HARPSWELL — This weekend, thousands of people will head to theaters to watch the latest offering in Marvel’s ever-expanding cinematic universe, “Captain Marvel.”
In the midcoast, Harpswell firefighters hope to benefit from the local connections of the titular protagonist, who was revealed to be a Harpswell native in the comic book miniseries released last year.
In the lead-up to the release of Marvel’s first female-led addition to its 21-film franchise, the company has worked hard to get comic book fans excited about a superhero that isn’t as well known as Iron Man, Captain America or Thor. As part of that rollout, Marvel released a miniseries showing the backstory of Carol Danvers, who would eventually be transformed into Captain Marvel. To the surprise of many local residents, the comic shows Danvers summering in Harpswell.
That’s not a coincidence. The miniseries’ author, Margaret Stohl, has spent several years summering in Harpswell and decided to use the region as a backdrop for her story.
“I think there’s a lot of excitement,” said Orr’s and Bailey Island Fire Department board of directors member Doug Warren. “I think everyone is excited about this connection between Captain Marvel and Harpswell. It’s amazing.”
The miniseries, “The Life of Captain Marvel,” has plenty of images that will look familiar to midcoast residents. The comics include panels depicting Captain Marvel flying under the iconic Cribstone Bridge and visiting other notable local landmarks, from the Giant’s Stairs in Harpswell to Frosty’s Donuts in Brunswick.
“I have no idea whether that translates into the movie – in fact, it probably doesn’t – but for our purposes, she’s our hometown superhero,” Warren said.
Now, with the Captain Marvel movie due for release this weekend, the Orr’s and Bailey Island Fire Department is hoping to raise money off Harpswell’s newly minted hometown hero. Last year, Stohl ended up signing three copies of the first issue of “The Life of Captain Marvel” for the fire department to auction off. The department was able to bring in $400 selling the first copy in March, and hopes to bring in more money with this second fundraiser.
The Orr’s and Bailey Island Fire Department will be raffling off tickets for the second signed copy during the showings of “Captain Marvel” at Brunswick Regal 10 Cinema this weekend.
Christine Donovan-Hall, who helps organize fundraising for the department, said the fundraiser comes at a good moment for the fire department, which has seen 10 volunteers sign on. While the workers are volunteers, the department has to pay for their EMT training. According to Donovan-Hall, it costs them $2,200 to train and equip each volunteer.
“It’s great timing for us,” she said.
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