Alex Ross creates a poster to celebrate Captain Marvel

[icon_uk]

"But Icon_UK, there have been so MANY Captain Marvel's, which Captain Marvel is he honouring?" you ask

"Oh, my sweet summer child," I say, "ALL OF THEM!"



Given the myriad of instantly recognisable art styles, This MAY look like a collage, but it's not! Every single character was by Alex Ross, who I've never seen mimic so many styles at once.



and then some, as he's also included characters derived, inspired as well, and their alter egos and supporting casts.

Basically, if it's a hero (no villains) who has used the name "Captain Marvel" or who transforms from one person (usually a child, or teenager) into another (usually adult) super-powered character using a magic word or easily repeatable gesture, then there are good odds on them being here.

My geek fu is good, but I don't stand a changce of getting them all

Multiple versions of of Captain Marvel and Billy Batson from multiple media
Mary Marvel
Captain Marvel Jr.
Mar-Vell (and Rick Jones)
Monica Rambeau (Captain MArvel, Photon, Pulsar, Spectrum)
Carol Danvers (Ms Marvel, Captain Marvel)
Marvelman/Miracleman
Thunder (From The Legion of Super-Heroes, the Shazam powered character of the 31st Century)
Prime (Ultraverse)
The Gentleman (Astro City)
Dial H for H.E.R.O. (Robby Reed)
Ben 10
The Fly
Ultraman (Toku Heroes)
He-Man and Battle-Cat (Prince Adam and Cringer)
Hoppy the Marvel Bunny
Thunderbunny
OMAC
Mighty Mightor
Thundergirl (Big Bang Comics)
Mighty Man (Big Bang Comics)
Shazzan (60s cartoon)
Thor (And Donald Blake)
Etrigan the Demon
Captain Triumph
Pureheart the Powerful (Archie Andrews)
Superior
Mighty Isis
The Infinity Man (The Forever People)
Adam Warlock (Not seeing that one as much of a connection to be honest as I don't remember him having a non-Adam Warlock persona)

Honestly, the only one I can't see that I expected to is Kid Eternity, (who was even a member of the Shazam family back in the 70's, after being revealed as Freddie Freeman's brother) but I might just be missing him in the crowd.

Kamala Khan's Ms Marvel isn't there eitehr but as she's never used the name Captain Marvel, and her powers are completely different from the theme, I can sort of see why.

There are several which I suspect are from cartoon's, especially old school anime, which I don't recognise, and a couple I feel I should, but don't. (The sinister looking gentleman in black and yellow above Ben 10, and the two just to the left of He-Man; the kid in the baseball cap with the diamond on his chest and the sort of fantasy looking guy crossing his wrists). But if you spot one, please do note it in the comments.

And here are the pencils, if anyone is interested

Comments

[cygnia]

Adam Warlock (Not seeing that one as much of a connection to be honest as I don't remember him having a non-Adam Warlock persona)

Might be because of the red shirt/lightning bolt on chest combo?

[lego_joker]

My favorite part is Kid Miracleman hunched in the corner, drawn in grim-n-gritty 'modern' style next to the Silver Age-y Miracleman. 0.2 seconds after this photo was snapped all the others are gonna have a hell of a time trying to contain him...

(Any other evil Marvel's here?)

[kamino_neko]

[Edit - oops, read your list too fast, and didn't notice you'd already listed him.]

He's all over the place in the theming, and I can't decide if that's awesome-silly or just silly-silly.

[scorntx]

The sinister fellow in the black and yellow is Captain Super, from DC's Crisis on Two Earths.
(The Crime Syndicate's counterpart to the Good Captain, as Superwoman in that film is the evil version of Mary Marvel.)


Like how the nu52 Shazam is all the way at the back.
No sign of Phyla.

[lego_joker]

Also... I haven't read it, but Supreme must've had a Captain Marvel pastiche, right? Is he here?

[flint_marko]

If he's going to include everyone who used the name, Hulkling was Captain Marvel in the future from Children's Crusade

[stubbleupdate]

Am I being dense, or has he missed out Ultimate Captain Marvel and Elvis?

[agharta75]

"Split" Captain Marvel of the mid sixties
Fatman, The Human Flying Saucer
Captain Marvelous (MAD Magazine)

and where's Gomer Pyle? ("Shaaa-zam!!")

[mazway_75]

This may actually outdo the epic "Crisis on Infinite Earths" cover with Perez as Ross' utter masterpiece.

The fact he drew each one in specific style like that is mind-blowing.

[mastermahan]

No Benjy Grimm from Hannah Barbera's "The Thing"? Come on, Alex, he was a teenager who magically transformed into an adult superhero.

[skjam]

To the left of Ultraman (toku) we have 8 Man, (8th Man in the US), a murdered police detective whose "life force" was transferred into an android. His moniker and chest symbol comes from him being the eighth test subject, and the first one that succeeded. He can shapeshift to look like his human self and recharges with energy cylinders disguised as cigarettes.

[zachbeacon]

Where is Phyla?

[onsokumaru]

Next to Ultraman is another giant toku hero, Spectreman.

[jkcarrier]

Also spotted:
Captain Thunder (and his alter ego Willie Fawcett), who fought Superman in the '70s.
Dynamo, from Tower Comics (like Adam Warlock, the only real connection is the lightning emblem).
The Champion, who is actually the young wizard Shazam, fighting evil in prehistoric times.
Superman's foes Thunder and Lightning (who turned out to be a single android, who kept changing forms).
Captain Tootsie, the '40s advertising mascot (only here because his ads were drawn by C.C. Beck).
Neal Adams' Son-O-God, from National Lampoon.
Powerman, a character published in Nigeria but created in England (with art by Dave Gibbons and Brian Bolland, no less!).
Darna, famous heroine of the Philippines.
Shaloman, "The Kosher Crusader".
Matt Wagner's Mage and Mike Allred's Madman (again, only there for the lightning bolts)
Young Samson and Goliath, from the '60s cartoon.

Who is the big fiery fellow taking up most of the top right corner?

[tripodeca113]

Very impressive work.

[thezmage]

This looks very good, but he must be limber for all of the reaching he did on the characters he chose to include.

[laughing_tree]

>Mary Marvel
>Captain Marvel Jr.

Where?

While I get Ben 10's inclusion, is there a reason his dad/granddad/uncle or whatever is there behind him?

I spot the Amalgam Captain Marvel, who was a hybrid of Mar-Vell and the Fawcett character, underneath Fatman.

And to the right of Adam Warlock, we see Brie Larson and Zachary Levi dressed as their characters.

It's really silly of me, I know, but the pedantic part of me can't help but be a little bugged by how inconsistent the picture is about who to include. Why, for example, include the Billy Batson-type alter egos of even some of the tiniest characters in the background, yet not include OMAC's (Buddy Blank)?

[lieut_kettch]

On the upper right hand corner are two Filipino superheroes created by the legendary (in the Philippines) Mars Ravelo. Darna (created 1947) in the red two piece costume and winged headdress, and her alter-ego Narda. Like Captain Marvel, she has a weaker, human alter-ego, and transforms by swallowing a mystical white stone and shouting "Darna!"

Flying behind her in the yellow tights and blue cape is Ravelo's more obvious Captain Marvel pastiche, Captain Barbell. Asthmatic weakling Tenting, tired of being bullied, tries to build up his muscles to stand up to his bullies and stumbles upon the magic barbell. When he lifts the barbell above his head, he transforms into the all-powerful defender of the weak, Captain Barbell!

An even weirder CM connection can be seen behind Ultraman: it's Elvis Presley's private Boeing 707 jet, with the thunderbolt "Taking Care of Business" (TCB) logo on the tail. Elvis was a big fan of Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family, especially Captain Marvel Jr., and was thought to have adopted his hairstyle and his Vegas-Era jumpsuit designs from Freddie's costume.
As an additional Philippine connection: that plane has since been grounded and was converted into the (Elvis-themed) Club 707 restaurant in Pasay City, Metro Manila.

[bolindbergh]

Is Miriam from Bombshells there?

[vagabondprince]

Flying in front of Ultraman is Mark Millar's Superior carrying is alter ego Simon Pooni
On the thumb of the genie is Shaloman, normally a rock shaped like the Hebrew letter Shin, he transforms and comes to life when anyone in peril shouts "Oy Vey!"
Between the genie and Fatman is Guy Hamdon, being carried by his alter ego Shezow, which he inherited from his late aunt.

[cygnia]

Who is the version standing under Adam Warlock?

[kd_the_movie]

Who is the giant guy who looks like the love child of Surtur and Captain Marvel?