Random Happenstance

For some reason, this was the last comic that I moved out of my old apartment, which leads me to believe it fell underneath something. But it made the trip, for your benefit! From 1977, Ms. Marvel #7, "Nightmare!" Written by Chris Claremont, breakdowns by Jim Mooney, finishes by Joe Sinnott.

I had read the Marvel Super-Heroes issues that finally published the shelved issues of Ms. Marvel's cancelled series; but wasn't real familiar with her earlier stories. As Carol is captured and unmasked by MODOK, it feels like they were still figuring a few things out for her; the majority of which may have been dropped since then. MODOK gives her Ms. Marvel costume to an A.I.M. agent, since at least some of her powers were in the suit, not her. Or, at least they used to be: the costume may have burnt out in the previous issue; which I somehow think I've read, too. Although MODOK controls her for a bit--with a sort of virtual man's man version of himself, with abs and working limbs!--Carol snaps out of it after a flashback of punching out a jerk blue Kree cadet in the academy--hey, that's not her flashback, that's from Mar-Vell! Along with gaining some of his skills, she had some of his memories; I wonder if she lost them before Rogue took her own memory.

Carol fights MODOK and his blue-suited A.I.M. goons--this was in the middle of a bit of a civil war in the organization, although I don't remember who was in charge of team yellow or how that was resolved. MODOK's secret base was apparently downstairs or just next to the yellow base, so when Carol escapes through a smashed wall MODOK's team can't give chase, they have to cover their tracks. The yellow A.I.M. guys are at a loss how a superhero could've found them, or got through their defenses, but a beat Carol manages to escape through the department store that was their cover. Along with still being pissed at MODOK, she's dismayed that she feels like crap, since she and 'Ms. Marvel' were almost separate personalities, and neither seemed to have full access to the other's memories. I don't think that angle would stick around long, either; but her spider "seventh sense" might've stuck around a bit. (I seem to recall Rogue had it sometimes, when narratively convenient?)