OFF THE RACK COMICS: Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers – The Ms. Marvel Years

I did most of my comic book reading from the mid-1970s until the late 1980s. There was a handful of titles that I followed monthly back then; titles such as “The Uncanny X-Men” and “The Avengers.” In the beginning I never read comic books featuring female super-heroes. I think at the time, I felt that they were geared towards girls. Of course, I was wrong. I have started re-visiting some of the original series I followed thanks to Masterworks and Omnibus collections recently and have been enjoying them more now than I ever did. In addition, I have expanded into other titles as well. “Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers – The Ms. Marvel Years” is one of these series I thought I would try. I was not disappointed.

The first volume in the 3 volume collection collects Giant-Size Ms. Marvel #1, Ms. Marvel (2006) #1-17 and Ms. Marvel Special #1. I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this series. I figured that since the Kindle versions are relatively cheap, it would be a small investment. It wasn’t long before I was purchasing volumes two and three as well.

Volume two of this series collects Ms. Marvel (2006) #18-34 and Annual #1. Volume three collects Ms. Marvel (2006) #35-50, Ms. Marvel Special: Storyteller And Siege: Spider-Man. Comic books have come a long way since I was originally reading them. I have always thought that Marvel’s storylines and character developments were really well done. It is very easy for me to get caught up not only in the lives of a super-heroes but their personal lives as well. It has always fascinated me how these characters balanced their lives.

In the case of Carol Danvers, she is juggling a lot. Not only is she struggling with defeat in a fight, she is also struggling with defeat in relationships. Though she wants a nice, normal relationship, how normal can be be when she is one of the most powerful people in the Universe? She is continuously trying to figure herself out all the while saving the world.

Over the years, Carol has also gone by many names; Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, Warbird. The Ms. Marvel years, as covered in these collections, are my favorite. The black and yellow costume is also my favorite as well, though doesn’t she get cold flying in space?

The artwork in this series is amazing. It is so much more realistic than the artwork that I remember from back in the day. By adding this dimension to the stories, you get sucked into the universe even more. I am now a huge Carol Danvers fan thanks to this series and plan on reading more of her exploits in other titles.

If you would like to purchase these volumes of Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers – The Ms. Marvel Years, just click on the images below. Make sure to check out my entire series of OFF THE RACK COMICS!

~David Albaugh