later 80s X-Men, it might not be a total slam dunk – Claremont is still getting his feet under him at this point, and his character voices don’t quite meet the standard of his amazing plots just yet.

Read on for a summary of all of the Marvel Comics September 13 2023 single issue and digital releases! [Read more…] about New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – September 13, 2023

New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – September 6, 2023

September 5, 2023 by krisis Leave a Comment

It’s time to take a look at what’s out from Marvel Comics this week! This post covers Marvel Comics September 6 2023 releases.

This list includes every comic and digital comic out from Marvel this week, plus collected editions in omnibus, hardcover, paperback, and digest-sized formats. For each new release, I’ll point you to the right Crushing Comics guide to find out how to collect each character in full – and, if a guide is linked from this post, that means it is updated through the present day!

Plus, I’m getting close to caught up on reading all of the Marvel Universe – so I have some commentary on some of the single issues and new collections.

Marvel Comics September 6 2023 Collected Editions

Captain Marvel by Kelly Thompson Vol. 1
(2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302950989 / digital)
See Guide to Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel. This is effectively a “Complete Collection by Kelly Thompson,” recollecting the first two trades worth of this ongoing series. That’s actually somewhat short for a complete – it would take five volumes to collect the entire series, at this rate! I love this comic, and it comes with a ringing endorsement from me.

Captain Marvel, Vol. 10: Revenge of the Brood, Pt. 2
(2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302947637 / digital)
See Guide to Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel. This is the final half of the final arc of Kelly Thompson’s multi-year Captain Marvel epic, plus a double-sized final issue that is entirely reflective. I think this arc is one of the shakier of the series, simply because Thompson is juggling a massive cast without much time to focus on Carol. While I’m a big proponent of picking up any comic run with any issue to get started, I’d say if you’re planning to read this run you ought to start from the beginning.

Loki Modern Era Epic Collection: Everything Burns (Vol. 2)
(2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302952655 / digital)
See Guide to Loki. The second (and final?) volume of the Loki Modern Era Epic Collection line, collecting the back half of his run of Journey Into Mystery including crossovers with New Mutants and Thor. The contents of this are just slightly different than the contents of a previous Complete Collection.

Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 3 – Less than Monster, More than Man
(2021 digest-size paperback, ISBN 978-1302949037 / digital)
See Guide to Hulk, Bruce Banner. This continues the digest-sized reprint of Hulk’s Silver Age Tales to Astonish (1959) material.

Spider-Man 2099: Dark Genesis (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302952235 / digital)
See Guide to Spider-Man 2099. This is a Steve Orlando mini-series set in 2099 continuity.

Red Goblin Vol. 1: It Runs in the Family (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302948634 / digital)
Hmm, this still has no guide to call home! But, I have caught up on this book to present day, and I dig it! Alex Paknadel is writing a very different title than anything else going on at Marvel right now. I wish he’d lean even further into the intergenerational aspects of the book and its lead characters, but I liked all of this first volume.

She-Hulk by Mariko Tamaki (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302950774 / digital)
See Guide to She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters. Collects the entire run by Eisner-winner Mariko Tamaki from All-New All-Different Marvel and Marvel Legacy. This book is not a similar tone to most She-Hulk runs or the She-Hulk MCU show. It starts out subtle and decompressed, focusing on She-Hulk’s trauma in the wake of Civil War II, picking up just a hint of the typical acerbic She-Hulk wit towards the end.

Venom Vol. 4 by Al Ewing & Ram V: Illumination (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302948504 / digital)
See Guide to Venom. This continues Ewing’s multi-timeline Venom epic (V has departed the title), but with a slightly more grounded story than the past 1o issues. What I think works well about this is you absolutely could jump in here and be tantalized with references of what has come before, which to me is good comics-making.

New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – April 12 2023

April 12, 2023 by krisis Leave a Comment

Let’s take a look at what’s out from Marvel Comics this week! This post covers Marvel Comics April 12 2023 releases.

Marvel Comics April 12 2023 Collected Editions

Ghost Rider (2022) Vol. 2: Shadow Country (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302947972 / digital)
See Guide to Ghost Rider. This continues collecting the current Benjamin Percy series, plus the Ghost Rider: Vengeance Forever (2022) #1 one-shot. The upcoming crossover with Wolverine is still one volume beyond this – we’ll get a Volume 3 later this year before the crossover is collected in its own book. The Ghost Rider Guide is updated with all of those collections!

Guardians of the Galaxy Epic Collection: Earth Shall Overcome (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302950439 / digital)
See Guide to Guardians of the Galaxy. This is an Epic Collection not of the main MCU Guardians team in their early appearances, but of the original Guardians of the Galaxy team which were based in the future.

Thor Mighty Marvel Masterworks Vol. 3: The Trial of the Gods (2023 digest-size paperback, ISBN 978-1302948931 / digital)
See Guide to Thor – The Odinson. This is Marvel’s new digest-size Silver Age collection line, which DOES NOT line up perfectly with the break points in existing hardcover Masterworks.

Nova, Vol. 1: Sam Alexander (2023 digest-size paperback, ISBN 978-1302950422 / digital)
See Guide to Nova(s). This is volume is part of Marvel’s initiative to recollect all of their 2010s teen heroes into library-friendly, digest-sized paperbacks. This covers the first two arcs of Sam’s 2013 Marvel Now series.

Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302948351 / digital)
See Guide to Shang-Chi. This collects the third series (and subsequent one-shot) of Gene Luen Yang’s ongoing run on Shang-Chi.

War of Kings Omnibus (2023 oversize hardcover, ISBN / digital)
See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – War of Kings & Realm of Kings. This collects the heart of the multi-year intergalactic epic that mashed up X-Men, Inhumans, and the new Guardians of the Galaxy. This is immensely satisfying to read all in a single, coherent collected order – even if you don’t have the Prelude or Aftermath omnibuses to sandwich it.

X-Men Epic Collection Volume 22: Legacies (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1302951115 / digital)
See Guide to Uncanny X-Men – The Crossover Era or Guide to X-Men, Vol 2 (1991). This is the fourth Epic Volume that interweaves both flagship X-Men titles in reading order – exactly what we’ve always wanted! This covers the aftermath of X-Cutioner’s Song, the lead-up to Fatal Attractions, and the introduction of Kwannon as Revanche – Psylocke’s body double!

Read on for a rundown of Marvel Comics April 12 2023 single-issue releases, including a link to their accompanying guide pages on Crushing Comics. [Read more…] about New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – April 12 2023