Carol Danvers Reading Project

What is the Carol Danvers Reading Project?

The CDRP is my ongoing effort to read and review all major appearances by Carol Danvers in the Marvel 616 universe.

Who is Carol Danvers?

You might know Carol as Captain Marvel, one of the Avengers. Or by her original code name, Ms. Marvel. Or possibly as Binary, one of the Starjammers.

When she first appeared in 1968, Carol was head of security for NASA's headquarters in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where she met the (undercover) Kree agent Mar-Vell, better known as Captain Marvel.  After an accident involving an ancient Kree weapon, Carol had her DNA infused with that of Mar-Vell, and she gained super-strength, durability, flight, and a precognitive "seventh sense".  She took the name Ms. Marvel and eventually joined up with the Avengers, until she left the team at the end of Avengers 200, one of the most notorious stories in the title's history (dubbed by Carol A. Strickland "The Rape of Ms. Marvel").

When Carol next appeared, she had become the first public victim of then-villain-but-future-X-Man Rogue, who had stolen Carol's powers and memories and left her for dead in San Francisco Harbor. Carol spent the next few months living with the X-Men, until the team was abducted by the alien Brood, who experimented with Carol, causing her Kree DNA to manifest again in a new form, that of Binary.  In addition to her earlier powers (minus the seventh sense), Carol could also channel cosmic levels of energy. Still without her memories, however, Carol found life on Earth difficult, and decided instead to travel the galaxy with the Starjammers, led by Christopher Summers, father of Scott (Cyclops) and Alex (Havok).

After a few years with the Starjammers, Carol returned to Earth and to the Avengers. Her connection with her cosmic "white hole" broken, however, Carol began to lose her Binary powers, and found herself more and more dependent on alcohol to cope.  During this period, Carol briefly called herself Warbird, after the classic fighter jets.

Following a glimpse of what her life might have been in an alternate reality (House of M), Carol decided she had been a second-tier hero for too long, and decided she was going to try to make herself the best of the best. After confronting many of her problems and notable foes, she came to accept herself for who she was—one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Recently, Carol took up the title of Captain Marvel on the advice of Steve Rogers (Captain America), who convinced her it was time to stop living in someone else's shadow.

Why Carol Danvers?

It's a combination of factors. I love that Carol is a hero trying to be the best she can be. I love that she's an unapologetic feminist. I love that she makes mistakes, but then tries to fix them. She's just awesome. And she's got a movie coming out in 2018.

At the same time, though, Carol hasn't always been treated right, and a lot of newer fans don't have access to many of her earlier adventures, which haven't been reprinted. So, simultaneously a figure with a cult following, and someone who has been under-studied.

How does this work?

My goal is to write one post a week, in which I will discuss either an issue or storyline in which Carol appeared. For the most part, I'll be going chronologically by publication date, but will skip around a little where appropriate.  Also, I will try to review new Captain Marvel comics as they come out.

I want to read more of Carol's stories. Where should I start?

It depends. The easiest jumping on point right now is to pick up the first volume of Kelly Sue DeConnick's Captain Marvel series. No prior knowledge of the character is necessary, though long-time readers may appreciate her use of the supporting cast.

Another good place to start is the Brian Reed Ms. Marvel series that started ~2005. It ran for 50 issues, plus a few specials and annuals, and was rarely less than great (though I have some problems with the art at times). The only problem is that several of the volumes are currently out of print, though it should all be available on Comixology and Marvel Unlimited (the most cost-effective way to catch up on Carol in a relatively short amount of time).

If you are a fan of Silver and Bronze Age comics, you could start at the very beginning—either the original 60s Captain Marvel series or the 70s Ms. Marvel—but the writing style is very different from what you'd find today and it can be more difficult to find reprints (especially of the Ms. Marvel series, which has only been reprinted in full in black and white, though a Marvel Masterworks volume with the first 14 issues was released last year).

Really, though, I'd suggest starting with KSD's current series, see if you like the character, and then explore!