Witness the classic and tragic end of one of the greatest heroes of all time, Mar-Vell of the Kree, who became the Earth hero Captain Marvel! After dozens of battles on Earth and across space, and with the power of his Nega-bands and his all-knowing Cosmic Awareness, can Mar-Vell fare well in his battles with Nitro (the exploding villain who later sparked Marvel's super hero Civil War), the death-defying Stellarax, and the seemingly dead Thanos? Guest-starring Rick Jones, Drax the Destroyer, Starfox, and all your favorite Earth heroes!
The Death of Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin was published in April 1982 by Marvel Comics.
I honestly never got around to reading this one back in the day, in part, because it so difficult to get ahold of for a reasonable price. First, it sold initially for $5.95 - a lot back then. Second, as the very first graphic novel comic from Marvel, this one carried a lot of interest among collectors. Third, it was the death of a major Marvel hero and, thus, a key-event book. So, if you did not find it out in the wild upon publication, you had to get ready to pay through the nose for it.
Of course, from the cover and title, there are no real spoilers here (for a forty-year-old comic) that Captain Marvel dies. Yes, no fake out, no imaginary story. It happens. And it is a poignant tale in that how he dies was not your typical manner in a super-hero comic. This was a real-world topic: cancer.
Starlin had a long history with the character, and it shows through his writing and art on this tale. If a reader did not know Mar-Vell's story, no worries. It is covered here as the cosmic champion narrates the key moments of his past while facing the inevitable.
If I had read this when I was seventeen when it came out, I likely would have been blown away by it. This was a very radical concept for comics - super-heroes facing very realistic, mortal moments. At the time, I had only experienced death a few times (both my grandfathers) so this would have been very heavy stuff. Reading it today, when I have close to six decades under my belt (and thus closer to considering my own mortality) and having dealt with the deaths of many family members as well as friends of my own generation, my approach to the subject matter is quite different. I have wisdom and experiences to draw upon. So, in some ways, this comic falls a bit flatter than it would have had I read it back in the day.
Still, it is a milestone and worth a read, especially for fans of this classic character.
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