Captain Marvel Facts #1

Here are some Captain Marvel facts you might not be aware of!

Because Captain Marvel was created by the wizard Shazam using magic, he can never age!  (Whiz Comics #98, April 7, 1948)

In The Marvel Family #7 (November 15, 1946) we learn that the wizard Shazam created the three Marvels, Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr, so that they could always fight the three forms of evil (wickedness, sin and terror)!

These Captain Marvel facts will become an ongoing feature here on my blog - hope you find them interesting!

Comic of the Week - Captain Marvel, Jr #1

The Captain Marvel comic of the week is Captain Marvel, Jr #1!  I've typically featured only Captain Marvel's Whiz or Captain Marvel Adventures comics, so this time I wanted to do something different and feature the first issue of Captain Marvel, Jr's comic!

Captain Marvel, Jr #1 featured the following stories:

A re-telling of Captain Marvel, Jr's origin.

"Wings Over Dazaggar" features Captain Marvel, Jr going up against his old nemesis - Captain Nazi!

"The Shadow that Walked!"

"The Case of the Crippled Kidnappers!"

"The Cracked Safecracker!"

This comic first published on October 16, 1942.  

Introducing Captain Marvel Junior!

Captain Marvel Junior, the World's Mightiest Boy, had his origin in Whiz Comics #25 (published November 28, 1941).  But to fully understand his origin, we need to take a quick look at Master Comics #21 (published November 5, 1941).  Master Comics #21 tells us the origin of the villain Captain Nazi and how he was sent to the US by Hitler himself to challenge and destroy Bulletman, Captain Marvel and other heroes.  Captain Nazi's plans are thwarted by both Bulletman and Captain Marvel, and at the end of the story he leaves Captain Marvel with a menacing message - Captain Nazi will be going to Whiz Comics to beat Captain Marvel there!

We pick up Captain Nazi's trail of destruction that started in Master Comics #21 in the pages of Whiz Comics #25.  Trying to kill Captain Marvel's friend Whitey and trying to destroy a dam/power plant are among Nazi's dastardly deeds.  Captain Marvel finally catches up to Nazi as he tries to kill a pilot flying an experimental plane.  The world's mightiest mortal sends Captain Nazi flying into the waters of the bay with a tremendous punch.

Freddy Freeman and his grandfather are fishing in the bay when Freddy notices someone (Nazi) has fallen into the water and they take off to rescue him.  After rescuing Captain Nazi, Nazi repays their kindness by killing Freddy's grandfather and mortally wounds Freddy.  Captain Marvel rescues Freddy from the water and flies him to a hospital.  Cap transforms back to Billy Batson and waits for Freddy's diagnosis.  Unfortunately, the news is grim.  Captain Nazi broke Freddy's back and he's not expected to survive the night.

Billy Batson decides to take a desperate chance, so at midnight he takes Freddy down to the subway tunnel where he first met the wizard Shazam just a few years earlier.  Billy lights a torch and the wizard Shazam appears!  (Note - this is Shazam's second appearance in Whiz Comics!)  Billy explains what has happened to Freddy and if there's anything Shazam can do for him.  Sadly, Shazam says he can't, but Captain Marvel can!  If Captain Marvel will pass on a portion of his powers to Freddy, Freddy will survive.

Billy transforms to Captain Marvel, and then Freddy wakes up to see his hero and says, "Why it - it's Captain Marvel!"  As Freddy says his heroes name, magic lightning strikes and he is immediately transformed into Captain Marvel Junior!  Junior has all the powers of Captain Marvel, and Cap tells him he must use them to fight the forces of evil.  He also tells him, "You will have to go through life in your own form, but whenever you need me, speak my name and as Captain Marvel Jr. you will be able to do the things I do..."  Captain Marvel sends Junior to Master Comics to take care of Captain Nazi there.  

Freddy wakes up feeling like it has all been a dream.  While he has been saved from a sure death by Captain Marvel, he is destined to have a crippled leg for the rest of his life.  Freddy vows to carry on and to catch Captain Nazi and put him away so he cannot hurt anyone anymore.  Captain Marvel Junior would next appear in Master Comics #22 (December 5, 1941) and would also get his very own comic.  

Freddy Freeman was rescuing a stranger from death and it cost the life of his grandfather and almost cost Freddy his life.  Thankfully he was saved by Captain Marvel and was given the powers of Captain Marvel to help Cap in his fight on evil.  That is the amazing origin of Captain Marvel Junior, the world's mightiest boy!

The Original Marvel Family

The original Marvel Family was made up of Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and Mary Marvel.  Each of these family members received their powers from the wizard Shazam.  In later years, other characters would come to be considered part of the Marvel Family but they did not have any powers.  Uncle Dudley (Uncle Marvel) and Freckles Marvel are examples of the non-powered Marvel Family members.  (There were also the three Lieutenant Marvels (Hill Billy, Tall Billy and Fat Billy) introduced to us in Whiz Comics #21, but they were not considered members of the Marvel Family.)

Captain Marvel was introduced to us in Whiz Comics #2, published in December of 1939.  We are given Captain Marvel Jr.'s origin in Whiz Comics #25 in November of 1941.  Then, in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (on sale November of 1942), both Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. introduce us to Mary Marvel!  Each Marvel Family member had met the wizard Shazam and was given powers by him.

All three would go on to star in their own comics as well as other Fawcett titles.  Captain Marvel primarily starred in Whiz and Captain Marvel Adventures.  Captain Marvel Jr. would land in Master Comics and his own Captain Marvel Jr. comic.  Mary Marvel would appear in Wow comics and also her very own Mary Marvel comic.  

While they had tremendous adventures on their own, they also had combined adventures told to us through The Marvel Family comics, with issue #1 going on sale November 21, 1945.  This series had a total of 89 issues, the final issue published in September of 1953.  If you haven't read any of these comics, you are missing out on some fantastic stories!!

In the near future I hope to publish articles on the origin of Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel.  I'm also planning on writing about Freckles Marvel and Uncle Dudley, the Marvel Lieutenants, etc., as well.