Remembering Artist Kurt Schaffenberger

Remembering artist Kurt Schaffenberger on his birthday (December 15, 1920 - January 24, 2002) with another ending, the covers for the last two issues of Marvel Family (#88 and #89, October 1953 and January, 1954)...the last appearances of Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. before they showed up in Shazam! #1 at DC!

Remembering Artist Don Heck

Remembering artist Don Heck on his birthday (January 2, 1929 - February 23, 1995) with a couple of his lesser seen covers...

...his two covers for Marvel's Space-Born Superhero! Captain Marvel #5 and #6 (September and October, 1968).

A fine example of Marvel's interstellar heroes, the Kree Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), who came to Earth to spy on humanity, but ended up trying to save them, here, from the Metazoid and the Solam.

Happy 4th Of July With The Marvel Family

Celebrate the 4th of July with family...the Marvel Family, that is, as Freddy, Billy and Mary play the fife and drum on this cover to Marvel Family #23 (May, 1948) (likely by Pete Costanza) in their super identities of Captain Marvel Jr, Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel. 

Inside the issue, the Marvel Family deals with the Sivana Family, Captain Marvel deals with a distant relative of Thor, and more stories with Junior and Mary!

Celebrating Artist Frank Miller

Wishing a happy birthday to comic icon, Frank Miller (January 27, 1957).  

Usually known for grim city comics filled with ninjas, a few science fiction covers from Marvel Spotlight, featuring Captain Marvel.  (Marvel Spotlight #2 from September, 1979 and #8 from September, 1980, both inked by Terry Austin).

Frank also supplied a couple of other covers for Marvel Spotlight, #5 from March 1980, featuring a Godzilla story reworked into Dragon Lord, and #7 from July, 1980, featuring Star-Lord, with both of these inked by Bob Wiacek. 

On the shoulders of these would come greatness...

Captain Marvel Olympics

Holy Moley!  When Billy says Shazam!, some of the gods he gets his powers from are Greek.  It took some time, but Captain Marvel was involved in "The Olympic Game Of The Gods!" in a story by Otto Binder and Kurt Schaffenberger, under a cover by C.C. Beck in Whiz Comics #125 (September, 1950).

Marvel Comics Index Avengers And Fantastic Four

Continuing a look back at how readers tracked comics back before digital downloads and the internet, with two more issues of George Olshevsky's Marvel Comics Index.

This time around, focusing on the teams of the Marvel Universe, specifically the Avengers and the Fantastic Four!

The Avengers, Defenders and Captain Marvel

There was a time heroes in the Marvel Universe worked alone, at least until the threat of Loki, with plans to use the Hulk against his brother, Thor, united Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp with those two other heroes to form....the Avengers, as happened in their first issue in Avengers #1 (September, 1963, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby).

The third volume of the Marvel Comics Index series, The Avengers, Defenders and Captain Marvel, was dated August, 1976, so it was a little later than originally planned, but it had lots of information within it, all under a front cover by Neal Adams, and special back cover by Franc Reyes!

This issue covers a bit of the history of teams in the Marvel Universe, from the All-Winners Squad of the Golden Age to the recent teams of the Invaders (though set before the All-Winners, as they were a post-WWII group) and the Champions (the more recent to be covered in later issues of the Indexes).  This issue even gives a list of the members and brief histories of them (for any that won't have Indexes of their own, based on a format by Murray Ward).

The issues covered here are:

Black Knight #1-5 (May 1955 to April 1956)
(Though the Index makes a great deal about only covering post Fantastic Four #1 events, it does cover these 5 issues, about Sir Percy, the ancestor of the Black Knight who was a member of the Masters Of Evil, as well as Dane Whitman, who was an would become and Avenger, their relationship covered in Marvel Super-Heroes #17).

Avengers #1-151 (September 1963 to September 1976)
(The original Avengers formed in Avengers #1, but the Hulk teamed up with the Sub-Mariner, and left the group in Avengers #3, with Sub-Mariner leading to the discovery of Captain America from WWII in Avengers #4, who would change the Avengers forever, leading them against foes like Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil, Kang and Wonder Man.

All the remaining original Avengers got a little too busy to stay with the group, so Captain America had to assemble new members, which included Iron Man foe Hawkeye, and ex-Brotherhood Of Evil X-Men villains Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, all starting in Avengers #16.  Giant-Man and the Wasp returned (with he taking the name of Goliath), facing foes like the Swordsman, Living Laser, the Red Guardian and the Grim Reaper, while Hercules joined the team (and Black Widow hung around as well).

The team met the current Black Knight, added Black Panther as a member, then the Vision, while fighting Ultron and a new Masters of Evil, with Goliath becoming Yellowjacket, and Hawkeye becoming Goliath., and then fighting the Squadron Sinister, then their alternate counterparts, the Squadron Supreme, then the Kree-Skrull War with the Kree Captain Marvel.

Hawkeye and Ant-Man took their original identities back, Black Widow briefly joined, Swordsman rejoined with new member Mantis, the team fought the Defenders, Thanos, the Legion of the Unliving, learned more of the Vision and Ultron, fought the Squadron Supreme again, and the X-Men's Beast joined, with new heroes Moondragon and Hellcat leaving for a while in Avengers #150).

Avengers Annual #1-5 (Sep 1967 to January 1972)

(The first couple of Avengers Annuals had new stories tied into the regular issues of the time, but the last three annuals had reprints of important tales in Avengers history).

Giant-Size Avengers #1-5 (August 1974 to 1975)
(Larger issues like annuals, focused on the Vision and Scarlet Witch, as well as Mantis for the first four issues, with Kang, as well as having reprints, and the fifth was all reprint).

Captain Marvel #1-46 (May 1968 to September 1976)
(The alien Kree were introduced in Fantastic Four, but they sent one of their own, Captain Mar-Vell, to Earth, and he faced the Sentry #459 and established a secret identity for himself and met Carol Danvers in Marvel Super-Heroes #12 and #13.  Those were to be indexed later, this covers his early battles....

...then his change into a new costume, and getting bonded with Hulk and Captain America friend, Rick Jones, with the two of them facing Thanos, the Controller, the Super-Skrull and so much more after over their run of issues, with Captain Marvel becoming a universal protector and facing Nitro, even if they had a break in their run a few times).

Giant-Size Captain Marvel #1 (1975)
(Published towards the later issues of the run, this reprinted Captain Marvel's encounters with Captain America and the Hulk, though the Hulk issues had pages edited out for space!)

Weird Wonder Tales #7 (December 1974)
(An odd issue of 1950s and 1960 reprints, featuring Dr. Arthur Nagan, Jerold Morgan and Chondu the Mystic, who would come together to menace the villains turned heroes of the Defenders!)



Defenders #1-39 (August 1972 to September 1976)

(The Avengers were the cause of the Defenders, as sometimes menaces to mankind, Hulk and Sub-Mariner had teamed up before....and, after one brief gathering in two issues of Sub-Mariner with Silver Surfer, it was Hulk, Sub-Mariner and Dr. Strange who came together to fight Yandroth in Marvel Feature #1 that formed the Defenders.  The trio worked together again, fighting Dormammu in issue #2, and Xemnu the Titan in #3, before this non-team finally had regular meetings starting in Defenders #1 (August, 1972), with Silver Surfer joining the team in Defenders #2.

The non-team continued to add members who had been villains, with the addition of the Valkyrie in Defenders #4 and Nighthawk of the Squadron Sinister in Defenders #14, as well as having Hawkeye hang around for a bit as Loki and Dormammu battled, igniting the Avengers/Defenders War between their two titles.

As menaces grew, like the Sons of the Serpent, Nebulon and the grouping of the Headmen, the team gained temporary allies like Luke Cage, Daredevil, Yellowjacket, the Son of Satan, traveled to the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy and even a female version of a Black Widow foe, the Red Guardian).

Giant-Size Defenders #1-5 (July 1974 to July 1975)
(The Defenders even joined the Giant-Size craze of the 1970s, with five issues, half new stories and half reprints of individual stories of each Defender, all tied in to the current events in issues of Defenders).






This team book also had lists of every member who joined each team, as well as a little history on each team member that was not due to receive their own Marvel Comics Index, a break down of team membership issue by issue, some corrections of mistakes of previous issues, explanations of why the book was late, and an outline of future volumes of the series.




The Fantastic Four And The Silver Surfer

Fantastic Four #1 (November, 1961) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby started the current Marvel Universe, as well as introducing Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Human Torch and the Thing, as these four people came together after a mishap involving cosmic rays grounded their spaceflight and gave them super powers.  So, it would make sense that the fourth Marvel Comics Index of July, 1977 would cover this team, all under a stunner of a cover by Jim Steranko, that also featured the Silver Surfer.

The Fantastic Four fought many monsters (of the type faced in many old Timely books like Journey Into Mystery, Strange Tales and Tales To Astonish) that were on Mole Man's island, as well as invading aliens like the Skrulls in their second issue, and all these and so much more would become the basis for what followed.


The issues covered here are:

Marvel Boy #1-2 (December 1950 to February 1951)
(Still, a look back at features before the FF, with Marvel Boy, Timely's second character of that name, who fought alien menaces with technology from Uranus).

Astonishing Tales #3-6 (April 1951 to October 1951)
(Marvel Boy's tales continued with a title change to Astonishing Tales before his feature ended, though Marvel Boy did grow up and get revived in issues of Fantastic Four....kind of, as the Crusader).

Fantastic Four #1-180 (November 1961 to March 1977)

(The Fantastic Four kicked into high gear when they got their own headquarters and uniforms, and started facing Doctor Doom on a regular basis, while meeting with other members added to this new Marvel Universe, and expanding on the ideas they had already introduced.

The Fantastic Four continued to add enemies and friends around their Baxter Building confines, such as Molecule Man, Diablo, the Frightful Four, the Inhumans and the Black Panther over the years, as their family grew in size as well (and their new friends had foes of their own as well).

The Fantastic Four also had a few epic tales involving the Silver Surfer, the herald of Galactus, and his battles trapped on Earth, facing Doctor Doom, who wanted his power cosmic for himself, and how the Fantastic Four helped the Silver Surfer for a time as well.

Still, the Fantastic Four added a member for a while, the Inhuman, Crystal, with her elemental powers, but even then, her time with the team would come to an end, as did Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's run on the title.  New members like Medusa and Luke Cage would join for a bit, and the Fantastic Four would continue!).

Fantastic Four Annual #1-11 (1963 to 1976)
(Bigger than usual events, with in depth stories on Sub-Mariner and Doctor Doom, the wedding of Reed and Sue, the meeting of the original Human Torch and the current one of Johnny Storm, the teaming of the Inhumans and the Black Panther against the Psycho-Man, and the birth of Sue's baby as the team faced Annihilus....led the first six FF Annuals.

Then, they were reprint books including issues of the annuals above, until the most recent covered in the index, with the Fantastic Four meeting the World War II based Invaders!).

Giant-Size Super-Stars #1 (May 1974)
(This stand alone issue featured a Thing/Hulk battle, long a staple of the Fantastic Four since Hulk first met the team back when he had his original title. 

The title of this book changed with its second issue).

Giant-Size Fantastic Four #2-6 (August 1974 to October 1975)
(Taking over from the previous title, the book had new tales with reprints in back, including the introduction of the mutant Madrox the Multiple Man, then started reprints Fantastic Four Annuals to fill its pages.).

Human Torch #1-8 (September 1974 to November 1975)
(Wonderful reprints of the solo strange tales of the Fantastic Four's Human Torch, including the introduction of the Wizard and Paste-Pot Pete, along with a few pre-FF reprints of the original android Human Torch of the 1940s and 1950s).

Silver Surfer #1-18 (August 1968 to September 1970)
(Starting off with a flashback tale of how Norrin Radd of Zenn-La gave up his life and love, Shalla Bal, to save his world from the hunger of Galactus, the saga of the Silver Surfer on Earth would unfold.

Running afoul of the underworld Mephisto, Silver Surfer lived a tortured life on Earth, trying to escape the barrier which trapped him on this world, forever apart from his love, thought to be a menace to all by the end of this run of stories (which led him to work with the Hulk and Sub-Mariner, and later to be a Defender).

The index also has its usual updates from previous issues like the Conan index, cross index of writers and artists, as well as character cross index as well as a list of future issues, which would include focuses on original Avengers Thor, Hulk and Iron Man, and more!

JSA Vs The Marvel Family Crisis In WWII

To be fair, even though this issue involved heroes from different Earths, there was no Crisis here.  But, what the issues did have was a historic meeting, with members of the greatest hero team of World War II meeting with the youngsters who had the power of Shazam, all within the confines of the retroactive continuity of the All-Star Squadron, which, meant that this meeting was taking place while many Earths were facing the threat of World War II!

Thunder Over London

The story all started in All-Star Squadron #36 (August, 1984, by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Richard Howell, with cover by Buckler and Jerry Ordway), with some of the members of the Justice Society of America (Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman, Superman and Wonder Woman) watching a newsreel about a new "Super-Nazi" causing havoc over London...and even besting London's protector, the Shining Knight! 

All set to charge off to face this new menace, Plastic Man instead shows up to get the heroes to meet with the President instead, as Superman sees at a newsstand that this new menace resembles the comic book hero, Captain Marvel (and charges off to England anyway).  The other heroes still head to the White House (just missing a boy with a crutch and a young girl).  In Germany, Hitler plans with his new pawn, this Captain Marvel, how best to attack the allies (and that Hitler has Billy Batson prisoner....but, how?  Doesn't Captain Marvel come into existence in place of Billy when Billy says Shazam?  Why is he working with the Nazis?  What is that Spear of Destiny). 

FDR meets with the other heroes and sends them after Superman.  In England, Superman meets the recovering Shining Knight, and then goes to fight Captain Marvel.  The Superman vs. Captain Marvel battle goes evenly, with Captain Marvel retreating, but thankfully the JSA shows up to stop Superman from following (which would have led him into the mystic barrier Hitler set up with the Spear of Destiny that would allow Hitler to take control of any magic based or magic vulnerable hero, like Superman).  The heroes land in London, where they meet Freddy and Mary (the young boy and girl), who say their magic words and become....Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel!

Lightning In Berlin

All-Star Squadron #37 (September, 1984 by Roy Thomas, Arvell Jones and Richard Howell, with cover by Rick Hoberg and Jerry Ordway) picks up where the last issue left off....with Superman, upset from his battle with Captain Marvel, thinks about attacking the two younger Marvels, until Batman convinces him to stop (though Green Lantern and Junior and Wonder Woman and Mary skirmish a little as Superman doesn't quickly stop).  Mary explains how she just got her powers (in a world where they aren't comic book characters) and the three Marvels were flying when Captain Marvel disappeared.  Mary and Junior went to the old Wizard (Shazam) at the Rock of Eternity, who gave them enough information to track Cap here, and they were looking for help.  The heroes plan to go to Germany, but Mary and Junior change back to Mary and Freddy, and only Batman, Flash, Hawkman and Plastic Man can go to Germany (as magic heroes would fall under Hitler's Spear of Destiny spell).

At Hitler's headquarters, the heroes find Billy Batson...and are found by Hitler and Captain Marvel!  Hitler explains that he had his scientist, Hans Gootsden bring Captain Marvel to this Earth, and split Billy from Cap, with Cap under Hitler's control.  Gootsden does the same to Mary and Freddy, taking control of the Shazam powered Mary and Junior. 

The now controlled Marvel Family take a bomb from Hitler's arsenal, with the plan to fly and drop it on London.  The heroes  and alter egos escape, following along to London, where they are shot down.  Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern stop the bomb and fight Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr....and looks like the heroes nearly lose.  Meanwhile, the others are nearly shot...until the previous six show up and save them (inexplicably, the Marvel Family fell out of Hitler's influence...by flying Billy, Mary and Freddy out of Hitler's Spear of Destiny control).  The evil plan defeated, Billy guesses that if the three Marvels and their alter egos all say their magic words, they'd go home and be restored to normal....which they do (and readers guess they did!), as the JSAers and Plastic Man head home.

Green Lantern does learn that Cap was okay, as he ends up on Captain Marvel's Earth during World War II (and the Crisis On Infinite Earths, soon after the JSA was sent into hyperspace by Harbinger), and much later, after the Earths start to get designations (starting with the first JLA/JSA crossover), the Earth-1 Superman and Earth-S Captain Marvel meet as well.  This caps a little review, and a rare Earth to Earth crossover that did not involve Earth-1, but Earth-2 and Earth-S!

Shazam Super Spectacular 1

In what would have been DC 100 Page Super Spectacular #23 from editor E. Nelson Bridwell, Shazam! #8 (December, 1973) hit newsstands like a bolt out of the blue.....


....containing what was an incredible collection of the adventures of Captain Marvel and the rest of the Marvel Family from their golden years of Fawcett Comics.


Here's what was in the issue, under an original cover by Cap's co-creator, C.C. Beck.

A Twice Told Tale

Sivana has a plan in Captain Marvel Adventures #80 (January, 1948) by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck, that is, to go back in time to prevent Billy Batson from ever becoming Captain Marvel.  So, he invents time travel pills, and takes one just as Captain Marvel comes into his current lab....only Sivana forgot one thing, that, if he was changing time, he'd not know why he was going into the past.  Forgetting that, Billy's meeting with the wizard Shazam went as it usually did, with the lad becoming Captain Marvel!

Introduces Mary Marvel

This time around, Otto Binder and Marc Swayze give the story from Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (December 11, 1942) where Billy finds his unknown twin sister, Mary, and from nurse Sarah Primm, learns that she had been switched out for another family's dead daughter.  Meeting Mary Bromfield at the Mental Marvel Quiz Show, the young rich girl does well, and ends up kidnapped for ransom.  Billy and Freddy get captured and gagged, but Mary tries saying "Shazam" and gets a heroic identity of her own (as later revealed, as the old Wizard had planned). 

The Mighty Marvels Join Forces

Cap, Mary and Jr. form a Marvel Family, but they meet a distant relative in Marvel Family #1 (December, 1945) by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck, in a previous recipient of Shazam's power, Black Adam.  Teth-Adam had been granted the power as Mighty Adam in the days of ancient Egypt, but used it to take control, and was banished to the farthest star by Shazam.  Now called Black Adam, this evil Marvel returned, but was stopped by the quick mind of Uncle Marvel!

The Vest Pocket Levitator

A mischievous gremlin empowers the items of a street vendor in  Captain Marvel, Jr. #14 (December, 1943) by artist Mac Raboy, causing trouble for Captain Marvel Jr..  Jonas Weatherby gets the ability to fly with an egg-beater (!!!), and uses it to rob a bank.  But, Freddy Freeman's alter ego tracks the man down, and convinces him the error of his ways, that you can't steal from others to enrich yourself.

The Dog-Nappers

Poor Mrs. Upcreek comes to Shazam Inc. to find someone to get her missing dog, Brutus, in Mary Marvel #17 (October, 1947) by Otto Binder and Jack Binder.  Mary and Uncle Dudley quickly get on the case, stopping a group of dog-nappers via Uncle Marvel's usual misfires (and Mary Marvel's timely interventions), but....have no luck finding Brutus....until Uncle Marvel gets a biting pain reporting back to Mrs. Upcreek!

The Adventure In Time

Billy Batson finds an impossible adventure for Captain Marvel in Captain Marvel Adventures #71 (April, 1947) by Otto Binder, C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza....that of having to be in four parts of the Earth at the same time.  Thankfully, the Lt. Marvels are around, and Fat Marvel, Hill Marvel and Tall Marvel can take three of the assignments as Billy takes the fourth as Captain Marvel. Of course, that just means Sivana has to figure out a way to cause problems at the same time as well...

The Talking Tiger

An old hermit talks to a tiger, and he talks back in Captain Marvel Adventures #79 (December, 1947) by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck.  The tiger leaves the hermit behind to try out civilization, but runs across Captain Marvel, who thinks he's a wild animal on the loose.  Still, the tiger persists, and eventually gets clothes and a chance to talk to Cap, who then finds the tiger a job so he can be a productive member of civilization.

The Return Of Mr. Tawny

The tiger gets a name, that of Mr. Tawny in Captain Marvel Adventures #82 (March, 1948) by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck.  Better still, Billy befriends the tiger, and learns of his origin (just in time, as the boy who saved the tiger's life in Africa, and got him to the old hermit who gave him the formula to talk; Tom Todd, was framed for murder, just as Mr. Tawny was years ago).  Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny had to work extra hard to find the real killer.

A super collection of Captain Marvel Golden Age Fawcett goodness (with history of Shazam and his Marvel Family, Tawky Tawny, Black Adam and more)....enough to start what would be a nice run of reprints in Shazam!, though the others would also feature new stories as well!