Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1976-12-01 00:08:30 |
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Captain Marvel #54
Issue(s): Captain Marvel #54
Cover Date: Jan 78
Title: "The Big Bang theory"
Credits:
Scott Edelman - Writer
George Tuska & Dave Cockrum - Penciler
Terry Austin - Inker
Review/plot:
Only the final splash page is by Cockrum.
Nitro manages to pull himself together, and he goes after Captain Marvel.
CM defeats him really quickly by trapping part of him in the tank of a gas truck.
The fight doesn't begin until page 22. Most of this issue is about Captain Marvel and Rick taking stock of their lives now that they are separated. Rick is about to take his musical act to Europe, and Captain Marvel is deciding what to do with his life.
Here's that Cockrum splash:
As Nitro first starts to reform, an onlooker wonders if he is "some of that CIA brain gas that the Bugle was warnin' about".
Is that a reference to something specific? The Daily Bugle is supposed to be a straightforward and respectable newspaper, but that sounds like conspiracy theory stuff.
Before checking in with Mordecai, Rick drops by the Avengers Mansion, and nearly gets Wonder Man killed by interrupting his training session, something they don't really comment on.
Rick calls the Avengers' training area a "Danger Room". As Luis notes in the comments, the first time it was said that the Avengers had a Danger Room (specifically) was in Iron Fist #12.
This is a pretty content-free issue. It's Scott Edelman's penultimate, with issue #55 beginning a storyline that will be concluded by Doug Moench.
Quality Rating: D
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: Rick's current girlfriend Gertie is still under the impression that Rick has been kidnapped at the start of this issue, so i've kept this relatively close to CM #50-53. That pushes it way back in publication time but that actually seems to work ok since Wonder Man is wearing his pre-Avengers #161 costume (minus the cowl).
References:
- Nitro last appeared in Omega the Unknown #8, initially attacking Omega because his uniform was similar to Captain Marvel's.
- Nitro first appeared in Captain Marvel #34, and that was the last time he actually faced Mar-vell.
- Rick's European tour starts in France. Rick says that he hasn't been there since he hung out there with the Hulk in Rampaging Hulk #2. I suspect that's a problematic footnote. I haven't read them, but it's my understanding from Bill Mantlo's Hulk series that Rampaging Hulk #1-9 aren't really in continuity (they were movies created by the alien Bereet).
- Mar-vell takes some civilian clothes - the standard Marvel hat & trenchcoat - from the Salvation Army, something he notes that both he and his friends the Inhumans have done before, in Captain Marvel #51 and Inhumans #11, respectively. I'm not sure what to make of the "Oy! Mine brownie!" guy.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
| Previous: Captain Marvel #50-53 | Up: Main 1976 / Box 11 / EiC Upheaval | Next: Uncanny X-Men #98-101 |
Comments
A "Brownie" was an old-style camera.
Note the X-Men comic on the ground in the Cockrum page.
Where are Leonard and Sheldon?
Gary, your nerd privileges have been revoked. Please report to your nearest local comic shop for reindoctrination.
I simply could not resist. :-)
Per Scott Edelman:the original last page was by Tuska and showed Mar-Vell readying to fight Wonder Man, but Scott decided to change the book's direction and had the cliffhanger scrapped.
Iron Fist #12 (of all places) is the first appearance of the Avengers Mansion Danger Room that I am aware of. It was published a few months prior, I think.
They had a training room in issue 66 that Ultron tampered with in an attempt to kill Tony.
Was it called Danger Room? Iron Fist's was. It even had pre-programmed sequences.
What is going on with Wonder Man's costume in this issue? It always bugged me.
Cockrum's splash pays homage to Colan's Marvel Super-Heroes #12 cover, the issue that featured Mar-Vell's debut.
@Scott: Wonder Man is using his original costume, minus the top of his mask.
That places this issue chronologically between Avengers #153 and #160. Defenders #47 also happens during this time period.
But he's wearing half of his mask for some reason... which suggests the helmet is completely independent from the goggles.
Maybe it is not intentional, but the guy who watches Mar-Vell take the hat and coat and wishes to photograph him looks a lot like a bald Paul Gambi.
Gambi, believe it or else, is a DC character, specifically a Flash supporting character - the tailor of the Rogues Gallery. I kid you not. Two of his relatives ended up appearing in Flash and Black Lightning stories as well.
