Stillanerd Reviews: Generations: The Bravest (Captain Marvel and Captain Mar-Vell) #1 review
By Mike McNulty
After thirty-five years, the reunion between Carol Danvers and Marvel’s own version of the first Captain Marvel makes for one lackluster space opera.
Generations: The Bravest #1
Writer: Margaret Stohl
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Artist: Brent Schoonover
Color Artist: Jordan Boyd
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Covers: David Nakayama; Brent Schoonover and Rachelle Rosenberg; Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson
You have to give Marvel Comics some credit. While resurrecting heroes from the grave has become the norm, their original Captain Marvel, or Mar-Vell, has stayed dead and buried. Not always, of course; both Chaos War and Secret Avengers‘ Avengers Vs. X-Men tie-ins temporarily brought him back. Barring those instances, his demise stills remains a permanent fixture since Jim Starlin’s classic 1982 graphic novel, The Death of Captain Marvel.
Credit: Brent Schoonover and Jordan Boyd (Marvel Comics); from Generations: The Bravest (Captain Marvel and Captain Mar-Vell) #1
Yet if you ask today’s comic book fans “Who is Captain Marvel?” they’ll more than likely say “Carol Danvers,” or “Monica Rambeau” if you’re lucky (or Billy Batson if they’re clever). Even if you still see Carol as “Ms. Marvel,” she’s so associated with the Captain Marvel moniker, it’s easy to forget other Captain Marvels existed before her.
The challenge for writer Margaret Stohl and Generations: The Bravest (Captain Marvel & Captain Mar-Vell) #1 then isn’t just giving Carol Danvers fans a good story. It’s reminding unfamiliar readers why Marvel Comics hold their original Captain Marvel in such high esteem, and why old school fans speak fondly of him, too. No doubt you’ve already guessed both Stohl and Generations: The Bravest fail completely in these tasks.
In fairness, the basic plot seems solid enough. After traveling through the Vanishing Point, Carol finds herself in the past and in the Negative Zone, where Annihilus and his Annihilation Wave are invading a race of peaceful, overly pacifistic aliens. During the attack, Carol befriends an alien couple, Loba and Danae, with Loba choosing to fight by Carol’s side only to get herself captured. Before Carol becomes overwhelmed by superior numbers, however, her deceased former flame, Mar-Vell, suddenly arrives much to her astonishment.
From here Stohl’s script essentially becomes an action-based rom-com without the romance…or the laughs, for that matter. For no good reason, Mar-Vell doesn’t recognize Carol, even though he should already know her during this time period. Instead, he mistakes her for a fellow Kree soldier because of her uniform. He also behaves in a protective, gentlemanly manner, much to the annoyance of the more pugnacious Carol. Naturally, they come to respect and admire one another. It’s predictable and formulaic as you can get.
Credit: Brent Schoonover and Jordan Boyd (Marvel Comics); from Generations: The Bravest (Captain Marvel and Captain Mar-Vell) #1
[The dialogue is] heavy-handed, cliched, prosaic, and stuffed with tiresome and obvious running gags
Compounding the problem is the way Stohl depicts her two protagonists. To reference Star Trek, Stohl seems unable to decide whether Mar-Vell’s voice has the cocky swagger of Captain Kirk, or the stoic logic of Mr. Spock. Carol, despite her military background and professionalism, reads as both immature and unreasonable. Nor did I buy her immediate bonding with Loba and Danae. After all, how does she have this personal connection with these two women after just meeting them?
The dialogue is even worse. It’s heavy-handed, cliched, prosaic, and stuffed with tiresome and obvious running gags. Case in point, when Carol first arrives she makes a–what else?–Wizard of Oz reference about not being in Kansas anymore. Then, she keeps on referring to The Wizard of Oz throughout the issue, from flying monkeys, to munchkins, to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” to ruby slippers, to the Wicked Witch. It’s a played out joke made even more played out half-a-dozen times over.
Oh, and of course, Mar-Vell, despite living on Earth, doesn’t understand Earth colloquialisms, because he’s an alien, don’t you know? On one single page, he responds to Carol’s “Nice shooting, Tex” with “My name isn’t Tex.” Stohl follows this by having Carol express a shocked “Get-out-of-here” to which Mar-Vell asks, “Where would you like me to go?” Finally, Carol keeps uttering the word “Holy,” to which Mar-Vell wonders if she’s “Wholly distressed?” Again, that’s one…single…page.
Credit: Brent Schoonover and Jordan Boyd (Marvel Comics); from Generations: The Bravest (Captain Marvel and Captain Mar-Vell) #1
Generations: the Bravest #1 isn’t a complete disaster, but it’s certainly borderline…It’s just inoffensive, forgettable fluff….
At least the art by Brent Schoonover is passable, give or take some hiccups with his use of foreshortening. Two splash pages in particular, one of which recaps Mar-Vell’s history, look clean and well-organized, each reminiscent of classic era Marvel. These are the exceptions, as the majority of the art looks all too plain, even lifeless at times. Everyone appears too postured, with the action scenes lacking verve and flow. It’s definitely bright and colorful, thanks to Jordan Boyd, but there’s not much to look at, either.
Generations: the Bravest #1 isn’t a complete disaster, but it’s certainly borderline. Nor is it even mandatory reading for Carol Danvers fans. And for those new readers who wish to know more about Mar-Vell, this definitely doesn’t serve as a proper introduction. It’s just inoffensive, forgettable fluff; which, perhaps, makes this Generations issue, the most disappointing of all.
Stillanerd’s Score: 2 out of 5
Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (possible spoilers)
Credit: Brent Schoonover and Jordan Boyd (Marvel Comics); from Generations: The Bravest (Captain Marvel and Captain Mar-Vell) #1
“One minute I’m about to tell off Steve Rogers…” That’s not what happened in Secret Empire #10, Carol. Kobik sent you through time after the fighting was over.
“The whole damsel duo act? I guess that was a fake out…” How so, Carol? Their plan hinged upon someone like you coming along to distract the Scavengers.
Um…wouldn’t “Car-ell” sound like “Carl” instead of “Carol” when hyphenated like that? We don’t pronounce the word “car” like the word “care.”
“See, the Yoda talk?” Once again, a Disney property must make references towards another Disney property because corporate synergy, right folks?
“Do these lady-biceps look like I’m lady-joking?” No, because you’re definitely not lady-witty either, Carol.
How does Carol Danvers know about the Negative Zone and never once heard about Annihilus?
Hey, editors, Charles Beacham and Sara Amanat? I believe Mar-Vell, not Carol, is the one saying, “There is nothing normal about Annihilus…”
“We protect our greater peace by remaining hidden from Annihilus.” Well, considering he’s already found you, Mr. High Counselor, your peace plan isn’t very good, is it?
When exactly did Carol tell Mar-Vell she’s also a “Captain?”
Um…I realize you’re subverting the male hero flies off with the woman trope, comic, but you do remember Mar-Vell can fly like Carol, yes?
Yes, if you don’t know, Mar-Vell took the alias of Dr. Walter Lawson, a NASA scientist, while on Earth. That’s how he first met Carol as she was Chief of Security at Cape Canaveral.
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What are your thoughts on this issue of Generations?