Remembering Artist Mac Raboy

Remembering artist Mac Raboy on his birthday (April 9, 1914 - December 12, 1967) with a couple of his Fawcett covers featuring heroes not in the Marvel Family...Minute Man from Master Comics #12 (March, 1941) and Ibis from Ibis #1 (1942).

Minute Man was Jack Weston, a patriotic hero who was also a member of the Crime Crusaders Club, and Ibis was an ancient Egyptian prince as well as a magician, revived in the modern day to fight crime with his Ibistick.

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!

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!

Remembering Artist Mac Raboy

Remembering artist Emmanuel "Mac" Raboy on his birthday (April 9, 1914 - December 12, 1967)...but instead of giving you some of his (many) Captain Marvel Jr. covers, here, instead is his covers for Bulletman, of which he did four...

...with Jim Barr going into adventures with his girlfriend, Susan Kent as Bulletman and Bulletgirl!

Mac also contributed to a few covers for America's Greatest Comics and Master Comics, which allow Captain Marvel Jr. to be snuck in here, along with Fawcett's other great characters: Spy Smasher, Captain Marvel, Minute Man and Mr. Scarlett!

Bulletman #2 and #3 (Fall 1941 and January 14, 1942)

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Bulletman #4 and #5 (March 11 and May 13, 1942)

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America's Greatest Comics #1 and Master Comics #22 (1941 and January, 1942)

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A Mary Marvel Christmas

Celebrate Christmas with Mary Marvel, as she does on this cover to Mary Marvel #8 (December, 1946) by Jack Binder.

Today is also the birthday of Mary Batson, the alter ego of Mary Marvel, who calls her super powered self into existence by calling the name of the wizard, Shazam!

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).

Happy Flag Day 2021

Saluting the American flag with Mary Marvel (the Shazam Girl, according to the cover) with this Golden Age cover by Jack Binder from Wow Comics #53 (July, 1943) on Flag Day!

Merry Christmas With Dennis The Menace

May you have yourself a Merry Christmas, and find everything you want under your Christmas tree..

 ..not unlike Dennis the Menace on this Christmas cover from Dennis The Menace Giant #61 (Winter, 1968) from Fawcett Comics.

Happy 4th Of July With Captain Marvel Jr

A happy Fourth of July to you and and yours, with a reminder to be careful when playing with your fireworks.

Here's a classic Mac Raboy cover to Captain Marvel Jr. #4 (February 19, 1943), with Cap Junior standing in the middle of the explosions (which he could do, because he had super powers; plus, that was artillery, not fireworks!).

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!

Shazam! It's Black Adam

Captain Marvel is Billy Batson, a young boy the wizard Shazam found, convincing the lad to say his name and gain his powers.  As Captain Marvel, Billy faced the evil scientist, Dr. Sivana, but while the world's wickedest scientist did keep Earth's mightiest mortal busy....who could match him physically?

Well, the answer to that was in Shazam's past, as he tried to create a champion before Billy, in ancient Egypt, having Teth-Adam say his name, to become the Mighty Adam, later to be known as.....Black Adam!

Here's his story!

The Mighty Marvels Join Forces

In his one and only appearance in Fawcett Comics, in Marvel Family #1 (December, 1945) by Otto Binder, C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza, readers are introduced to Black Adam!

Shazam relates the story of Black Adam to the Marvel Family (Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr. and Uncle Marvel), telling of Shazam's younger days, when he tried to pass his powers on to Teth-Adam, who after saying the wizard's name, became the Mighty Adam....except that the adult Teth then used the wizard's powers against the people of Egypt.....so Shazam banished him to the farthest star....and he had just returned to face the wizard and the family in this issue! 

The three powered members of the Marvel Family could just match Black Adam's power....but it was the old con man, Uncle Marvel, who tricked Black Adam into saying the wizard's name, changing him back to Teth-Adam, who, then aged to dust...and death!

This story had been reprinted a few times by DC Comics (in Shazam! #8 and in Shazam! From the Forties to the Seventies), as well as being included in a villain pin-up in Limited Collectors' Edition #C-39, so, one could tell E. Nelson Bridwell had plans for Black Adam!

The World's Mightiest Villain Returns

But, death can't keep a good villain down as learned in Shazam! #28 (March-April, 1977) by E. Nelson Bridwell and Kurt Schaffenberger.

Dr. Sivana is the reason for Black Adam's return, having invented a resurrection machine, the world's wickedest scientist revived Teth-Adam, who said the wizard's name and became Black Adam again! 

Black Adam went out to menace Billy Batson and his Uncle Dudley (who had been traveling the country in an RV), with Black Adam and Captain Marvel being equally matched again, but, Uncle Dudley used the same trickery to get Black Adam to say the wizard's name again, allowing Captain Marvel to defeat the villain (though with less fatal results this time).

When Earth's Collide

Black Adam ended up being one of the villains who brought about the big battle between Superman and Captain Marvel in the All-New Collectors' Edition #C-58 (May, 1978) by Gerry Conway, Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano which DC had been hinting at.

Immortal wizard Karmang wanted to revive the ghosts of his Mars, and figured the only way to do that was by smashing Earth-1 and Earth-S together to release enough energy to do that.  Using Black Adam and the sand creature from Quarrm to manipulate Superman and Captain Marvel into battle, Karmang almost succeeded, if not for the help of Supergirl and Mary Marvel.  One of the most notable events of this issue was Cap's use of the magic lightning as a weapon against Superman, but the story really only used Black Adam as one of two power beings to manipulate the heroes, sadly a trend that would continue in his early appearances.

World's Finest Comics and the Monster Society

Teth-Adam had a brief cameo in World's Finest Comics #257 (June-July, 1979), as Captain Marvel was verifying that Black Adam was not active (Teth was still in a specially built cell).  But, that was a preparation for his next appearance, when Black Adam joined Mr. Mind's Monster Society of Evil in World's Finest Comics #264 (August-September, 1980) in a story by E. Nelson Bridwell, Don Newton and Dave Hunt, but Black Adam had to share the space with the rest of Cap's foes, and even though this was his individual battle, he also shared it with Oggar, the world's mightiest immortal, so there wasn't much Black Adam in this issue, nor in the finish to the Monster Society of Evil saga, in World's Finest Comics #267 (February-March, 1981), where the villains attacked the Rock of Eternity, but Black Adam was one of the first dispatched there!

Black Adam

Still, Black Adam returned in DC Comics Presents #49 (September, 1982) in a story by Roy Thomas, Paul Kupperberg, Rich Buckler and John Calnan.

This time around, Black Adam had found himself on Earth-1 after his defeat at the Rock of Eternity (with Superman unknowingly freeing him from the Egyptian tomb he had been trapped under), and he planned on taking over that world...

....if not for some help from Captain Marvel and the powerless Billy Batson of Earth-1, who used a variation of the trick Uncle Marvel/Dudley used to defeat Black Adam yet again.  But, whether that Billy ever got to become a Captain Marvel on his own was a point that would soon be rendered moot....

All of these appearances helped establish Black Adam as a major Captain Marvel villain, and this Black Adam appeared in Crisis On Infinite Earths (issues #9 and #10) in the 1980s, before DC's multiverse changed, and, after one brief new beginning, Black Adam returned again, to face Captain Marvel, then later the heroes of the Freedom Fighters and the Justice Society of America as well as Captain Marvel and his family....even getting a six issue mini-series of his own!   Well.....Shazam! to you, Black Adam, and thank for being part of over 75 years of Shazam! history.

A Captain Marvel Christmas

Billy Batson had been use to celebrating Christmas alone, but after finding his sister, Mary, in the previous issue, Billy was able to say "Shazam!" with joy, as he and his sister both became Marvels!


Marc Swayze provided the cover to the second appearance of Mary Marvel in Captain Marvel Adventures #19, which came out on January 1, 1943, with Cap and Mary helping out Santa Claus!

Destination Moon Comic

Destination Moon was a movie, but it was also a comic book that came out in 1950 by Fawcett!


With a photo cover with scenes from the movie, Otto Binder, Dick Rockwell and Sam Burlockoff adapted the movie written by Rip Van Ronkel, Robert Heinlein and James O'Hanlon. 

The movie also came out in 1950, and focuses on 4 would be astronauts who wanted to make sure the American Flag was the first to be planted on the moon.  So, this fantastic group put together a rocket they called "Luna"...

....and headed out to the moon, which they had to do quickly, as the government was making a court order to prevent private exploration of space.  They had problems in space, as well as when they landed on the moon, which they said they did for all mankind.  

But, they miscalculated the amount of fuel needed to return....would one of them have to stay behind?

A historical movie, important for its special effects and realistic portrayal of space travel (though it would take about 19 years for us to make it to the moon) produced by George Pal and directed by Irving Pichel.  The movie won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
 

Amazingly, this story was reprinted by Charlton in March, 1956, with its first page used as the cover of Space Adventures #20, and this movie and comic were just one small step....to the United States making it to the moon for real!

 

Flag Day 2018 With Captain Marvel Jr

Salute the American Flag on Flag Day, along with Captain Marvel Jr. with this cover by Mac Raboy from Captain Marvel Jr. #9 (July, 1943)....

...which has both a patriotic theme, as well as supporting the efforts of World War II.

Captain Marvel Works With Tigers

Billy Batson was traveling the country with his uncle, when they came to Detroit, to see Mr. Tawky Tawny trying out for the Detroit Tigers, leading to "Mr. Tawny's Big Game" in Shazam! #32 (November-December, 1977) by E. Nelson Bridwell, Tenny Henson and Bob Smith.


What the talking tiger didn't know, is that Mr. Mind (the world's wickedest worm) also had plans for the Tigers at this time, forcing Captain Marvel to join the baseball team, and face off against a team of alien and android ballplayers, including Six-Foot Strug, Motorman, Great Skate, Stretch, Windup, Kaleidoscope, Hopper, Fly Catcher and Handyman. 

Holy Moley!

Origins of Tawky Tawny

Mr. Tawky Tawny first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #79 (December, 1947, though he didn't make the cover) by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck,  Mr. Tawny came to America, fascinated by a hermit's story of the United States of America (but not blinded by the hermit's fear of our country), came to our country from India in search of a better life.....


.....but, first had to stop frightening people, so had to buy clothes, get a job and walk upright (all of which he learned to do in his desire to be American and join in society....and the talking tiger did all of the above, mixing his light humor and earnest desire, tempering his animal instincts to join the world of man). 

In his second appearance, "The Return Of Mr. Tawny" in Captain Marvel Adventures #82 (March, 1948, by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck), his origin of how he could talk and walk was explained...


...where Tawny's mom was killed when he was a cub, Tawny was taken in and named by a missionary's son, Tom Todd, and given the power of speech by the hermit (who also possessed scientific ability, tempered by his hatred of society) after the tiger was falsely accused of killing a man, and later, reunited with Tom who had moved to the big city, saving him from a crime the lad did not commit (and the serum must have allowed him to continue to mutate, resulting in his ability to walk upright).

Fawcett Comics

Mr. Tawny continued to make appearances in Captain Marvel Adventures, in #86, #88, #90 (where a contest was launched to give him a first name), #92, #96 (where Tawky was decided on, coming from Mary Garrisi and Pat McLaughlin from Detroit, MI), #98, #100, #102, #104, #108, #110, #113, #115, #117, #119, #121, #123, #126, #128, #131, #134, #137, #142....

....ending his classic appearances with Captain Marvel Adventures #149 (October, 1953, the second to last issue of Captain Marvel's solo title)...


...with Mr. Tawny becoming a hermit, in the story rightfully titled "Mr. Tawny, Hermit", which went against his usually, peaceful, pleasant demeanor, where the lovable talking tiger wanted to be around people, and tried so very hard to fit in...



...or maybe Tawky just needed a little vacation, after all, it's not easy being orange!

DC Comics

Mr. Tawky Tawny was among the people in the crowd Dr. Sivana (the world's wickedest scientist) that was picked up in Sivana's globe of Suspendium in 1954 (which included Captain Marvel and the whole Marvel Family) in Shazam! #1 (February, 1973, by Denny O'Neil and C.C. Beck), and Tawny joined the revival of the Marvel Family at DC, appearing in new stories in Shazam! #1, #2, #4, #7, #11, #15, #16, #18 and #26 (and having many of his earlier tales reprinted as well), before his professional baseball debut in #32, then appearing in World's Finest Comics #259 (October-November, 1979), then in Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 and #10 in the 1980s, before Captain Marvel's world was rebuilt.

Mr. Tawky Tawny returned with supernatural origins during Jerry Ordway's Power of Shazam! run of the 1990s, and even featured in Grant Morrison's Final Crisis, proving you can't keep an old tiger down!

Marvel Family Versus The Mad Mummy

With Billy Batson getting his amazing powers as Captain Marvel after he said "Shazam" (the name of an ancient Egyptian wizard, and Billy's mentor), you'd figure that the Marvel Family would face a mummy at some point!

They did, in Marvel Family #79 (January, 1953) when "The Marvel Family Battles The Dynasty Of Horror" by Otto Bender, C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza, including the Mad Mummy (who, after his pyramid was found on the bottom of the ocean, and brought to the surface by Cap, Mary and Junior, who then had to face the monster, freed from his prison of a thousand years, and his gathering of monsters as well....).

The family even got advice from Shazam, as the old Wizard had faced him as well 5000 years ago (or so Shazam said....).

This attempt at cashing in on the horror craze didn't save Shazam or the Marvel Family, as their issues at Fawcett ended 10 later with Marvel Family #89 (January, 1954)...


....but the Marvel Family survived, ending up at DC years later!


Holy Moley!

Merry Christmas from Captain Marvel and friends.

Long before the X-men, Captain Marvel and his friends (Spy Smasher, Minute Man, Mr. Scarlett and Bulletman) were wishing you a Merry Christmas with Santa Claus with Xmas Comics #1 from 1941.

This was a collection of reprints from Captain Marvel Adventures #3 (August-September, 1941), Bulletman #2 (Fall, 1941), Whiz Comics #21 (September, 15, 1941), Wow Comics #3 (Fall, 1941) and Master Comics #18 (September, 1941) all under a new cover by Mac Raboy.  What Golden Age comic collector wouldn't love to find this under the Christmas tree?

Fawcett reprinted more comics, with Xmas Comics #2 in 1942, and, taking a few years off because of World War II, continued the reprints with Xmas Comics #3 in 1947, with different issues reprinted in each....under new Christmas themed covers.

Xmas Comics started again in 1949, running one a year until 1952 (totaling 7 comics), with the end of Fawcett Comics.

Shazam! It's Fawcett's Captain Marvel

A long time ago, Billy Batson first uttered the word, Shazam at the beckoning of the old wizard with that name, and became Captain Marvel!

Let's take a look back at the glory days of Captain Marvel, and the whole Marvel Family!

Captain Marvel

Billy Batson was the one who started it all, when he followed a stranger (secretly Mercury) into a subway tunnel, to meet an old wizard, who was dying and wanted to pass on his power to the boy...

...and bid Billy to speak the wizard's name, Shazam!...

....then Billy became Captain Marvel, as the wizard died, passing on his power.


All this (and more, including a battle with Sivana, the world's wickedest scientist), as well as Billy getting a job at Whiz Radio for Sterling Morris in Whiz Comics #2 (February, 1940) by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck.

Billy's powers were the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury, gained when he said "Shazam!" and was struck by the mystical lightning (and that's also how Cap changed back to Billy...

...all of which really meant he could fly, was invulnerable, super-strong, fast and smart).

Captain Marvel seemed like Superman, but in his earliest adventures, was serialized more like Flash Gordon, and was a young orphan boy's wish fulfillment....to be able to speak a magic word and become an adult and solve all his own problems.

Billy wasn't alone, he had many foes, such as Dr. Sivana, beastman King Kull, demonic powered Ibac, atomic powered Mr. Atom, the sinister Mr. Mind and his Monster Society of Evil, and, as he began during World War II, he also fought the Axis powers, and their representative, Captain Nazi (who was the villain that led to the beginnings of the Marvel Family).

Billy and his alter ego were the star of Whiz Comics until it ended, with Whiz Comics #155 (June, 1953), as well as Special Edition Comics #1 of 1940, which led to Captain Marvel Adventures, who ran 150 issues from January 17, 1941 (it was bi-weekly in its early days) to November, 1953...

...as well as being the main feature of America's Greatest Comics for its 8 issues from 1941 to 1943, that spotlighted other Fawcett characters as well, such as Spy Smasher, Bulletman, Minute Man and Mr. Scarlet.


A team-up with Spy Smasher led to our next hero...who ended up having ties to Captain Marvel! 

Captain Marvel, Jr.

Freddy Freeman was a victim, after a battle between Captain Marvel, Bulletman and Captain Nazi in Master Comics #21 (December, 1941), Captain Marvel followed Captain Nazi to Whiz Comics #25 (December 12, 1941, by France Herron, C.C. Beck and Mac Raboy), where Captain Nazi killed Freddy's guardian, grandpa Freeman, and injured the boy, forcing Captain Marvel to take desperate matters to save the child.  Forecast at the hospital not to live, Billy kidnapped Freddy and took him to the subway tunnel where he had gotten his powers from Shazam, and communicating with the spirit of Shazam, came up with the idea to transfer a bit of his power to the boy to save his life, thus allowing Freddy to become Captain Marvel, Jr. whenever he spoke his hero's name.

Captain Marvel, Jr. had pretty much the same powers as Captain Marvel did, only his appearance (other than getting a blue uniform) didn't change as much as Billy's did when he became Captain Marvel, and whenever he was only Freddy, he walked with a limp, as a reminder of Captain Nazi's attack.  Captain Marvel, Jr. worked with Bulletman in Master Comics #22 (January, 1942) to thwart Captain Nazi, and Captain Nazi became more of Junior's foe for a time.

Captain Marvel, Jr. had a few foes of his own...

...such as Captain Nippon (it was wartime), demonic Sabbac, slippery Mr. Hydro, flexible Mr. Acrobat, dreamy Mr. Morpheus, Vampira the Queen of Terror, mobster Graybeard, and even the scientist son of Sivana, Sivana Jr. (as well as facing off against Sivana himself more than a few times, both alone and with the rest of the Marvel Family....).

Captain Marvel, Jr. was the main feature of Master Comics until its end with Master Comics #133 in April, 1953, as well as having his own title, Captain Marvel Jr. for 118 issues, from #1 in November 18, 1942 to #119 in June, 1953 (miscounting one issue), and Jr. also teamed up with other Fawcett heroes occasionally, like Bulletman and Spy Smasher...

...even taking the lead of the one and only issue of All-Hero Comics #1 (March 17, 1943), as well as being there for the final issue of America's Greatest Comics...


...even showing up in a few Captain Marvel Adventures, like #52 to meet the son of Sivana, or all the way back to Captain Marvel Adventures #18, to meet our next character....   

Mary Marvel

Mary Batson first met Billy and Freddy in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (December 11, 1942, by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze), and this could be considered the first appearance of the Marvel Family, as the three main members were there.  But, at the time, Mary was known as Mary Bromfield.  Mary was the twin sister of Billy, meeting him thanks to competing on a game show Billy was hosting.  Criminals take Billy and Freddy hostage, and Mary finds out that she too can gain the powers of Shazam by saying his name, turning into a female version of Captain Marvel, called Mary Marvel during her time at Fawcett Comics.  Mary had a brief training session with her brother in the next issue of Captain Marvel Adventures, before heading out to her own series in Wow Comics, starting in Wow Comics #9 (January 6, 1943), where she also worked with Mr. Scarlett and his partner, Pinky.

Mary's powers were slightly different from her brother's...

....with Shazam breaking down as Selena for grace, Hippolya for strength, Ariadne for skill, Zephyrus for fleetness, Aurora for beauty and Minerva for wisdom...

...but she could pretty much keep up with the boys in super-feats.

Mary also spent more time facing supernatural threats, or more closely, adventures that sent her to magical lands, than fighting foes..

...though she did have a few...

...like Mr. Night, Mr. Question, Nightowl, and even the daughter of Sivana, Georgia, who also had a penchant for scientific crimes, like the rest of the Sivana family.

Mary lasted in Wow Comics until Wow Comics #58 (September, 1947), and for 28 issues of her own, Mary Marvel, series, that went from December, 1945 to September, 1948.  Mary worked with a few other Fawcett heroes here and there as well, but her biggest contribution to the Marvel Family was finding Uncle Dudley.....

Uncle Marvel

Dudley Batson was Mary Batson's uncle, and introduced in Wow Comics #18 (October, 1943) by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze.  Dudley found Mary's diary, and claimed to be Mary's uncle, but the Marvel's figured better.


Thing is, Dudley was charming and mostly harmless (except to himself)...

....so they let him hang around and fed his fantasy to keep him safe (and others safe from him).

Dudley didn't have any powers, but did fashion his own "Shazam" suit to stand with the rest of the Marvel Family.


Uncle Marvel appeared in Wow Comics #24 (April, 1944), met Captain Marvel in Captain Marvel Adventures #43 (February, 1945) and Jr. in Master Comics #61 (May, 1945), (with appearances in Mary Marvel #34 and #35 between), before finally being accepted as a member of the Marvel Family with Marvel Family #1 (December, 1945).

It was a good thing, too, as Dudley was the one who stopped Black Adam (Shazam's evil protege from ancient Egypt) who had the full Shazam powers, and planned much evil on Earth, at least until Dudley got him to say Shazam, turning Black Adam back to his mortal form of Teth-Adam, where he died of old age.

Uncle Marvel, or Dudley, appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #53 (February 1, 1946), Captain Marvel Adventures #59 (April 26, 1946), Marvel Family #2 (June, 1946), Marvel Family #8 (February, 1947), Marvel Family #10 (April, 1947 - facing the combined might of the Sivana Family), Marvel Family #14 (August, 1947), Mary Marvel #17 (October, 1947) and Mary Marvel #28 (September, 1948), before fading out for a time.  But, the Marvels really didn't need an unpowered man around, when they had three more men with the power of Shazam!

Lieutenants Marvel

Back to Billy Batson.  But Captain Marvel's alter ego wasn't the only Billy Batson, there were three others (at least) that also had that name, and they met in Whiz Comics #21 (September 5, 1941) by C. C. Beck. 

A tall Billy from Texas, a "hill" Billy from the Ozarks and a fat Billy from Brooklyn all got together, and the four were threatened by Sivana...

...and the only way the group could escape was to all yell "Shazam!" at the same time as too much noise was being made for the old wizard to hear Captain Marvel's alter ego...and this resulted in all four of the Billys being turned into versions of Captain Marvel, just in time to defeat Sivana. 

Each of the three other Billys (Tall Marvel, Hill Marvel and Fat Marvel) had the same powers as Captain Marvel...

...but the three could only change if all four Billys were present and said Shazam...


....so by necessity, you always saw the three Lieutenant Marvels together. 

The team next appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #4 (October 31, 1941, but not on the cover), then Whiz Comics #29 (April 17, 1942), Whiz Comics #34 (September 4, 1942) and Whiz Comics #40 (February 19, 1943)...

...before becoming official Marvel Family members with Marvel Family #2 (June, 1946).  It sure took some time as they predated the rest of the Marvel Family!

The Lt's next appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #62 (June 7, 1946) and Captain Marvel Adventures #71 (April, 1947) before disappearing for a time...



...but neither of those appearances have the 3 Lieutenants on the cover, so instead, take a look at this happy gathering from Whiz Comics #59 (October, 1944), to take a look at the extended Marvel Family in an impossible photo (as Billy, Mary and Freddy are in the picture, along with Cap, Mary and Junior, as is Uncle Marvel!  Even the old wizard, Sterling Morris and a few others like Beautia Sivana, and foes like Sivana, Mr. Mind and Ibac showed up here as well....).

Sadly, with the ironic cover of Marvel Family #89 (January, 1954, drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger), the Marvel Family was gone, or at least Fawcett's version of them was.

Kurt went to work for DC Comics, and snuck him in an issue of Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane (#42 from July, 1963, for only a cameo, and colored differently in green, but colored correctly for the reprint in Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #104 of September-October, 1970), and later still, DC made it official and purchased the Captain and his family...

...though failing to secure the rights to the Captain Marvel name on the cover, Stan Lee and the Marvel folks caught that in the 1960s, and created their own Captain Marvel.

So, when Captain Marvel debuted at DC, the comic ended up being called Shazam, which was a defining phrase of the hero!  This continued on the adventures of the Fawcett Marvel Family, moving them into the 1970s for 35 issues, then a back up feature in World's Finest Comics, and two issues in Adventure Comics (as a digest-sized book), and they survived through the Crisis on Infinite Earths, with their separate status on Earth-S ending with that series.

Captain Marvel was the first of the Marvel Family to come back, with Legends #1 (November, 1986), and later, after Jerry Ordway retooled Captain Marvel with his Power of Shazam Graphic Novel (January, 1994), which led into a Power of Shazam series, even Mary and Freddy came back as well.

Holy Moley!