Captain Marvel vol. 6 #5Captain Marvel vol. 6 #5
Title: "Au Pere”
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Chriscross
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Rick Jones is alone in a dark room. He stares vacantly. A gleam of Marv’s symbol blazes in his eye.
In an empty graveyard, Genis’ headstone stands. It says, “Here Lies Genis-Vell, Captain Marvel, Friend, Hero, Traitor. He tried his best. A blast of photonic energy blows through the ground from the grave. Genis’ hand reaches up and he climbs out of his grave. He says, “Well, this is annoying.”
Rick awakes with a start as if from a nightmare. Epiphany welcomes Rick back to the land of the living. Rick asks why his voice is so raspy. Epiphany says that it is because he hasn’t used it in a month. Rick remembers that Marv shot himself. He says that Marv should be dead, but that he isn’t. Epiphany says, “Well… yes and no…” Rick says that he has had enough. He says that he wants to know what is going on. He says that he wants to know who that starry guy was and why he looked like him. Rick says that this had better not be an evil alternate version of himself again. Rick tries to get out of bed, but falls to the ground. Epiphany asks if she mentioned that Rick hadn’t used his legs much in that month either. She leans over onto the ground near Rick. She says that the starry guy was her brother and that he looked like Rick because he likes to appear to people in forms that they understand. Rick asks if her brother is God or someone. Epiphany says, “No. And yes.”
Genis is leaning on his headstone still
wearing his Kree uniform. A voice says that it is a nice outfit
and that it looks vaguely familiar. Genis thanks the man and says
that normally he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing white after
Labor Day. The voice says that he has just been caught dead.
Genis turns and sees Mar-Vell. He says that he would have thought
that being dead would have felt different than being alive, but
that he guesses that Mar-Vell would be the expert. Mar-Vell is
floating in the air while sitting in the Lotus position. 
Genis asks his
father how the whole death thing is working out for him. Mar-Vell
says that it isn’t what he expected, but that neither was
life so he guesses that at least there is some consistency there.
Genis asks if he is dead why he had to physically break out of
his grave. Marv says that there is a difference between dead and
ghost. Genis asks if he is a vampire or demon. Marv tells Genis
to look inward and he can answer that himself. Genis says no and
adds that crawling out of his grave hasn’t left him in an
introspective mood. He holds up his blaster at Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell
smirks at him and tells him that it won’t work. He says that
is an energy weapon and that the two of them are energy. He says
that people shouldn’t fear death because it is simply energy
passing from one form into another. He says that it actually
makes your link to the universe stronger. Mar-Vell says that life
drags you down with all the expectations and distractions, but
that when you die your energy returns to the universal constant.
Mar-Vell is about to tell Genis of the wonders he will experience
when Genis punches him in the face. Mar-Vell says that Genis
doesn’t understand. Genis says that he understands fine. He
says that it is Mar-Vell that doesn’t understand. He says
that he just doesn’t care. He says that what he cares about
is that he spent his whole life trying to live up to
Mar-Vell’s life and ideals. Genis says that Marv was an icon
and an ideal. He says that he aspired to be him, but that he
could never achieve it. Genis says that Marv knew it. He asks if
he enjoyed watching him from energy heaven trying to be like him.
Genis says that Marv knew all along that he would always come up
short because he could never be him. Genis punches Marv again.
Genis says that it is like watching a rat in a maze, but that all
the exits were sealed. He says that the question wasn’t if
he could get out, but how crazy he could get trying. Genis
punches Marv again and says, “Answer? Pretty damned.”
Mar-Vell lies on the ground bloody. He says that he doesn’t
want to hurt Genis. Genis says, “Oh, good.”
Rick watches on as Genis pummels Mar-Vell. He says that he thought that he knew rage. He says that he hung out with the Hulk, but that he never saw “pure, undiluted fury” like what Genis did to his father.
Mar-Vell lies bloodied and groaning on the ground. Genis asks him if it hurt. Genis stands with his headstone over his head. He says that terrans have a saying. He says that he thinks that they have so many sayings so they can avoid thinking, but that there is a saying that is particularly applicable, “You always hurt the one you love.” Genis adds, “Dad… I love you a lot.” Genis drops the headstone on Mar-Vell.
Rick says that Marv is gone. He says that with all the horrible things that he saw Genis do that he always thought that he could get him back somehow. He says that he thought he could put things back the way they were, but that he can’t. Epiphany asks why he says that. Rick says that Marv has his cosmic awareness, but that he has his own kind of awareness. He says that it is from hanging out with super-types over the years. He says that when you’ve been around long enough that you can see the pattern and they ways that they work and don’t work. Rick says that they have stopped working for Marv, but that he didn’t want to see it. He says that he sees it now. Rick says that he knows now that he has to kill Genis. Rick says that Genis might have thought that he took care of that, but all he really did was prove that he no longer needs a physical form or that his form has needs he is unfamiliar with. Rick says that when Genis figures out what they are that every living thing will pay for it.
Mar-Vell is crushed beneath Genis’ headstone. His blood is everywhere. Genis walks away. He starts to fester and lets out a primal scream. Mouths appear all over Genis’ body. They are also screaming.
Rick says that it is started already. Rick says that is a Primal Scream and that they happen once in a while when a cosmic being gets his “knickers in a twist”. He says that one killed the dinosaurs, one made humanity afraid of the dark, and that one wiped out half of Europe in the form of the Black Plague. Rick says, “Cuts to the core of everything that is and was and will be. How do I know? Because I do. And so does he.”
After Genis’ scream he falls over to
the ground. He looks up and sees Epiphany’s brother looking
down on him. He appears as Genis to Genis and tells him to go for
a walk with him. 
Genis looks up
at him. No One is wearing a cape and Marv says, “I had no
idea I’d look that good in a cape.” No One asks Genis
if he knows who he is. Genis says that he does not, and that it
annoys him since he feels like he should. No One says that he is
beyond the cosmos… “outside its perimeters and
parameters.” Genis says that he is curious and asks No One
if he is the one that made him insane. No One says that he did
and asks Marv if that bothers him. Marv says, “No. No, not
at all, as it turns out. Losing one’s mind is like going on
permanent vacation, but without having to worry how much to tip
the help.”
No One and Marv are suddenly on Earth. No One says that Marv has an affinity for this planet and thought that he would explain here. They look at a father chasing his son. No One says that the boy spent an hour making a gift for his father out of clay, but that the clay got on the carpet and so the father is going to punish him for it. The are next at a football game. One player is dropping the game winning pass. No One says that the man’s father was not only at the game, but that he lost a significant amount of money on a bet. He says that the father will blame his son. They arrive in a board room and No One says that this son tried to take over the family business, and that though he tried his best to run it that he was unfit to do so and ran it into the ground. No One says that a man is convinced to complete the work that his father began, He says that he does this both to make his father happy and to validate himself by doing a better job. No One says that every other reason is just a rationalization. No One and Marv see a man crying in his chair, No One says that this man was a father figure to a younger man. He disapproved of the younger man marrying out of their religion and the rejection devastated the younger man. No One says that questionable psychiatric practices resulted in “recovered memories” and accusations. No One says that the man’s reputation is now ruined. They arrive as a lion is eating another lion. No One says that you have to admire the animal kingdom for their purity. He says that after a new alpha lion kills his opponent that he goes on to devour his opponent’s children. No One says that in order to grow a man must reject his father. He says that the father sometimes rejects the son. He says that sometimes they reconnect later on, but that the wound runs deep and poison flows from it. No One says that this is a universal constant and that from it flows all the chaos and disorder that Marv despises. Marv asks why this is a constant. No One says that it is because his father rejected him. No One replies, “Because my father rejected me.” Marv asks who his father is. No One says that he thought Marv would never ask. No One says that this is a representation of him and that his name is Eternity. Marv says that the essence of the entire known universe is his father. No One says that he is. Marv asks No One who he is. No One bows before Marv and says, “Entropy. The things that fall apart. The center that cannot hold. Entropy, the undoer am I, at your service.” Marv says, “Or I at yours.” Entropy says, “Just so”. Marv asks how he is to be of service. Entropy says, “The universe will end eventually. But I tire of eventually. I’d put it, and myself, out of our misery now. I could, however, use your help.” Marv looks at his blaster, He smiles and says, “It’s about bloody time.”
Legacy rating: 10 out of 10
Now we’re into the meat of this story. Marv’s battle with his father is pretty disconcerting. The reason for Marv’s insanity is revealed and PAD is building a new pantheon for the MU- Eternity, Entropy, and Epiphany. The characters and the plot are really cool. Cross seems to have addressed the problem with his blur action lines. He is still doing it, but the images seem clearer and more understandable. I can’t wait for the next issue.