Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: 22 Gimmicks, binary, captain marvel, marvel

Captain Marvel Replaced in Her Own Comic This May… by Binary?!

Published Wed, 09 Feb 2022 16:05:09 -0600

This May, Captain Marvel will be replaced in her own comic by Binary. But no, that doesn't mean she's replacing herself. Though Carol Danvers was once Binary, now Captain Marvel, she is no longer Binary, but Binary will be Captain Marvel starting with Captain Marvel #28. Is that all clear? No? Okay, let's let Marvel take a crack at explaining it:

"The Last of the Marvels," the current saga heating up the pages of Kelly Thompson's CAPTAIN MARVEL run will come to a cataclysmic end in next week's CAPTAIN MARVEL #36. The story was packed with developments that will have a major impact on the Captain mythos including the return of Genis-Vell and the reemergence of Carol Danver's powerful cosmic form known as Binary! But this Binary isn't Carol Danvers at all… The mysterious origins and powers of this new version of Binary will be further explored in a new arc beginning in May's CAPTAIN MARVEL #38. This perfect jumping on point will see Binary take over as Captain Marvel when Carol Danvers goes missing. Fans can check out Marvel Stormbreaker R.B. Silva's cover of the issue showcasing some of Captain Marvel's most iconic costumes over the years as well as Russell Dauterman's original design sheets for Binary's new look, a modern spin on the legendary Dave Cockrum's classic design.

Carol's disappearance has left the newly sentient Binary to fill in, but stepping into the shoes of one of Earth's greatest heroes is no easy feat. As Binary finds herself plunged into a world she barely understands, the questions about exactly who and what Binary is grow deeper. And where IS Captain Marvel anyway?!

See? Simple.

Replacing a popular hero with a different hero only to later bring the original one back is, as we all know, one of Joe Quesada's 22 Cheap Sales-Boosting Gimmicks That Always Work. That Marvel is doing it with Captain Marvel, who herself replaced the original Marvel Captain Marvel (who was ripping off his name from the DC Captain Marvel in the first place), and who herself was also replaced in her old Ms. Marvel alias by the current Ms. Marvel, and having it be done by an another of her old aliases, Binary, is some kind of next-level comics marketing formula that we can only assume is going to result in Captain Marvel #38 selling a billion copies.

Kelly Thompson, who will become rich beyond her wildest dreams thanks to this foolproof scheme, had the following to say in the press release:

I'm really excited about this wild new arc for Carol and Binary — it's called TRIALS — and lemme tell you, these ladies are going through it. Carol Danvers' time as Binary was one of her most fascinating — and also one of her best and most powerful looks. And while Carol sometimes taps into that power — it's a name and look that's been just sitting on the shelf, unused — so we thought, why not have both? There's no reason we can't have Captain Marvel and also Binary — and with that the wheels started turning on the creation of this awesome new character. It's been such a fun ride so far and there's so much more in store for her!

Having your cake and eating it too. It's the Marvel way! Russell Dauterman added:

I was very happy to design this! I love Dave Cockrum's original design (ever since I first saw Binary, when she punched Rogue through a roof!) — I wanted to keep that vibe, but modernize the look a bit and pull in some of Carol's current iconography.

Thompson, however, wasn't pleased to work with Dauterman and doesn't think his art is all that great.

JUST KIDDING!

Like in every other press release Marvel has ever put out in the history of comics, Thompson pointed out that Dauterman is an amazing artist and the only one who could have possibly handled this design job, so it's a good thing he was available.

It was such a thrill to get Russell Dauterman to do the Binary design. The original design is SO strong that we knew we needed someone with Russell's incredible gift for costume design if we had any hope of doing it justice.

Captain Marvel #38 will be in stores on May 4th, from the brain trust that yesterday brought you a Shang-Chi movie tie-in eight months after the movie came out. Excelsior!