Nice camera you got there

FRANK GIANELLI

Real Name: Frank Gianelli

Identity/Class: Normal human

Occupation: Photographer;
    formerly US Marine

Group Membership: None;
    formerly staff at Woman Magazine;
    formerly staff at Daily Bugle;
    formerly US Marines

Affiliations: Bruce Banner (loose), Tracy Burke, Captain Marvel/Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), J. Jonah Jameson (loose), Arabella Jones, Wendy Kawasaki, Dakota North, Monica Rambeau, Katherine "Kit" Renner, Marina Renner, Joe Robertson

Enemies: Geoffrey Ballard, Dr. Hogarth Hamontree (indirectly) and his robots

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile

First Appearance: Ms. Marvel I#6 (June, 1977)

Powers/Abilities: He received the physical and technical training of a Marine. Gianelli is the head of Michael Air cargo transport. He is a skilled photo-reporter, small pane pilot, and a good scuba diver.

Height: 6' (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History:

(Ms. Marvel I#15 (fb) - BTS) - Gianelli was in Vietnam as a Marine. There he met Geoffrey Ballard, who was working for the CIA.

(Ms. Marvel I#6 (fb) - BTS) - Many years later, Frank Gianelli lived in New York. He had a dear friend, Arabella Jones, and worked for the Daily Bugle but he heavily quarreled with Jameson and hit him.

(Ms. Marvel I#6) - Months later, Gianelli was informed by Joe Robertson  that Woman Magazine needed a photo-reporter. After a brief talk with Carol Danvers he got the job; his first task was a story on the fire-women in the New York Fire Department.

(Ms. Marvel I#8) - Gianelli casually met Carol Danvers. He liked her and tried to give her a lift, but she refused.

(Ms. Marvel I#11) - Gianelli wasn't paid for one of his articles, probably because of his precedents with Jameson, despite Danvers' intervention.

(Ms. Marvel I#14) - Tracy Burke and Gianelli investigated on Maxwell Plumm's activities. They found a connection between Plumm and a creditor, a gangster named Dominic Varone. That night, Gianelli spotted Geoffrey Ballard in Danvers' office while he was searching for some documents. They tangled but Ballard hit Gianelli and managed to run away.

(Ms. Marvel I#15) - Jean DeWolff questioned Gianelli and Burke about the intrusion, but Gianelli said he didn't know Ballard because he wanted to investigate for his own and write a sensational article. Danvers agreed with him and assigned to him the inquiry.

(Ms. Marvel I#15 - BTS) - Gianelli presented one of her best friends, Arabella Jones, to Danvers, who was looking for a flat to rent. Danvers went to see Arabella's flat.

(Ms. Marvel I#17) - After one month of researching in Washington, DC, Gianelli returned to New York without results. His research was canceled by Danvers. Worried about her, Gianelli, with the help of Tracy, organized a surprise for Danvers. After lunch, all the staff ambushed her near a park, starting a snow-ball fight involving Danvers. When nobody was looking, Gianelli kissed Danvers, but she pushed him away.

(Ms. Marvel I#20) - Gianelli heard that Sharon Cole had disappeared, so he went to Danvers' house to inform her.

(Ms. Marvel I#22) - Gianelli, helped by Arabella Jones, organized with the Woman Magazine staff a surprise party for Danvers in her house. He danced with Danvers and enjoyed the party. 

(Captain Marvel VII#9 (fb) - BTS) - Gianelli began a non-profit, small-plane venture called Michael Air to provide international aid. He also had some contact with Tracy Burke, particularly in playing cards.

(Captain Marvel VII#7 (fb) - BTS) - Gianelli investigated the threatening levee break near New Orleans, chasing up super-powered Monica Rambeau, familiar with local sea cargo, for information.

Sea photographer(Captain Marvel VII#7) - Gianelli spoke to Rambeau, who was annoyed with him, and was surprised to find Danvers, in her Captain Marvel outfit. After finding out about related ship disappearances, he offered to help with underwater photography if the two would later check out the levees. The next day, Gianelli joined Captain Marvel under the sea, but was sucked into a deep hole. Danvers rescued him just as a giant robot from a past Avengers battle with roboticist Dr. Hamontree rose up from the seabed.

(Captain Marvel VII#8) - Rambeau and Danvers took Gianelli to the safety of the shore, where he chased up information on connecting the weakening levees with the vanished ships. Gianelli later went to the battle site where the two female heroes defeated the giant robot, taking photos from a jet ski. Later, he joined them at the announcement that the wreckage would be used to reinforce the levees. Rambeau encouraged Danvers to call Gianelli.

(Captain Marvel VII#9) - Stark directed Danvers to go to Michael Air, where she found Gianelli being held up by a group of thugs (actually agents of Yon-Rogg targeting Captain Marvel). She transformed into Captain Marvel and quickly overpowered the criminals. Danvers initially agreed to be the pilot. She took him along to her appointment with Dr. Nayar where she found out about a brain lesion that would stop her from flying.

(Captain Marvel VII#10) - Gianelli stopped by Danvers' apartment, showing concern for her health. He informed her that a replacement pilot had been found to cover for Danvers' ill health.

(Captain Marvel VII#11) - As Captain Marvel, Danvers came across the same thugs at Michael Air, realizing that her friends were being targeted.

(Captain Marvel VII#13) - Gianelli, Dakota North, Captain Marvel, Tracy Burke, Spider-Woman, Wendy Kawasaki, and Bruce Banner sat down to discuss Danvers' health problems and the villain behind them. They obtained video footage from landlord Virgil Zimmerman of the intruder, with Danvers realizing that Yon-Rogg of the Kree, now calling himself Magnitron, was behind the attacks.

(Captain Marvel VII#14) - Gianelli voiced concern to Marina Renner about how her daughter, Katherine, would respond to the girl's hero, Captain Marvel, sustaining memory-impacting brain injury. 

(Captain Marvel VII#17) - Gianelli helped Danvers pack up her apartment belongings, but she surprised him with a passionate kiss when they were alone. Gianelli did not want to move quickly into a relationship as he thought her vulnerable after her personal ordeal and memory loss. The next day, he was at the ceremony where Mayor J. Jonah Jameson gave Danvers the key to the city plus an apartment in the crown of the Statue of Liberty.

(Captain Marvel VIII#1) - Although not dating Danvers, Gianelli watched as Danvers left a small birthday party with Jim Rhodes.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils) and Joe Sinnot (inks).

Gianelli's participation in Vietnam is topical.

Profile by Grendel Prime & Spidermay.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Frank Gianelli has no known connections to:

Hamontree's robot

Dr. Hogarth Hamontree

Dr. Hogarth Hamontree had a robot army which he used in a mid-air battle with the Avengers off the coast of New Orleans. Hamontree was defeated with most of the robots destroyed, although several sank into the sea and were not recovered. At some point, Hamontree died. Over many years, the lost robots slowly reassembled, drawing in wreckage and materials until it could form a giant robotic yet humanoid form that sought its master. Multiple redundancies meant that the robot could quickly rebuild itself after taking hits. Monica Rambeau and Carol Danvers literally combined to unite their energies into one massive blast that destroyed it (Danvers dubbing it "Mr. Roboto").

It's not revealed when the Avengers battled Hamontree; the only real clue is that Carol Danvers wasn't around as it was all new to her. Only Hamontree's robot was shown.

 

 

 

 

--Captain Marvel VII#7 (7-8 (fb) - BTS

Michael Air not yet off the ground

Michael Air

Michael Air was Gianelli's private, non-profit venture to distribute international aid, although the flying entailed risk with parts removed to allow for more cargo storage. Iron Man (Stark) directed Danvers to seek Michael Air, finding Gianelli at the aircraft hangar held up by thugs. She quickly overpowered them with no damage to the airplane or cargo. Gianelli had hoped that Danvers would help be the pilot, but found another pilot when she was later unable to.

 

 

 

--Captain Marvel VII#9 (9-10

images: (without ads)
Captain Marvel VII#7, p11, pan5 (main image)
Ms. Marvel I#6, p5, pan5 (head shot)
Captain Marvel VII#8, p17, pan1 (taking photos on jet ski)
Captain Marvel VII#7, p20, pan1 (Hamontree's giant robot)
Captain Marvel VII#9, p18, pan1 (Michael Air)

Appearances:
Ms. Marvel I#6 (June, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils), Joe Sinnot (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#8 (August, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils), Joe Sinnot (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#9 (September, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), Keith Pollard (pencils), Joe Sinnot and Sam Grainger (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#10 (October, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#11 (November, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), Sal Buscema & Frank Giacoia (art), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#13 (January, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Mooney, (pencils), Joe Sinnot (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#14 (February, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Carmine Infantino, (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#15 (March, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Mooney, (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#17 (May, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Carmine Infantino, (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#19 (August, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Carmine Infantino (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks), Roger Stern & Jim Salicrup (editors)
Ms. Marvel I#20 (October, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#21 (December, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#22 (February, 1979) - Chris Claremont (writer), Mike Vosburg & Mike Zeck (art), Roger Stern (editor)
Captain Marvel VII#7-8 (January-February, 2013) - Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), Christopher Sebela (art), Sana Amanat (editor)
Captain Marvel VII#9-11 (March-May, 2013) - Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), Filipe Andrade (art), Sana Amanat (editor)
Captain Marvel VII#13-14 (August-September, 2013) - Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), Scott Hepburn & Gerardo Sandoval (art), Sana Amanat & Lauren Sankovitch (editors)
Captain Marvel VII#17 (January, 2014) - Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), Filipe Andrade (art), Sana Amanat (editor)
Captain Marvel VIII#1 (May, 2014) - Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), David Lopez (art), Sana Amanat (editor)

Last updated: 04/16/14

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Back to Characters