Happy Veteran's Day

I want to offer my sincerest thanks to each and every veteran on this Veteran's Day 2015.  Thank you for your service and sacrifice on our behalf.  You are our defenders and have made our freedom possible.  Thank you and God bless you.

ICYMI

Here are some resources you might like - in case you missed it!

Facebook:

• Shazamcast Facebook page

• Let's Talk Shazam Facebook page

• Shazam the World's Mightiest Mortal Facebook page

(Don't forget to 'like' these Facebook pages!!!)

Miscellaneous:

• Blog post about the Adventures of Captain Marvel movie serial
• Blog post about the original Captain Marvel and Shazam of the new 52

Holy Moley, you can always find a lot of good information and reading material about Captain Marvel!

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!

Introducing Mr. Atom

Mr. Atom was introduced to us in Captain Marvel Adventures #78, and interestingly it is Mr. Atom himself who tells us his origin.  As I read through this story I couldn't help but think of Mr. Atom as an atomic version of Frankenstein.

Dr. Charles Langley created Mr. Atom when he focused an atomic energy ray onto a robot he had built.  A huge explosion leveled Langley's lab and Mr. Atom came to life out of the wreckage.  Captain Marvel rescues Langley from the debris while Mr. Atom begins to walk around Fawcett City gaining a lot of attention.

We soon catch up with Mr. Atom at the United Nations where he begins to threaten the world with force but is interrupted by a confrontation with Captain Marvel.  In this first fight between Cap and Atom, Cap is a bit surprised that Mr. Atom can stand up to his punches.  The fight ends when Mr. Atom punches Cap right out of the building!

No, Mr. Atom didn't win the fight!  Instead, Captain Marvel realized that he needed to develop a plan to deal with Mr. Atom so he allowed him to think he had defeated Cap. Then, using the wisdom of Solomon, Cap devises a fool-proof plan.

With his plan in place, Captain Marvel re-engages Mr. Atom in combat and with one final mighty blow, Mr. Atom is defeated. 

Mr. Atom says, "Captain Marvel was too much for me--that time!  But he could not finally destroy me.  Like the atom that gave me birth, I exist forever."  Mr. Atom then gives us a final warning, followed by some closing comments by Billy Batson.

I really enjoyed this story and especially the artwork showing Captain Marvel and Mr. Atom delivering their mighty punch.  I also liked the fact that Captain Marvel used his wisdom to devise a plan that would fully deal with Mr. Atom - he just didn't trade punches with him all day long!  

Mr. Atom would return and try to rule the world in Captain Marvel Adventures #81 but that would be the last appearance for Mr. Atom in Captain Marvel's golden age adventures.  

That is the origin of the nuclear nightmare known to Captain Marvel fans as Mr. Atom!

You Reddit Here!

The Shazamcast (@theshazamcast on Twitter) has been doing a lot of posting about Captain Marvel/Shazam on Reddit.  If you are a Reddit user, please take some time to read and add to the discussion! Here are some links to get involved in the conversation:

Fan Project:  Shazam subreddit

Reddit discussions of the Captain Marvel trademark proposal

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!  

Sales Figures Show Strong Demand For Captain Marvel

Clearly my blog is all about the Captain Marvel of the '40s and '50s and I have tried to stay away from getting into the Shazam of DC's New 52.  However, I became curious about how well some of the newer Captain Marvel/Shazam comics did via sales figures and I was pretty amazed!  

Let's consider Captain Marvel in Thunderworld Adventures.

Thunderworld Adventures gives us the story of "Captain Marvel and the Day That Never Was."  (Did you notice it is Captain Marvel and not Shazam?)  It's a great story that starts with the unthinkable happening at the very beginning - the Rock of Eternity comes under attack by Sivana.  This comic has a great story and beautiful artwork.  It could be the type of comic I could picture C. C. Beck drawing for Captain Marvel Adventures or Whiz Comics.  

But how well did Thunderworld do where it really counts for comic publishers - did it sell?  Holy Moley - did it sell!  Thunderworld ranked #41 out of 421 comics sold to North American comic shops as reported by Diamond Comic Distributors.  Thunderworld sold 47,714 copies in December of 2014.  Clearly fans new and old loved this Captain Marvel adventure.

Now let's consider the more recent Convergence Shazam.

Convergence Shazam had 2 issues with a fantastic story and art.  Like Thunderworld, it featured Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family.  It didn't quite have the whimsical nature of Cap in Whiz Comics, but it wasn't a dark and gritty story like many of today's comics.  

Did Convergence Shazam sell?  Yes, yes it did!  Convergence Shazam #1 sold 39,587 copies.  It came in as #61 of 479 comics sold in April of 2015.  Convergence Shazam #2 sold 32,984 copies, ranking it as #60 of 396 comics sold in May 2015.  (Note:  I stayed with the same source for sales for each issue so as not to skew the numbers by quoting from multiple sources.)

The combined sales of Thunderworld and Convergence Shazam is a phenomenal 120,285 copies!  Each edition sold well and ranked high in the sales chart thus indicating a true desire from comics readers to see more issues of Captain Marvel in action.

In my opinion, Thunderworld and Convergence Shazam offer Captain Marvel fans what they want.  These titles bridge the gap for both old and new fans.  They refresh the Captain Marvel character without damaging his origin or disenfranchising loyal fans of the Captain Marvel of the '40s and '50s (of whom I am one!)!  It is my sincere hope that DC comics takes note of this and gives us more like it.