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!

Celebrating Artist Leonard Kirk

Celebrating the birthday of artist Leonard Kirk (December 6, 1966).

But, how to celebrate the birth of this marvelous, super artist?

Why, with a couple of his Supergirl covers, featuring the Power Of Shazam, the female Captain Marvel (aka Mary Marvel) and CM3 (Captain Marvel, Jr.).

Covers from Supergirl #68 and #69 (May and June, 2002).

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

DC Comics Heroines For September

Since the 1976 Super DC Calendar featured this fantastic shot of the fabulous females of the DC Universe by Dick Giordano....

..seemed a good enough time to talk about who these five women are!

Black Canary

Dinah Laurel Lance premiered as Black Canary with what would eventually become her sonic scream to join the JLA in Justice League of America #75 (November, 1969 by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella), but, at the time, she thought she was Dinah Drake Lance (the original Black Canary), and continued to believe that for years as she transitioned from being a member of the Earth-2 Justice Society to the Earth-1 Justice League.

The story of how the daughter thought she was the mother, and what happened to the original Black Canary was eventually revealed in Justice League of America #220 (November, 1983, by Roy Thomas, Chuck Patton, Romeo Tanghal and Pablo Marcos), which turned the issue where she joined the JLA into a Black Canary first appearance.

Mary Marvel

Mary Bromfield found out she was Billy Batson's twin sister in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (December 11, 1942 by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze) thanks to them both possessing half of a locket, and Billy revealed that he could change into Captain Marvel by saying "Shazam".  Mary was a competitor in a trivia contest, covered by radio announcer, Billy Batson, and hoods tried to steal the prize of the show....with Billy and Freddy Freeman incapacitated by the hoods and unable to speak, Mary tried the magic word, and with a flash of magic lightning became Mary Marvel!  Mary then defeated the ruffians easily with her new powers.


Mary then worked with Billy and Freddy (Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr.) as the Marvel Family!

 

Supergirl

Kara Zor-El's rocket landed on Earth in Action Comics #252 (May, 1959 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino) in "The Supergirl From Krypton".  Superman found his cousin in her rocket, and helped her adjust to life on Earth, with a secret identity of Linda Lee at Midvale Orphanage for a time, while Kara operated in secret as Superman's secret weapon of Supergirl.


As time passed, Supergirl was adopted by Fred and Edna Danvers, faced a few of Superman's foes like Lex Luthor and friends like Batman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, then Superman revealed Supergirl's presence to the world in Action Comics #285 (February, 1962, by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney) as "The World's Greatest Heroine"...and best of all, these issues were all reprinted in giant sized issues of Action Comics.

Lois Lane

Lois Lane first met a young Clark Kent (Superboy) in Adventure Comics #128 (May, 1948 by Bill Finger and George Roussos) in "How Clark Kent Met Lois Lane" with Clark and Lois competing in a contest for the Daily Planet to get a story published, with Clark unintentionally giving the contest to Lois, as she got two stories on Superboy.

Of course, this was the Earth-1 Lois Lane (who loved the Earth-1 Superman, who was a member of the JLA).  The original, Earth-2 Lois Lane premiered in Action Comics #1 (June, 1938, by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster), and that Lois and Clark got married in the 1950s, as later revealed in Action Comics #484 (June, 1978 by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and Joe Giella).

Hawkgirl

Shayera Hol came to Earth with her husband, Katar Hol in Brave and the Bold #34 (February-March, 1961 by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert) as Thanagarian policemen, looking for the shape-shifting criminal, Byth Rok.  They used their advanced science and ancient Earth weaponry to capture the villain, but remained on Earth as museum curators in Midway City, as Carter and Shiera Hall, working with Commissioner George Emmett.

Over the years, the multiple Earths and various Crises weren't kind to the Hawk couple, as Hawkgirl (later Hawkwoman)  and her history got more complex.

Still, these were all wonderful heroines!

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!

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!