Did You Know...

Did you know that in Whiz Comics #87 (published May 9, 1947) both the wizard Shazam and Captain Marvel had to end a quarrel among the gods?

It turns out that Mars, the god of war, had sneaked into Mount Olympia and was giving some of the gods (Zeus and Mercury) his nectar of evil!  This caused them to quarrel and fight among themselves.  Mars' malicious plot is uncovered and Shazam banishes him to the nether realms!

Did You Know...

Did you know that in The Marvel Family #17 (published on September 24, 1947*) we discover a little bit of the history of one of Billy and Mary Batson's family members?  I had written previously that there have been occasions when people thought they were related to Billy simply because they had the last name of Batson.  But what we have revealed to us in The Marvel Family #17 is a true relative from seven generations ago, and his name was William Batson.

We learn about this in the story "The Marvel Family Curse!" where Freddy happens to find the diary of William Batson who recounts his encounter with the Salem Witch!  William found the witch casting a spell on his best heifer.  He captures the witch and ties her up while he goes to get his neighbors, but on his return to the barn he finds the witch has accidentally set the barn ablaze.  The witch dies in the flames but not before casting a curse on the Batson family of the seventh generation!

While we have had stories of Billy's faux family, this was a true story of Billy's distant relative.  And, it appears, taking decisive action in the fight against evil runs in the Batson blood!



*According to Mike's Amazing World of Comics

Did You Know...

Did you know that Mary Marvel was once sent an extra powerful lightning bolt to get her out of a trap set by Sivana?  We learn about this in Mary Marvel #1 (published November 14, 1945*) where Sivana tricked her into wearing earrings that prevented her from gaining the Shazam powers.

We know that when Mary says the magic word, "Shazam!" she is transformed into Mary Marvel by a magic lightning bolt.  We learned in Whiz Comics #125, it's Zeus that throws the magic lightning that transforms Mary's brother Billy Batson into Captain Marvel (you can read about that here)!

In Mary Marvel #1, we find that Mary calls out to her patron goddesses to help her out of Sivana's trap and they respond!  Minerva orders Hippolyta to fashion an extra powerful lightning bolt to help Mary.  Hippolyta prepares the bolt and throws it from the heavens!  The powerful magic lightning defeats Sivana's trap and transforms Mary into Mary Marvel and restores the Shazam powers to her.  

So now we know that Zeus throws the magic lightning to transform Billy into Captain Marvel, and it's Hippolyta that throws the magic lightning that transforms Mary into Mary Marvel!

*According to Mike's Amazing World of Comics 

Did You Know...

Did you know that the villains IBAC and Mr. Banjo made their first appearance in the same comic?

In Captain Marvel Adventures #8 (published February 6, 1942*) we are introduced to IBAC in the story "Captain Marvel and the Curse of IBAC!"  In this story we learn how a criminal named Stinky Printwhistle becomes the super-villain IBAC and is ultimately defeated by Captain Marvel.

The very next story in the comic is "Captain Marvel and the Amazing Case of the Code in Music!"  This adventure introduces us to Mr. Banjo, a "master criminal, an ingenious plotter of crimes" who uses his banjo as a weapon of sabotage against the war efforts of the United States.  Captain Marvel beats Banjo, thus defeating this malevolent maestro!

Both IBAC and Mr. Banjo made their first appearance in Captain Marvel Adventures #8 in different stories.  They both appeared throughout Cap's golden-age comics and have even shown up in some present day ones as well!


*According to Mike's Amazing World of Comics

Did You Know...

Did you know Billy Batson's friend, Whitey Murphy, was a character that had his origin outside of Captain Marvel comics?

The Whitey Murphy character was introduced in the 1941 Adventures of Captain Marvel movie serial in which Whitey was a friend of Billy Batsons.  Murphy was played by actor William Benedict.

Whitey makes his first appearance in Whiz Comics #22 (published September 5, 1941) in the story "Captain Marvel and the Temple of Itzalotahui."   Whitey stops by Billy's office at W.H.I.Z. and the two young men are reunited after working on the Captain Marvel movie together and go on a wonderful adventure!

Billy and Whitey would have further adventures in the pages of Captain Marvel's comics.  For example, Cap helps Whitey get a promotion in Captain Marvel Adventures #12.

Even though Whitey Murphy was first introduced to us in the Captain Marvel movie, I'm glad they incorporated him into Cap's comics.  He's a great friend of Billy's and a great character who appears now and then on the pages of both the golden-age comics and the Shazam! comics of the 70s.

Did You Know....

Did you know Shazam is not only the great protector of mankind, he is also the guardian of the vast cosmos?  We learn about this in Captain Marvel Adventures #144!

In this adventure we learn that Shazam meets with Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury to resolve the problems of the galactic universe!  From his castle on the Rock of Eternity, Shazam and his helpers not only protect the earth, but the entire universe!

Did you know Shazam was the guardian of the cosmos?  I didn't until I read about it in Captain Marvel Adventures #144!

Did You Know...

Did you know Billy Batson had a royal doppelganger?  In Captain Marvel Adventures #137 we have the story of "Captain Marvel and the Royal Riddle" in which we are introduced to Tommy Archer.  Tommy is a shoe shine boy and friend of Billy Batson.  Not only do Billy and Tommy look alike, they are also both orphans!  

As the story unfolds, it turns out the Tommy Archer is actually King Alfreed, monarch of a small nation in Europe.  Tommy is brought back to his nation by an evil Prime Minister who plots to kill him so he can take the crown.  Tommy is saved by Billy and Captain Marvel and is installed as the new boy king!  Holy Moley - from shoe shine boy to king in just a matter of days!

Did you know Billy Batson had a doppleganger that was a King?  I didn't until I read this story in Captain Marvel Adventures #137!

Did You Know...

Did you know that Uncle Marvel (Uncle Dudley) was once given the Shazam powers for 24 hours?  We learn about it in Mary Marvel #28!

Uncle Marvel has no powers but that never stops him from trying to help the Marvel Family.  While he's helping Mary Marvel on a case he gets knocked out by a bad guy.  Mary wishes Uncle Marvel could have super-powers like her or Captain Marvel, if only for a little while.  Unbeknownst to Mary Marvel, the Shazam gods and goddesses hear her wish and Uncle Marvel is given super-powers for 24 hours!

It's pretty funny to see the physical transformation of Uncle Marvel and to see him use his new-found super-powers.  For just one day he was the World's Mightiest Uncle! 

Did you know Uncle Marvel once had the powers of Shazam for 24 hours?  Now you do!

Did You Know...

Did you know that the magic lightning that transforms Billy Batson into Captain Marvel is thrown down to earth by Zeus?  We learn this in Whiz Comics #125!!

In Whiz Comics #125, we find Billy Batson out for a walk when a horrible storm comes up all of the sudden.  Billy sees a young lady about to be killed by a falling tree and he says, "Shazam!" - but nothing happens!  Billy rescues the young lady himself.  Billy says, "Shazam!" multiple times and still there is no magic lightning and no transformation into Captain Marvel.  Billy asks, "Why doesn't Zeus hear me and send down the lightning bolt?"

We soon find out that Zeus is preoccupied with practicing his lightning bolt throwing for an Olympic event held among the gods!  Mercury interrupts Zeus and tells him that Billy is calling for the lightning and finally Zeus lets a bolt fly to earth, transforming Billy into Captain Marvel.

Did you know that Zeus throws the magic lightning down to earth, transforming Billy Batson into Captain Marvel?  I didn't until I read this edition of Whiz Comics!  For an additional article on Billy's transformation, click here!

Did You Know...

Whiz Comics #2

Did you know that the huge statues of The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man were not just mere statues?   We first see the statues in Whiz Comics #2 when Billy makes his first visit to Shazam.  Billy walks by them in what is called the Ancient Hall of Statues.  Then, in Captain Marvel Adventures #137 we learn that they are actually seven evil gods that Shazam had turned into stone!

In Captain Marvel Adventures #137, King Kull has released the evil gods from Shazam's stone bondage and it is up to Captain Marvel to save the day!  Billy goes to Shazam to get advice from him on how to battle Kull and end his evil plot.  It is in this visit that Shazam reveals what the statues really are!

Did you know that the statues of The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man were not just mere statues but were actually evil gods Shazam had turned to stone?  I didn't know that until I read Captain Marvel Adventures #137!

Did You Know...

Did you know that according to E. Nelson Bridwell, the mystery messenger that brought Billy Batson to the wizard Shazam in Shazam! #1 was Mercury!

E. Nelslon Bridwell was the Associate Editor for the Bronze Age Shazam! comics.  In Shazam! #20 (June 24, 1975) in the Shazamail! section (where fans could write and have their letters printed and questions answered) a reader asked "who was the messenger of Shazam who brought Billy Batson to the Egyptian magician for the first time?"  Bridwell's response was, "...I have an answer.  Who was the MESSENGER of the gods?  None other than MERCURY - who just happens also to be one of the SHAZAM gods!"

So there you have it - according to the Bronze Age Captain Marvel comics editor, Mercury was the mystery messenger who led Billy Batson to his fateful meeting with the wizard Shazam.

Did You Know...

Did you know Captain Marvel Adventures had an advisory board to help them "maintain high standards of wholesome entertainment" in their comics?  At one time, the distinguished board consisted of such noteworthy people as Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States and Admiral Richard Byrd, famed aviator and explorer of the Antarctic.

While members of the advisory board would change over time, the wholesomeness of Captain Marvel's adventures did not!  That is just part of the reason that Captain Marvel has maintained his popularity over the last 75 years!

Did You Know...

Did you know that Dr. Sivana, the world's maddest scientist, invaded the Rock of Eternity?  If you read 2014's Thunderworld adventure, you may have thought that that was the first time Sivana stepped foot on the Rock of Eternity.  But you may not have known that the first time Sivana invaded the Rock was in Captain Marvel Adventures #100!  I didn't know that until I read that issue!!

In Captain Marvel Adventures #100, Sivana tricks Shazam into giving him the shazamium bracelet - thus allowing Sivana the abilities only the wizard Shazam has!  Sivana quickly goes to the Rock of Eternity where he plans to rule not only the world, but the universe as well!

I thought the only time Sivana invaded the Rock of Eternity was when I read Thunderworld!  But now I know that Sivana invaded the Rock in the golden age of Captain Marvel in issue #100 of Captain Marvel Adventures!

Did You Know...

Did you know the wizard Shazam's original name was Shazamo?  I didn't know that until I read it in Captain Marvel Adventures #62!  

The wizard Shazam was the leader of seven heroes and derived his name from the first letters of each of the seven heroes' names.  Those heroes were Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury and Oggar.  (You can read more about Oggar in my post here.)

Oggar tells his story to Captain Marvel

However, Oggar the Mighty rebelled against Shazamo and was banished to the mortal world.  Shazamo also struck the letter 'O' for Oggar from his name and from that point forward became known as Shazam!

Holy Moley was I surprised when I read this!  It added a twist to the back story of Shazam which I never would have imagined.  Needless to say I am happy that he stuck with the name Shazam - Shazamo seems a bit corny to me!

Did you know the wizard Shazam was originally name Shazamo?  You do now!!  I hope you've enjoyed this article!

Did You Know...

Did you know that the way Shazam is able to transform into ethereal form and to travel back and forth from the Rock of Eternity is by way of a bracelet he wears?  In Captain Marvel Adventures #100 we find Tawky Tawny and Billy Batson speaking to Shazam.  Tawky asks Shazam how he can exist in spirit form.  Shazam then tells him that it is through his bracelet made from an element unknown to earthly science called shazamium.   

The shazamium bracelet allows the wearer to adopt ethereal form, whisk back and forth between the Rock of Eternity in the wink of an eye, and without the bracelet, Shazam will fade away into nothingness in 24 hours!

Did you know how Shazam is able to transform into ethereal form and instantaneously go back and forth from the Rock of Eternity?  Now you know that it is because of his bracelet made from the wonder element shazamium!!

Did You Know....

Did you know that the Captain Marvel Club was an unexpected hit with his fans?  In an interview with Roscoe Fawcett (son of Captain Billy Fawcett - founder of Fawcett comics) I learned that the club was an overnight success!  Here's a brief portion of the interview as published on page 12 of the Fawcett Companion.

"Fawcett Collectors of America: What about the Captain Marvel Club and all of the merchandise produced at that time... were you involved with any of that?
Roscoe Fawcett: Oh yes! We had to go out and rent an entire building just for the Captain Marvel Club... overnight! I couldn’t believe the response we got; we were flooded with mail... all of those dimes, quarters and dollars that came in! We had to hire six women who did nothing but open envelopes and empty out the money. We must have had between 30 to 35 employees hired solely for the handling of the Captain Marvel Club."

Holy Moley - they had to rent an entire building just to handle the demand for the Captain Marvel Club!  They also had up to 35 employees that did nothing but work on handling the club!  This is a great testament to how much fans of all ages love the Captain Marvel character.

Did you know the Captain Marvel Club was an unexpected hit with his fans?  You do now!!

Did You Know...

Did you know how Dr. Sivana got his name?  Dr. Sivana was the very first villain Captain Marvel faced (Whiz Comics #2).  C. C. Beck disclosed how Sivana got his name in an 1980's interview.  Beck said, "He (Bill Parker, Fawcett comic writer) created the word “Sivana” by combining the name of the Indian god Siva with the word Nirvana."  So there you have it - combine Siva and Nirvana and you get the scheming scientist Sivana!!!  I had no idea that that is how Sivana got his name!  It's always very interesting to me to learn these behind-the-scenes facts about Captain Marvel and his cast of supporting characters.

Did you know how Dr. Sivana go his name?  Now you do!!!

Did You Know...

Did you know that Captain Marvel can time travel?  That's exactly what he does in Captain Marvel Adventures #79.  (Note:  I've also read other editions where Cap does this but I failed to get the edition number - I'll update this once I find them!)

Captain Marvel exceeds the speed of light to escape the known universe and arrive at the Rock of Eternity (Note: He thus proves Einstein's theory!!).  Upon reaching the Rock, Cap uses his 'amazing abilities' to follow the time-line into the past and accurately reach the exact point in time he was looking for!  The World's Mightiest Mortal doesn't need a time machine or high-tech DeLorean to time travel!  

Did you know Captain Marvel can time travel?  I didn't until I read this edition of Captain Marvel Adventures!

Did You Know...

Did you know that Captain Marvel once traveled back in time to clear Shazam's name from a crime he didn't commit?  I didn't know that until I read it in Captain Marvel Adventures #79!

While Billy Batson was reading a book on ancient Egypt, he came across a story that said Shazam had stolen gold and jewels from Pharaoh.

Billy just knew this couldn't be true and so he calls upon Captain Marvel to travel back in time to solve this perplexing problem involving the wizard Shazam.  And as only he can do, the World's Mightiest Mortal cracks the case and reveals the true criminal, thus clearing Shazam of any wrongdoing!

Did you know that Captain Marvel once traveled back in time to prove Shazam innocent of a crime?  I didn't, but I do now!

Did You Know...

Did you know that Fawcett Comics had a published code of ethics for its comics?  I didn't until I read about it in the Fawcett Companion written by P. C. Hamerlink .  In an article on page 24, there is a Fawcett Comics Code of Ethics that lists 7 rules to be followed by everyone writing their comics.  This list was written in 1942.

Here is the first rule from the code:  "Policemen, judges, officials and respected institutions must not be portrayed as stupid or ineffective in such a way as to weaken respect for public authority.  Crimes against the law shall never be presented in such a way as to throw sympathy with the crime as against law and justice or to inspire others with the desire for imitation."

I've read many editions of Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures and can truly say they held to that!  It seems that they wanted to have wholesome characters and stories that instilled values into its readers. I'm not sure if you can make out the picture below, taken from Whiz Comics #115.  

On the left you see a seal of Wholesome Entertainment/Approved Reading.  At the bottom, next to the signature of W. H. Fawcett, Jr. it says, "Every effort is made to insure that these comic magazines contain the highest quality of wholesome entertainment."  I think Captain Marvel's comics did a great job of providing its readers with wholesome entertainment!

Did you know Fawcett Comics had a written code of ethics?  You do now!