Captain Marvel vol. 5 #16Captain Marvel vol. 5 #16
Title: “Marvel Mania”
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Chrisscross
Inker: Anibal Rodriguez
Colors: Steve Oliff
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Above the Comic Book Castle Comic Shop, a red armored figure flies. He looks at the store and says that his opponent is in the building below. The flying man swoops down and smashes through the window. He calls out the wizard and says that he is the one who used and abused him. He says that he is the one that turned all his thoughts from heroism into villainy. He says that he has exiled him from his world. The man says that there is going to be a reckoning. A flash happens and the red armor drops on the ground. A red raven hops out of the armor. The wizard says that he should know not to meddle in the affairs of wizards. He says that they are subtle and quick to anger. The wizard says that he should be thankful that he did not annihilate him, and instead simply transformed him. The wizard says that he thinks he will keep the armor as a memento. The wizard tells the bird to fly away. The bird flies outside and is hit by a Peterbuilt truck.
Still aboard their respective ships, Marv asks Fredd who he is again. Fredd says that he is his evil twin clone future self from an alternate dimension. Fredd says that his name is spelled with two “d’s”, and that is what makes it evil. Rann tells Fredd that Psycho-Man is one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the Microverse and not to trust anything he has said or promised him. Marionette says that Fredd shouldn’t identify himself as evil, and that he might just be misunderstood. Fredd says that he is going to use Captain Marvel as a guinea pig to return to the outside world so that he and “Psych” can take it over. Fredd says that he is just going to kill the rest of them. Bug says that he sounds evil to him. Suddenly Marv is teleported off the Microns ship. The Micron stand there helpless. Fredd says that he has a replacement for them so they won’t be lonely. Drax materializes aboard the Micron’s ship. Bug and Mari welcome back, but Rann says to wait and see if Drax is still under Psycho-Man’s control. Drax shouts, “I’ll kill you all!” and then starts chasing them around the ship.
Aboard Psycho-Man’s ship, Marv flies at Fredd and starts to say that if Fredd is looking for trouble… but Fredd breaks in and says that he has found it. Fredd says that he had forgotten how naïve he was, but that the starface thing was seriously cool. Psycho-Man asks Fredd if he needs any help. Fredd says that he does not. He says that Marv is cosmically aware, and that it usually gives him a pretty good guess about what his opponent is going to do, but because Fredd is Marv that Marv can’t get a read on him. Fredd says that all he is getting is something like looking into a mirror. Fredd shoots out energy tendrils and wraps up Marv. Marv says, “Who… are you? How did you…” Fredd says, “beat you in under five seconds?” Fredd says that he almost stood up to the combined powers of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, or at least his version of them anyway. Fredd says that the battle raged for days, and that at that point they were fighting over a scorched Earth anyway. Fredd says that he had them on the ropes, but then Mister Fantastic pulled a gadget on him that encased him and sent him away. Fredd says that if you think about it that it wasn’t very heroic. He says that passing the buck and making him someone else’s problem is kind of ironic considering that they call him evil. Fredd says that Psyche has a ray that will return him to normal size, but that he has never tried it on anyone of his physiology. Fredd says that they are going to try it on Marv, and that if it works that they will use it on him, and they will then conquer the outer world. Marv says that he doesn’t understand how Fredd is holding him immobile. Fredd says that Marv doesn’t know “jack-all” about his powers. He says that the nega-bands aren’t just the key, but they are “the lock, the whole freakin’ door”. Fredd says that Marv should never be running out of energy, and that he is energy. Fredd says that when he is manipulating energy that he is manipulating himself. Fredd pulls the energy tendrils really fast and whips Marv into Psycho-Man’s regrowing chamber.
Back on Earth, Rick tells Marv that they
want to experiment on him, but that if they change places that
they can’t do it. 
Marv says that
there is an upside to this experiment however. He says that if it
is successful, and as Psycho-Man is supposed to be a genius that
it should be, that he will be out of the Microverse and he and
Rick will no longer be bonded. Rick says that it would be like
when he ended his bond with his father when he came through the
Negative Zone gate. Rick says that it is too risky, and that he
is switching places. Rick says that nothing good ever came from
supervillain science. Marv says that this is his life, and that
he wants to try. Marv says that Marlo deserves a shot at having
Rick to herself. Marv says that sooner or later even Rick has to
be wrong.
On the Microns’ ship, Drax screams and runs down the hallway. After he passes the Microns emerge from their hiding places. Mari asks if this is the best way to deal with this. Rann says that a fight with Drax would just destroy the ship. Drax starts tearing the ship apart on his own.
Psycho-Man blasts Marv. Marv screams, “aaaargh!” and then there is a loud “doom!” Fredd turns to Psycho-Man and says that “aaaargh” and “doom!” can’t be good.
On Earth, Rick says that Marv must be honing on the bands. Marv materializes next to Rick. Suddenly Marv and Rick are being pulled towards each other with an intensely strong attraction. Rick yells for Marv to bang his bands.
Psycho-Man says
that these readings make no sense. Fredd tells him to hurry and
pull him back.
Marv manages to bang his bands and Rick is left alone back on Earth in his apartment now completely scorched. Rick calls to Marv, but he gets no answer.
Fredd says that he isn’t too thrilled about this, and wants to know what is going on. Psycho-Man says that it seems that Marv is not molecularly stable. Fredd says, “come again?” Psycho-Man explains that when he tried to form Marv on the surface world that it seemed like there weren’t enough molecules. Fredd remembers that Marv is molecularly bonded with somebody named “Snapper Jones”. Fredd says that they switched back and forth between the Negative Zone. Psych says that nature abhors a vacuum, and that he started pulling molecules from whatever was closest, and that it would have been disastrous if he had not pulled him back. Fredd points out that Marv is not back in the regrowing chamber. Fredd says that he isn’t happy, and demands to know where Marv is. Psycho-Man explains that this is not what he planned for. He says that he broke Marv down from his mass into energy form and tried to reintegrate him. Fredd says that he doesn’t care and he wants to know where Marv is. Bolts of energy shoot out of Psycho-Man’s machinery. Psych says that Marv is in the machinery. He says that he still isn’t molecularly sound and must have moved to a buffer. Fredd says again that he doesn’t care, and tells him to get him out of there. Psycho-Man says that he can’t as Marv has moved into the mainframe of the ship. Fredd tosses Psych to the ground and says that he will do it himself. Psycho-Man says to hurry, and that the longer Marv is in there the more comfortable he will become.
On the Microns’ ship, Rann is wearing some jets and stands before Drax. Rann says that he doesn’t think that Drax wants to hurt him because all Psycho-Man really did was make Drax angry. Rann says that Drax’s mind has improved and that just because he is angry doesn’t mean that he has to attack violently. Rann says that he is just going to stand there. Drax tells him to run and hide. He asks Rann if he sees how angry he is. Rann says that he sees a fellow Micron in trouble. He says that for Drax to carry out his anger that he is going to have to raise his fist against someone who is doing nothing to further anger him Rann says that he is going to just stand there. Drax punches Rann and sends him flying. Drax says to Mari and Bug that he sees them hiding.
On Earth, Rick says that he is getting asbestos furniture. He keeps trying to call Marv, but is getting nothing. Rick goes to the bathroom, and looks into the mirror where he would usually see Marv, but instead sees a mass of energy.
Fredd starts drawing Marv out of the machinery and into his nega bands. Fredd grabs him, but finds that he can’t really control him. Psycho-Man says that Fredd has made a mistake. Fredd says that he doesn’t make mistakes, and then says that he doesn’t think he does. Psycho-Man says that Marv is within Fredd’s nega bands, and that he is pumping the core energy that powers his psychotronic beams straight into Fredd. Fredd becomes doubtful, afraid, and then angry. He says that he is going to bring this place down around Psycho-Man’s non-existent ears. Fredd destroys Psycho-Man’s ship.
On the Micron’s ship, Mari is on Drax’s back as Drax has his hand around Bug’s throat. Drax is no longer under control and asks what is going on. Marv reforms into his physical state. Rick says that was outstanding. Mari asks if this is a new ability of his. Marv says that the nega bands helped him reform himself, but that he has no idea if he can turn himself back into energy. Marv says that maybe with time he will figure it out. Mari asks what happened to Psycho-Man and Fredd. Marv says that as near as he can tell they are gone, and he hopes they stay that way. Rann asks for a medic.
The red raven wakes up in a cage in Marlo’s store. She says that she saw the truck that hit him and she thought that he was dead, but when she picked him up that it was almost like he started breathing again. Marlo says that it looks like he has a broken wing, and that he can stay with her until it’s healed. Marlo says that she has to get ready for her audition, but first she lines the bird’s cage with a newspaper that says “YANKS WIN SERIES”. Marlo makes a joke, but when the bird doesn’t laugh she says that it seems some people have no sense of humor about some things.
Legacy rating: 6.5 out of 10
Same old story... Peter David does a great job, but Chriscross' inability to tell a clear story slightly marrs it. Cross' style remains strong, and the design of Fredd is a good one. As a side note, for those of you not familiar with it there is an online poster who runs the Red Raven Revivial Society. He and Peter David had a bet concerning the Red Raven. If the Mets won Peter wouldn't have to put the Red Raven in his book, but if the Yankees won the Red Raven would make an appearance. Well the Yanks won, but as you can see from this issue he doesn't take the Met's lose well.