Updated Posts

I've made some updates to the following posts:

• Captain Marvel's Magic Lightning Facts

• A Biography of the Wizard Shazam

Please take a moment to check them out!!

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!

Countdown to the Shazam! (Captain Marvel) Movie Premier

At this time, April 5, 2019 is the date for the premier of the Shazam! (Captain Marvel) movie!  How long do we have to wait?  You can find out by clicking on the countdown timer I created!!  Hope you find it helpful!!

Shazam! (Captain Marvel) Movie Premier Countdown Timer

Comic of the Week - Captain Marvel Adventures #1

The Captain Marvel comic of the week is Captain Marvel Adventures #1!  This was Captain Marvel's stand-alone comic and went on sale January 17, 1941 (about a year after Cap premiered in Whiz Comics.).  Remember that in Whiz Comics, there is one Cap story followed by stories of other heroes like Ibis, Golden Arrow, etc.  But in the pages of Captain Marvel Adventures, all the stories feature Captain Marvel!

Captain Marvel Adventures #1 featured the following stories:

"Captain Marvel vs Z"

"Out West"

"The Monsters of Saturn"

"Captain Marvel Battles The Vampire"

It's interesting to note that Jack Kirby was the artist for each of these Captain Marvel Adventures!

Blog Cleanup and Maintenance!

It's been a while since I've done some cleaning up and maintenance on the blog, so I'm going to spend some time this week doing that!

One thing I've had to do in the past several weeks is delete comments that were submitted on various posts.  Most of the comments were spam, some were questionable, and some were legitimate.  I had a problem with one of my other blogs were someone's comments created some problems with how the blog operated, so to be safe I had to delete all the pending comments on this one.  If you left a comment and don't see it published, I hope you understand.  Please know I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to stop by and read my blog.  Hopefully I can get back to publishing comments soon!

Yours for old Shazam,

Jeff

Introducing Joan Jameson

Joan Jameson was introduced to us in the pages of Captain Marvel Adventures #67 (October 4, 1946) in the story "Captain Marvel Gets a Secretary."  Joan Jameson became the secretary for both Billy Batson and Captain Marvel in this comic!

We learn that Joan graduated Business College and excitedly and determinedly goes out looking for work.  Joan's work ethic makes her determined to find a good job and work hard.  Since Captain Marvel is her hero, she decides to look for a job at WHIZ where both Cap and Billy Batson have an office.

Joan's job opportunity seems pretty slim when Billy advises her that he and Captain Marvel have no need for a secretary.  But Joan is undaunted and strikes a bargain with Billy - let her work as secretary for one day to prove herself!  Joan soon proves herself to both Billy and Captain Marvel who marvels at Joan's professional conduct and efficiency.

By the end of the story Captain Marvel tells Joan, "Believe it or not, you convinced both Billy and me that we need a secretary!  Report to work tomorrow morning and every morning after that!"  For Billy's part, he tells the readers, "Yes, folks!  Joan Jameson is our permanent secretary now!  Captain Marvel and I think she's swell!"

Not only did Joan become Billy and Captain Marvel's secretary, she also accidentally witnessed Billy's transformation into Captain Marvel!  She knows Billy's secret but she also kept his secret - not telling anyone!

Another interesting fact is that Joan was one of the characters that was caught up in Sivana's Suspendium trap that put Captain Marvel into suspended animation for over 20 years!  (You can read about that here!)  She went on to become a character in the 1970's Shazam! comic series.

I am really impressed with Joan Jameson's character as she is a great role model for both men and women.  She worked hard to put herself through college, she had the grit and determination to get a good job, and she impresses even a super hero with her hard work!  Though she's a minor character in Cap's comics, she has a ton of good character traits that make her a true role model!

Strength and Hope

Yes, Captain Marvel is my hero.  One thing that I can always count on when I read one of his comic adventures is having the feeling that I want to be just like him.  No, not necessarily having super powers, but being a decent, stand-up human being - one that puts others before himself and stands up for what's right.  Captain Marvel does that to me.  With that in mind, I've decided to incorporate some inspirational and encouraging words on my Captain Marvel blogs from time to time.  These will be words and thoughts that embody the Captain Marvel spirit.

This post is my first one.  I wrote these words several years ago during a time of great loss for our family.  I wrote the words to myself as a reminder and now I share them with you and pray they are an encouragement and inspiration to you.

One thing that can never be taken away from you is hope. Hope - there is a chance. Hope - there is another way. Hope - keep fighting and keep punching and refuse to give up.

It doesn't matter what the bad news is or what are the odds. Those things have nothing to do with hope. The only time hope will be extinguished is when you decide to give it up.

Hope gives strength. Hope gives strength to face another day or face another minute. Hope gives strength to not give in to despair. Hope gives strength to fight another round. Hope gives strength.