''Captain Marvel Adventures'' is a long running comic book

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

series that was published by

Fawcett Comics Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...

, starring Captain Marvel during the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...

Publication history

The series was the first solo series starring the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

after he was the star of the

title '' Whiz Comics''. It was first released in 1941. The premiere issue was written and drawn by

Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (born Hymie Simon; October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

. The series was a huge success at the time. It sold 14 million copies in 1944, and was at one point being published bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.3 million copies an issue. Several issues of ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' included a blurb on their covers proclaiming the series the "Largest Circulation of Any Comic Magazine". The series would be cancelled with issue #150 in November 1953. Outside of Captain Marvel stories, there were other featured character stories within the anthology every now and then, like Captain Kid.

Otto Binder Otto Oscar Binder (; August 26, 1911 – October 13, 1974) was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books. He is best known as the co-creator of Supergirl and for his many scripts for '' Captain Ma ...

and C.C. Beck introduced

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

s like

Ibac Ibac is a supervillain featured in American comic book, American comic books published by Fawcett Comics and DC Comics. Primarily, versions of the character serve as parallels to Captain Marvel/Shazam and Black Adam, sharing significant histories ...

in issue #8,

Mister Mind and the Monster Society of Evil Mister Mind is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Captain Marvel. Created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics, the character made a cameo appearance in '' Captain Marv ...

in issue #26 and

Mister Atom Mister Atom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC comics. He is a radioactive robot who is regularly seen as an enemy of Shazam. The character first appeared in ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' #78 in November 1947. Alon ...

in issue #78, which would remain recurring antagonists for the superhero. The series' most significant debut was introducing

Mary Marvel Mary Marvel (also known as Lady Shazam and Mary Shazam) is a fictional character and superheroine originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in ''Captain Marvel (DC ...

in issue #18, along with the formation of the

Marvel Family The Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family (also Shazamily), are a group of superheroes who originally appeared in books published by Fawcett Comics and were later acquired by DC Comics. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and artist M ...

. Also introduced was Mr. Tawky Tawny in issue #79.

Legacy

The success of the comic series lead

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

to file a lawsuit on Fawcett Comics regarding the character being too similar to

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, which Fawcett would forfeit, and DC would win.

Collected editions

* ''The Monster Society of Evil: Deluxe Limited Collector's Edition'' (1989, American Nostalgia Library, ). Compiled and designed by Mike Higgs. Reprints the entire "Monster Society of Evil" story arc that ran for two years in ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' #22–46 (1943–1945), in which Captain Marvel meets

. This oversized, slipcased hardcover book was strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies.

References

1941 comics debuts 1953 comics endings Magazines established in 1941 Magazines disestablished in 1953 Fawcett Comics titles Golden Age comics titles Comics magazines published in the United States Captain Marvel (DC Comics) {{Comics-stub

Publication history

Legacy

Collected editions

See also

References