Ms. Marvel #9
Ms. Marvel #9 marks the first appearance of Deathbird (Cal'syee Neramani), the exiled Shi'ar royal who would evolve from a street-level AIM operative into one of the most consequential cosmic villains in Marvel's corner of the galaxy — a recurring antagonist of both Carol Danvers and the X-Men across four decades of stories. The issue also quietly closes the midriff panels on Carol's costume, establishing the more familiar covered-torso look that would define the character through the end of her original series. As part of Chris Claremont's tenure on the title, it exemplifies his strategy of seeding the Ms. Marvel book with characters — Deathbird chief among them — who would later become fixtures of his celebrated X-Men run, making the 1977 series a surprisingly rich nursery for Marvel's Bronze Age cosmic mythology.
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 9.8 ▾ $150–$200 2 listings
CGC 9.6 ▾ $120–$130 2 listings
Raw — NM ▾ $3.99–$25 5 listings
Raw — NM- ▾ $3.99–$69.99 2 listings
Raw — VF/NM ▾ $2.79–$19.99 2 listings
Raw — VF+ ▾ $34.99–$48 3 listings
Raw — VF ▾ $4.5–$29.99 8 listings
Raw — FN+ ▾ $9.64–$24.95 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $2–$45.49 32 listings
More listings for this title
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
By issue #9, the series had transitioned from its original writer Gerry Conway to Chris Claremont, who brought his characteristic interlocking subplots and a taste for cosmic-scale world-building. Archie Goodwin served as both editor and editor-in-chief at the time. The interior art was handled by Keith Pollard on breakdowns, with Joe Sinnott and Sam Grainger splitting the inking duties across different pages; Dave Cockrum, who was simultaneously helming the art on Uncanny X-Men, contributed the cover alongside Sinnott — his visual design work on the cover is cited by some sources as part of his co-creator credit for Deathbird. The issue was released on June 7, 1977, carrying a standard 30-cent cover price, though a 35-cent limited-distribution price variant was also produced during Marvel's brief regional pricing experiment of that period.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Deathbird (Cal'syee Neramani), exiled Shi'ar mutant princess and future Empress of the Shi'ar Empire, who appears here as a hired assassin working for MODOK and AIM.
- First appearance of Tabitha Townshend, who joins the staff of Woman Magazine under Carol Danvers in this issue.
- MODOK (George Tarleton) appears in a cameo role, orchestrating Deathbird's attack on Ms. Marvel as part of an ongoing AIM power struggle.
- Story title is 'Call Me Death-Bird!'; written by Chris Claremont, penciled (breakdowns) by Keith Pollard, inked by Joe Sinnott and Sam Grainger, with a cover by Dave Cockrum and Joe Sinnott; edited by Archie Goodwin.
- Ms. Marvel's costume undergoes a silent redesign beginning with this issue — the open midriff panels in the front and back are closed, and the change is also reflected in the cover corner box, with no in-story explanation given.
- Carol Danvers's apartment is bombed in this issue, destroying all her personal possessions including photographs of Colonel Michael Rossi, advancing the series' ongoing serialized subplots.
- Jean DeWolff appears as a supporting character — notable as a figure primarily associated with the Spider-Man titles — reflecting Claremont's effort to integrate Carol Danvers into the broader Marvel Universe.
- The issue has been reprinted in Essential Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1, which collected the full original 1977–1979 series, and the story is also covered in Marvel Masterworks: Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1.
Cast · 9 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Deathbird tries to take down Ms. Marvel on orders from Modok.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
Key issues in Ms. Marvel
Variants (2)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.