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| Denver, CO |
Captain Marvel Adventures 30 Universal
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8.0
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This was my first CGC acquisition. I just loved the cover but the grade could be better. I know where there is an 8.5 for sale but I wouldn't bother unless I find a 9.0 which is currently the highest grade.
(Published) December 1943
(Cover) C.C. Beck
12 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Battles the Forty Million Dollar Denver Plot"
City story: Denver, Co
Billy Batson travels to Denver after getting a letter from a boy named Jimmy Deevers asking Capt. Marvel for help. He's given a tour and arrives at the boys house to the laughter of Jimmy's friends who are amused that Billy showed up instead of Cap. Later, Jimmy explains his concern that a hermit who owns a scrap rubber depot isn't recycling for the war effort. Billy approaches the hermit to convince him to recycle but discovers the man is a Nazi and Billy is knocked out by a pair of henchmen. Billy overhears their plan to dig a hole under the Denver min. The lead Nazi goes to execute Billy when he's knocked down by a pair of dogs. The Nazi runs after the dogs, meanwhile Jimmy dashes in and releases Billy allowing him to transform. Capt. Marvel cleans house and then finds more Nazi's in the tunnel. He takes care of them and that's pretty much it. Spy ring destroyed.
12 page Captain Marvel story
"The Modern Robinson Crusoe"
Mr. Morris calls Billy into his office where he introduces him to Seaman Frank Smith, a man who survived on a desert island for 107 days. He claims to have survived using a copy of Robinson Crusoe to guide him. Mr. Morris decides to duplicate the feat by dropping Billy on a deserted island with nothing more than a copy of the book and a radio. And I mean nothing as in no clothes. Unfortunately Billy's copy of Robinson Crusoe is badly damaged by sea water rendering it useless (as if it ever would have been useful) so he wanders the island when he spots footprints in the send. He see a figure and drops on him only to discover his friend Steamboat (a horribly racist character who was eventually dropped from the series). Steamboat (likewise almost completely naked) confesses he stowed aboard Mr. Morris's yacht to assist Billy.
First order of business is to build shelter so Billy changes to Capt. Marvel and builds a nifty log cabin which seems like kind of a cheat. Next up is clothing and they both wear grass skirts. As the comedy relief, Steamboat puts on a hat made of poison ivy with obvious results. Next, they make a snare but Steamboat sits on top of it and is flung into the air. Billy transforms to rescue Steamboat and in his thought balloon believes that other than this incident it's been Billy who's pretty much done everything. Um, did he forget the cabin?
Billy does his first broadcast where it's picked up by WCOP in Boston where Art Moger (I assume a radio guy from the 40's) relays the broadcast. So where precisely IS this deserted island? Off the coast of Massachusetts. Meanwhile on the other side of the island is a tiny Nazi camp where a Nazi is tracking allied ships (this story was during WW II). In the morning Billy and Steamboat find a rabbit in their snare but the two are too softhearted to actually cook him. In a ridiculous stroke of luck an entire barnyard of animals make their way to Billy and Steamboats cabin but the two can't bring themselves to eat any of them. Cap finally suggests the obvious which is to eat fruits and vegetables.
That night the Nazi spots our two heroes and unleashes on them with a machine gun prompting Billy to transform and punch the rat a good 20 yards. In fact he punches him so far he loses track of him and the Nazi sneaks away. Later, Billy does his daily broadcast and mentions that there is now a Nazi on the island. One would think people would do something about this situation but instead the experiment is allowed to continue. Billy goes out to explore the island and hears the Nazi broadcasting allied positions so he changes to Capt. Marvel and punches him out. He then rushes off to stop an allied ship from being sunk. The Nazi comes to kill Steamboat (why can Marvel not take care of this guy). This time Steamboat takes care of the situation himself with the help of his animal friends and their snare. Billy does a final broadcast. The End.
15 page Captain Marvel story
"The Baron of Barracuda Bay"
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 9: The Webs of Destruction"
(Appearances)Mr. Mind, Smashi, Herr Phoul, Jorrk
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
(Reprinted) Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
The story opens with Billy Batson trapped in a cocoon of Mr. Mind's creation in a dusty corner of the Great Wall of China. Some Chinese boys playing on the wall release him thinking a butterfly will emerge. With one magic word Marvel is back on the trail of Mr.Mind. Meanwhile, Mr. Mind is meeting with Dr. Smashi, Herr Phoul and Jorrk of the planet Punkus (who looks like an alligator man) The four head to Australia under Mr. Mind's direction. The Australian air force tries to defend but Mind's 'spider plane' (which looks more like a dragonfly) catches the planes in a net. Capt. Marvel catches wind of what's going on and flies to Australia. He arrives just in time to catch the planes before they crash.
That night Capt. Marvel is standing watch over an Australian military base when Mr Mind returns in his spider plane and drops a net over the entire camp. Marvel is trapped so firmly that Mr. Mind is able to stand on his nose and mock him. Capt. Marvel does manage to get free and sends the villains running with a vicious roundhouse. He turns the spider planes guns around causing them to trap themselves. They all parachute to safety but the Australian general wrapped in webbing drops from the plane leaving Capt. Marvel to rush to his rescue.
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| Buffalo, NY |
Captain Marvel Adventures 31 Universal
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9.2
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This is the second highest grade after a single 9.4.
(Published) January 1944
(Cover) C.C. Beck
12 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel in Buffalo"
[script] Rod Reed
City story: Buffalo, NY
Billy Batson is touring a water processing plant in Buffalo when he hears the sound of a bullet. Billy transforms and catches the bullet before it hits the pump (which is pretty darn impressive). The bullet was filled with a liquid intended to polson the water supply. The shooter escapes but leaves footprints with Swastika designs in the sole (groan). Later, Billy finds the same Swastika footprints on the sidewalk at Lafayette Square (double groan). Billy changes to Cap when he spots a man falling from a building. It turns out to be his guide Mr. Richter who fell from the top of the Rand building after he spotted the Swastika footprints using binoculars (triple groan).
For a reason I won't get into a crowd believes that some salesman selling "power water" actually changed Billy into Cap and everyone wants a drink. The shooter decides to destroy the power water and puts a bullet into a barrel of it. The unsuspecting salesman starts handing out cups of the contaminated water. It turns out the liquid gives everyone googly eyes and they can no longer work (including helping in the war effort). Mayhem ensues in Buffalo as all the googly eyed residents bumble about. Cap spots the swastika footprints again and nabs the shooter. Turns out the 'cluck-eyed curse' will wear off in 24 hours but the damage that will be done in that time will take months to repair.
By an amazing coincidence the salesman who sold the power water also sells some defected glasses that turn out to reverse the cluck-eyed curse. Captain Marvel manages to use the glasses to get everything back up and running. Turns out the shooter was just a miser who hated seeing anyone else make money in war plants. The design on his soles weren't swastika's but were Indian peace signs. None of that makes the least bit of sense.
13 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Enforces the Laws of Gravity"
[Script] Otto Binder
[Pencil/Inks] C.C. Beck
For some strange reason the Council of Gods decide to repeal the law of gravity. No sooner was the law repealed then everything on Earth started floating. Billy changes to Capt. Marvel and begins flying around helping people and preventing crimes. He comes across a scientist who correctly deduced the source of the problem is a castle of God like beings he spotted through some kind of scientific instrument. Cap flies up and the Gods immediately admit to removing gravity but order him into a waiting room.
The waiting room is filled with beings of other grievances but Cap learns that the wait appears to be interminable so he bursts in on the Gods and demands immediate action. One of the Gods hurls a lightning bolt at Marvel inadvertently changing him back to Billy. Seeing Cap destroyed he hurls a larger bolt but this only transforms him back again. One of the Gods figures out who this powerful opponent is and demands a repeal of Capt. Marvel. The God tries to revoke Cap by stamping a book but Marvel grabs the huge tome and smashes the God in the face. The author Gods banish the offending God for 14 thousand years and restore gravity in response to the recent bad legislation. Everything goes back to normal.
12 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Fights His Own Conscience"
[Script] Otto Binder
[Pencil/Inks] C.C. Beck
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 10: The Booby Traps of Mr. Mind"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencil/Inks) C.C. Beck
Capt. Marvel rescues the General who is plummeting to Earth while wrapped in a spider web created by Mr. Mind. Meanwhile the marines are recovering from the webbing dropped on them and Mr. Mind's allies are likewise recovering from the pummeling they received from Capt. Marvel last issue.
Later, Cap leads a charge from the marines on a Japanese held island called Island Z which just happens to have one of Mr. Mind's bases. Cap discovers the base, now abandoned, and decides to rip a portrait of Mr. Mind off the wall to vent is anger. He ends up setting off a booby trap, in fact the entire place is booby trapped. After springing all the traps Cap comes across a letter from Mr. Mind telling him he is on Planetoid Punkus. There is a final trap that includes a recording of Billy Batson saying 'Shazam' which causes a bolt of lightning to transform Cap. I love that Billy says out loud, 'Holy Moley, I'd better change back quick', rather than just shouting Shazam. Mechanical hands quickly grab him and toss him in a rocket ship which launches him all the way to the Planetoid Punkus. Billy is captured by Mr. Minds allies including a native of Punkus named Jorrk and then shown Mr. Mind's ultimate weapon, a mile long cannon called Big Bertha. Billy is placed in a prison so he can watch Big Bertha destroy the Earth.
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| Dallas, TX |
Captain Marvel Adventures 32
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9.4
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Single Highest Grade. There is a Davis Crippen "D" with an 8.0 grade but I'm not sure what the other pedigree comics are.
(Published) February 1944
(Cover) C.C. Beck
13 page Captain Marvel story
"Deep in the Heart of Dallas"
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
City story: Dallas, Tex
Capt. Marvel arrive in Texas to a celebration but one Dr. Foozle is trying to convince the mayor that Mole Men under Dallas are preparing to attack but the mayor ignores the warning. Dr. Foozle goes to the Dallas Morning News newspaper but has no more success in convincing them. Instead they print a headline on Capt. Marvel helping out with the parade fires a bullet at Marvel but it bounces off and shatters his own glasses. Foozle begins ranting about mole men and Capt. Marvel offers to listen. Foozle explains it not knowing he's talking to Marvel since his glasses were busted.
While Dr. Foozle is explaining his theory to Capt. Marvel one of his neighbors houses is swallowed by the ground. He rushes over to Foozles lab to tell him his house has been stolen. Dr. Foozle goes to get another pair of glasses that he just remembered he owned so Capt. Marvel changes back to Billy so Foozle won't know it was he he was talking to. They go next door and Billy step into the garage which then gets pulled into the ground. Turns out the mole men DO exist and they knock out and gag Billy.
Later that night more and more houses are stolen sending Dallas into a panic. A few mole children remove Billy's gag to see if he can talk and he transforms and escapes his prison. Capt. Marvel grabs the leader of the moles and takes him to the surface. He goes to visit Dr. Foozle but the mole king smashes him in the belly breaking his glasses. Hilariously this being Dallas, Marvel sets up cowboys with lariats around the city to grab any mole that pops out of the ground. He then creates a synthetic eclipse using the top of a water tower (would never work) The mole men come out of the ground to rescue their king but Cap tilts the tower lid blinding the moles and allowing the Texas cowboys to round them up. The mole king repents and returns all the buildings to their rightful place.
11 page Captain Marvel story
"Capt. Marvel and the Military Misfit!"
(Pencils) C.C. Beck
(Inks) Pete Costanza
Billy Batson and Mr. Morris is upset that a rival radio station is trying to emulate their success with their own boy reporter named Willie Watson. What's more upsetting is that his first report is about a professional boxer who joined the army and was assigned as a cook baking cakes. The report makes the military look bad giving such a ridiculous assignment. Billy meets with the boxer who is upset and embarrassed to have been put in such a position. Billy then meets with the boxers mom who informs Billy that when the boxer was younger he showed a real talent for baking. Suddenly Billy is captured by foreign spies intent on killing him. It turns out the whole radio report was done to make the military look bad and Willie Watson isn't even a young boy. Also, the boxer secretly liked his job and was correctly assigned so the military did it's job well. Billy manages to escape and changes to Capt. Marvel allowing him to take care of the foreign spies.
12 page Captain Marvel story
"The Glass-Blower of Greenpoint!"
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
8 page Captain Marvel story
"he Monster Society of Evil, Chapter 11: The Firing of Great Big Bertha"
(Appearances)Mr. Mind, Smashi, Herr Phoul, Jorrk
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
(Reprinted) Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
The story opens with Billy Batson imprisoned on the planet Punkus. From his cell he can see an enormous cannon capable of producing 1000 mile wide craters on Earth. Billy infuriates an alligator guard into rushing into his cell who rushes in and yanks off his gag apparently unaware of Billy's ability to transform. Changing to Capt. Marvel he punches the guard into a wall and escapes. Cap discovers that the alligator people mount the heads of their ancestors on the wall and if that weren't disgusting enough he puts one of the heads over his own head to pass as an alligator man himself. He is led to the cannon and sees mile long shells packed with a billion tons of dynamite.
Cap removes the alligator to wipe the sweat from his brow and is discovered. He's rushed by the enemy prompting him to throw some dynamite blowing up the entire munitions plant killing Herr Phoul and Jorrk. When Mr. Mind discovers the destruction of the plant he orders Dr. Smashi to immediately fire on Earth with Big Bertha. With a might BAM a billion tons of dynamite are launched at Russia. A second is fired at America. Can even the World's Mightiest Mortal stop these twin destructions?
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| Omaha, NE |
Captain Marvel Adventures 33 Universal
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7.5
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An embarrassingly low grade. There are two 9.4's in existence with one being a Mile High copy. I know where I can get a 9.0 copy but it's not high on my list of priorities.
(Published) March 1944
(Cover) C.C. Beck
12 page Captain Marvel story
"The Omaha Adventure"
City story: Omaha, Neb
Billy is sent to Omaha to do a story on Father Flanagan's Boys Town. When he arrives, an unsuccessful attempt is made on his life. The killer doesn't want Billy to broadcast from Boys Town lest it become more popular than his own "Slicker City" where he teaches crime. He starts canvasing the town with flyers for Slicker City but the Boys Town boys laugh it off.
Billy checks out Slicker City but it's clear that the boys attending had intended to go to Boys Town. The man running the show offers to train them in crime but the boys respond by pummeling him. When he pulls out a gun Billy steps forward but the boys start to pound the man again before Billy transforms and punches him out. The man is sent to jail for attempted murder and the story closes with Billy doing a broadcast promoting Boys Town.
12 page Captain Marvel story
"The Great Stone Face"
Steamboat delivers a coded message to Billy who uses his Capt. Marvel decoder to decipher it's a request for help from someone named Johnny Brown with an address. When Cap arrives he spots someone peeking through a hole and pulls a man named Mr. Gotsum Talentte through the wall. A group of boys, including Johnny Brown, emerge saying they hired Talentte to carve a massive face of Cap on the side of a mountain and they need the hero to pose.
A couple of thugs want the mountain but the owner refuses to sell as he already promised it to the boys. They decide they can't allow the face to be built lest the value of the mountain increase significantly so they hire a rival of Talentte to cause an "accident". The rival cuts Talentte's scaffolding ropes but Capt. a Marvel saves the sculptor. Next, the saboteur messes with Talentte's dynamite to cause it to explode prematurely but it's Cap who picks it up. With no more dynamite Cap decides to help out directly and carve the relief.
The face is finished and hidden to prepare for an unveiling but the rival slips under the tarp and does some alterations. When the canvas drops Cap is shown to have glasses. a red nose and buck teeth. The rival is also under the canvas with a gun and takes a shot at Talentte hitting him in the shoulder. Cap tries to punch the rival but misses and drives himself completely into the mountain. With the sculpture ruined the crook offers $5000 to the mountains owner and he accepts. He's about to sign when Cap reappears and announces that the mountain is filled with bauxite and worth far more that $5000. The crooks are arrested, Talentte vows to carve another face and the U.S. has a huge volume of Bauxite (Aluminium) for the war.
11 page Captain Marvel story
"Executed For Desertion"
Two military policeman show up at Billy's office with an arrest warrant for Capt. Marvel. He goes to the back office and transforms. When he returns the MP's usher him out and he is accused of being a deserter from the army of Ballonia. Cap is put on a ship to Ballonia but when he gets his meal in the ships hold he finds a letter slipped in by a member of the Capt. Marvel club. The club member tells Cap the boy King Zarf has ordered him hung but Cap relates a story of how he saved Zarf's life from drowning but in the process embarrassed one of his assistants by accidentally pushing him into the water. The assistants name is Balderdash and it's clear that HE was the one who tried to kill the King AND is behind Cap being arrested. He appears and kicks the boy who was helping Cap and Marvel busts out of his cell.
Balderdash threatens to add assault and battery to his crimes so Cap allows himself be chained up again. It turns out the Ballonian military uniform looks exactly like Marvels and has so for centuries which is why they claim he deserted. After arriving in Ballonia, Cap is marched through town in disgrace and locked up. Meanwhile, the King, still indebted to Marvel decides to pardon him after the trial. Balderdash kidnaps the judge, install himself as magistrate and after a quick trial sentences Marvel to death.
In prison Cap gets another note explaining that Balderdash is trying to take the king's throne. He allows himself to be hung but predictably that fails as well as an attempted beheading and a cannon shell to the chest. Instead he is simply buried alive. Cap buries his way through the ground and stumbles across the judge and cabin boy from earlier, both locked in prison. Balderdash tries to murder the king but Marvel busts in and saves the day. The king makes him an honorary general but some question remains whether Marvel IS actually a deserter since his origin is unknown.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 12:The Bombardment of Earth"
(Appearances)Mr. Mind, Smashi
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
(Reprinted) Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
Previously, Mr. Mind had launched had launched a mile long missile at Russia and pressed the launch button to send a second at America. Capt. Marvel races to try and stop the second missile before it emerges from the ten mile long cannon. Cap wins the race and destroys the projectile in the barrel also destroying the cannon. Marvel is blown into space but returns to find Dr. Smashi dead. Mr. Mind has survived and is captured but he reminds Marvel of the second shell speeding towards Russia. Cap tucks Mr. Mind in his sash and heads off to save Russia.
As Capt. Marvel approaches the missile Mr Mind starts tickling him to try and stop him. The tickling turns out to be much more effective than one might imagine. With two minutes left Cap smacks down on Mr Mind to stop him.
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| Oklahoma City, OK |
Captain Marvel Adventures 34 Universal
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9.2
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Tied for Third Highest after a pair of 9.4's.
(Published) April 1944
(Cover) C.C. Beck
11 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel in Oklahoma City"
(Pencils) C.C. Beck?
City story: Oklahoma City, OK
Outside of WHIZ a clown is performing a dangerous stunt. Capt. Marvel saves his life but it turns out he did the stunt just to meet Cap. The clown is Uncle Leo from WKY in Oklahoma City. I did some research and Uncle Leo was an actual person. Leo wants Cap to capture a gorilla named Colossus who escaped from the OKC zoo. Meanwhile the ape wanders into a residential home and starts to read the morning paper but flees when a woman screams. Cap travels around OKC but can't find Colossus who is up to hi-jinx at a beauty parlor. Cap gets a tip to Colossus's location but by the time he arrives the ape is gone. He finally spots the ape (who is now wearing read long johns) but the cops mistake the two and shoot Cap in the rear end and capture him in a net. Later, a woman mistakes the ape for Cap and he scoops her up in his arms and climbs up an oil derrick. Cap pushes a cloud over top Colossus, pummels the poor ape and returns him to the zoo.
13 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel, Sportsman"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck?
Billy Batson is covering the Wimpleton Sports Events for WHIZ. The Blue Bloods have won six years straight but now have to face the tough Hoy Palloys. It's clear both teams are composed of snobs but the Blue Bloods are attempting to cheat to win to help pay some gambling debts. The start jumping on the ceiling of the sleeping Hoy Palloys literally bringing the ceiling down but Capt. Marvel flies up and decks the two members of the Blue Bloods. The two escape in the dark but Cap gets a good enough of a look to suspect the Blue Bloods of cheating. The Hoy Palloys are too injured by the collapsing ceiling to continue the competition so Capt. Marvel offers to take their place.
The first competition is golf but despite having no experience with the game Cap immediately gets a hole in one and finishes with 18 holes in one. Next is tennis where Cap blanks his opponent. In archery Cap does the old Robin Hood splitting the arrow trick. In trap shooting he nails every target and in bowling scores a 300. The final event is an auto race but the Blue Bloods damaged it so Capt. Marvel simply pushes it over the finish line. The Blue Bloods are banished for cheating and Cap gives the trophy to the Hoy Palloys who he claims would have won had they not been sabotaged.
12 page Captain Marvel story
"The Jealous Magician"
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
Capt. Marvel is putting on a show at a theater to sell war bonds but a magician across the street in a rival theater is angry because he's getting no business so he decides to prove Marvel is a fraud. He walks on stage during Cap's act and levels a gun at him but when he fires the bullets predictably have no effect. The magician then appears to pull a bullet proof vest from under Cap's costume. The crowd starts to turn on our hero so the magician loudly suggest that Cap prove himself by flying, However, the magician points out to Marvel that he has tied a string to him that is attached to a barrel of dynamite set to explode. He's unable to fly lest he blow up the theater but the crowd becomes more convinced he's a fraud. Cap tries to explain the situation but the magician pulls the string to no effect. Cap decides to change back to Billy to beat the magician up but gets grabbed up by the magicians assistant. Apparently everyone in the crowd knows the Billy and Capt Marvel are the same and start throwing objects at the villain. The magician tries to duplicate the trick by transforming his large assistant into a smaller version and the fickle crowd eats it up (it was already shown the magician has two assistants, a large one and a smaller one). Billy rushes under the stage finding the trap door the magician used for the trick but gets knocked out. Meanwhile, the magician has accidentally started a fire on stage. The magician dives down the trap door and the audience clears out in a panic. The magician gets caught in the door as the stage crew tries to put out the fire. Billy wakes and transforms and urges the audience to calm and return to their seats. Cap puts out the fire and forces the magician to admit that Cap is not a fake.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 13:The Floating Terror"
(Appearances)Mr. Mind, Smashi
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
(Reprinted) Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
Capt. Marvel is unable to stop the massive shell Mr. Mind has fired at Earth. It lands in Russia but doesn't explode. Mr. Mind, who'd hitched a ride in Cap's hair, hops off and hides underground. A few days later a mysterious island appears north of England and Cap heads out to investigate. A destroyer moves into the area but can't find the island. The find it 50 miles away as it appears to have moved. A cannon appears on the island and blows up the destroyer but the sailors were in a separate ship heading to the island. The land but some Nazi's pour freezing water on them encasing them in ice. Marvel arrives and breaks them free. Cap changes back to Billy to do a broadcast (dumbass) but is immediately captured and the British soldiers are apparently all murdered. Billy is strapped to a cannon as the island floats towards England for a sneak attack.
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| St. Louis, MO |
Captain Marvel Adventures 36 Universal
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9.0
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Currently Tied with one other for third
(Published) June 1944
(Cover) C.C. Beck
10 page Captain Marvel story
"The St. Louis Cup"
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
City story: St. Louis, MO
A trio of crooks hide in a fountain when the spot a police cruiser passing by. After the cop leaves they hop out and hide in Union Station. Meanwhile, Billy Batson has arrive in St. Louis. On the way Billy met a man who claims to have an ancient Egyptian cup with magic powers. A doubting reporter tests the cup and orders it to make a man fly and he rises into the air and out a window. Billy transforms and rescues the man but at the same time the crooks try to convince the man with the cup to come with them. A reporter recognizes the crooks and gives Cap time to return but they have already snatched the cup. One of them uses it to wish Cap into a cage and when Marvel disappears he's so surprised that he utters, 'well I'll be a monkey's uncle' and the crook is sent to the monkey cage at the zoo.
Cap flies to The Soldiers Memorial and changes back to Billy while some cops try to nab the crooks. The use the cup to escape but it sends them to the reptile house at the zoo which is the third time the cup has sent someone to the zoo. They head over to Sportsman's Park. Billy is already there meeting the GM of the Cardinals. The crooks steal the box office receipts and then use the cup to start messing with the game. The change the ball to a grapefruit and the bat to rubber. When the two crooks start fighting over the cup the one tells the other to go fly a kite and off he goes. Billy has to transform in order to catch the crook who is left dangling from a kite. Marvel saves the crook but when he returns him to the final thief the cup gets broken. The money is returned and everything is ok.
9 page Captain Marvel story
"The Mystery of Lost River"
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
Mr. Morris asks Billy to join him and Steamboat on a little trip. Billy announces on his radio program that he'll be taking a trip. Some crooks hear Billy's broadcast and try and kidnap Billy while he's preparing for the trip but Billy transforms and chases them off. Steamboat and Billy arrive at the train station and meet Mr. Morris and a couple of other men, one named Pierre. It turns out Pierre has found the legendary Lost River that contains Morrisium-A, a powerful element capable of creating scientific wonders.
Later the train is moving when Billy discovers that the car he's on has become unhooked. Just in time he changes to Capt Marvel and rescues the car and all passengers. It's clear that this was no accident but there are no other incidents on their train ride. After they arrive in Canada they take mules into the mountain but someone attempts to drop a huge bolder on the group. Once again Capt Marvel saves the day and they push on until they arrive at the river. The Morrisium-A has caused the vegetation to grow to enormous size.
Later, Billy is at the camp having a drink of water when someone slips him a glass of Lost River water. Billy starts howling like a beast and runs into the woods. The next day Steamboat rushes in to tell everyone the Lost River has vanished and accidentally gets his own sip of the water. Instead of turning him into an animal he becomes refined. Such is the humor of the mid 40's. Steamboat deduces that the Lost River sprang from an underground spring and has now dried up. Meanwhile, Billy wakes up in the dried river bed and suddenly gets swept up in a flood. The water threatens to drown everyone. Billy changes and rescues the whole crew and the only two who die are the villains. The Lost River disappears and Pierre reveals he was an FBI agent. All the water is gone except one pitcher but that is enough to do considerable good.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The One-Man Transportation System"
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
Billy tells the story of Tuffy Smith and the dentist. Tuffy doesn't want to go to the dentist but Billy and Steamboat show him how easy it is. Billy goes to the dentist himself and his teeth are so perfect that the dentist makes a cast of them. They leave the office but Tuffy has wandered off to see a movie and vows he won't go to the dentist unless his father tells him to go but his father is off in the military. Billy changes to Capt Marvel and flies to the naval base to get the boys dad and then changes back. Billy locates Lieutenant Smith and he agrees to go back to convince his son to go to the dentist. Billy ends up being unable to change to Capt Marvel for reasons too silly to mention so instead they try to take a plane, then a train and finally a bus. Unfortunately, the bus is a pile of junk and keeps breaking down until the people on board have to get out and push. The bus gets stuck on a train track and Billy has to act fast and stomps down on the foot of a soldier on the bus. Billy gets punched in the face which allows him to speak his magic word and transform. Cap carries the bus out of danger. Lieutenant Smith arrives back home, kisses his wife and tells his son to go to the dentist. Pretty weak story.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 15: The Vicious Volcano"
Appearances: Mr. Mind, Jeepers
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
Reprinted: Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
Capt Marvel has trailed Mr Mind to a castle in Scotland. Marvel asks the owner if he can search the castle. Cap finds a radio and decides to do a quick broadcast as Billy Batson. After the broadcast he heads off to bed but hears a noise in the radio room. He picks in and finds a monster sending a message to Mr Mind. He tries to stop the beast but gets punched out. He runs up to tell the owner of the castle and the head out to find the creature but only find Jeepers the butler. It turns out Jeepers is a bat-monster in disguise and he binds and gags Billy. He has a drill to drill into the Earths molten layer and cook England. As always Billy manages to tear his gag off allowing him to transform and give a solid punch to Jeepers. Jeepers and Mr. Mind escape while Marvel takes care of the drill but not before it punches through the Earths crust and creates a volcano. Marvel is forced to sit on the volcano to prevent and eruption and the story ends with him trapped on the top of the volcano.
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| Cincinnati, OH |
Captain Marvel Adventures 37 Universal
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9.0
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Currently Tied as the Highest Graded Copy of this Issue
(Published) July 1944
(Cover) C.C. Beck
10 page Captain Marvel story
"His Battle of the Bubbles"
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
City story: Cincinnati, Ohio
Billy Batson is visiting Cincinnati when he spots an old man on his porch blowing bubbles. The man claims he has created hard bubbles that last hours. Billy is unimpressed but the local kids gather around and receive boxes of his special soap and soon the town is filled with bubbles. One flies in a window at a radio station Billy is visiting and hits him in the head with a "clonk". The bubbles then start popping in dangerous explosions. Cap flies around protecting people from the explosive bubbles. He tries to convince some boys to stop blowing the dangerous bubbles but when that fails he inexplicably transforms to Billy and manages to get himself caught in a giant bubble. Worse, the bubble is soundproof so he can't even say his magic word. A lucky rainstorm dissolves the bubble and he's able to change back to Capt. Marvel.
Back at the bubble inventors house, the old man left his air compressor on and a giant bubble is being blown. Cap spots the bubble as it menaces Crosley Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Reds. He punches the bubble up into the air popping it. When he returns to the old man who created the bubbles it turns out he's out of soap and never wrote down the formula so all is good.
9 page Captain Marvel story
"The Visitors From Space"
Appearance: Mary Marvel
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: Pete Costanza?
A pair of aliens have come to Earth to brazenly collect item for example the clothes right off a guys back. Billy Batson and Mary Marvel are walking through the park when they spot the man in his t-shirt and boxers and he tells them he was attacked by monsters from Mars. The two transform and fly off to investigate. They come across the aliens and smash the two of them in the face almost immediately only to find out they have indestructible fields protecting them. Capt. Marvel is knocked on his rear by a power ray and the aliens speed to continue collecting.
Later, Billy Batson is giving a broadcast warning about the aliens when they show up snatching Billy to add to their collection. The pop him into a sound proof bottle preventing him from speaking his magic word. Mat Marvel discovers Billy's kidnapping, tracks him down and releases him and then she and Capt. Marvel head off to take care of the aliens. The locate the aliens and Cap grabs one by the ankles and slams him to the ground with no more success than previously. Changing tactics Cap and Mary decide to reason with the aliens and discover they are carrying bags off pure gold in their spaceship. Marvel is offended that they are trying to buy the items that they collected but the aliens point out how primitive humans are with wars and violence and Cap decides maybe buying the items isn't such a crime. Everyone shakes hands and they aliens leave Earth. The story closes with Mary plugging her own WOW comics.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"Trouble With Mr. Double"
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: Pete Costanza?
Billy is hat shopping and sees two identical hats when a voice behind suggests the person wants both. Billy turns around angry at the person's greed and comes face to face with a two headed man named Mike and Ike. Billy asks if they are part of a freak show and Mike replies by smacking the boy. He transforms into Capt. Marvel and punches out Ike but Mike is still awake and walks away while issuing a threat.
Later, Mike wants revenge but Ike just wants to get a job but they get rejected for their freakishness. They hear Billy on the radio basically mocking them. In response they kidnap Billy and tie him up with a gag. Mr. Double disagrees on whether to harm Billy but in the end they decide to pull a hold up job. After they leave, Billy manages to get loose. When they try a stick up their victim passes out from fright and Cap shows up and punches both in the face. Mike and Ike both blame the other for becoming a criminal. Cap can't arrest just one so instead of taking him to jail he gets him a job answering phones at Union Station since he can do double the work. Problem solved.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 16:Earth Must Die"
Appearances: Mr. Mind, Jeepers, the Sub-Americans
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
Reprinted: Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
Capt. Marvel is stuck sitting on a volcano, literally holding back the eruption with his butt. SIr William crawls from his wrecked castle and Cap asks him to get some help plugging up the volcano. They are successful and Marvel is back on the trail of Mr. Mind and the humanoid bat, Jeepers.
Meanwhile, Jeepers is flying Mr. Mind to a massive cavern where other humanoid bats used to live before they all died. Capt. Marvel follows and comes across an underground city filled with little people who immediately pelt him with rocks. He changes back to Billy because... y'know... wisdom of Solomon. The little people stop attacking and tell Billy they are Sub Americans, basically Colonial Era Americans who decided to live underground. They already know about the Monster Society and Hitler because they have radio. The tiny colonialists have created a bomb capable of splitting the Earth in half lest the Axis win the war but with the Axis losing they decide to remove the fuse in a ceremony later.
Jeepers and Mr. Mind were close enough to hear. They capture Billy and quickly light the fuse but Billy bites Jeepers and transforms to Capt. Marvel. He punches out Jeepers and starts ripping into the Earth to reach the fuse. He snuffs it out but lava starts pouring in the hole he created threatening to ignite the massive explosive pile. Continued next month.
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| Boston, MA |
Captain Marvel Adventures 40
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9.2
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Single Highest Graded Copy of this Issue. There is a second Crowley graded 9.0.
(Published) October 1944
(Cover) C.C. Beck
10 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Gets the Heir"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck?
A millionaire is offering to leave his fortune to any orphan who can prove he's his grandson by having a half moon birthmark on his right shoulder. A ton of orphans show up at the old man's mansion including Billy Batson. Strangely his last servant picks that day to quit and the orphans from some reason are acting like animals. I mean they are literally climbing the drapes and Billy has to transform to keep the place from getting wrecked. The old man sees the work Capt. Marvel did and assumes he's the new help and he's ordered to feed the children. Oddly he makes them pancakes even though he was ordered to prepare supper.
That night a dark figures begins checking the boys for birthmarks as they sleep and discovers the heir (lucky for him the boys were all sleeping with their shirts off. He grabs the boy and ATTEMPTS TO THROW HIM OUT A WINDOW!! Capt. Marvel hears the boy and catches him before he hits the ground. Cap goes to tell the old man's adult nephew what happened but he shows no interest and it's clear to the reader that the nephew was the perpetrator of the crime.
Next morning the nephew continues to order Marvel around like a manservant and for some reason he takes it. The nephew takes the children out a tries to murder the young boy by drowning and this time appears to be successful but a bit later Marvel finds the young boy hiding and he tells Cap what happened. When the nephew sees Cap and the boy he tries to kill Marvel with no success. In the end it turned out the nephew got the wrong boy anyway and he's taken to justice.
9 page Captain Marvel story
"The Chimes of Crime"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck?
Mr. Morris sends Billy to a small town to investigate some murders. He discovers that every time a murder occurs the
bells in an old tower ring. When Billy goes to investigate a Quasimodo type figure throws a boulder at him from above. Billy transforms to avoid be squashed and heads inside the tower but the agile little man manages to escape up into the tower. Capt. Marvel arrives at the bell but the dwarf has vanished and all he finds is a badly beaten body tied to the bells clapper.
The next day Billy, the Sheriff and a couple of men check out the tower again but find nothing. The rest of the man leave not believing Billy but Billy heads back inside only to get kidnapped and gagged by the dwarf. Billy is tied inside the bell and the fiend attempts to ring the bell to bludgeon Billy to death. In an incredible stroke of luck a bat flies near Billy knocking away the gag and causing the bell to shatter on Capt. Marvel's indestructible head. The crashing bell causing the whole tower to collapse killing the dwarf.
Turns out the dwarf was a man thought long dead who was taking revenge on the people who had accidentally buried him alive.
10 page Captain Marvel story
"Boston's Mayor For a Day"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Costanza
City Story: Boston, MA
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 19: The Black Ray Death"
Appearances: Mr. Mind, Sylvester, Marmaduke, Bonzo
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
(Reprinted) Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
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| Dayton, OH |
Captain Marvel Adventures 41 Universal
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9.2
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Currently Tied as the Highest Graded Copy of this Issue. This is one of two Crowley copies graded 92. I like that Cap visits Dayton which is in my home state of Ohio. Although, I don't believe I've ever actually been to Dayton.
(Published) November 1944
(Cover) Pete Constanza?
14 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Battles the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man"
Appearances: Beautia, Whitey Murphy
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: Pete Constanza?
Billy Batson opens a letter than old Shazam gave him four year prior summoning him to fight a greater evil than he has ever fought before. He passes the creepy statutes of the Seven Deadly Sins in the tunnel of Shazam but it turns out that the human embodiment of the seven sins is the new threat. Apparently they manifest on Earth every four years.
The story jumps to a scene of the group of seven which include Dr. Sivana as they gloat over the amount of evil they have caused in the last four years but they make the decision that Capt. Marvel must be stopped because he's prevented more than half their evil acts. The first of the seven deadly sins stops by Billy's office and tries to convince Steamboat not to work so hard. Steamboat falls asleep and the man plants a bomb but when Billy comes in he spots the bomb and Capt. Marvel destroys it. It becomes obvious the man was laziness.
Later, Whitey Murphy shows up from the war. Whitey, Billy and Cissie take a walk but Hatred, Envy and Selfishness are watching them. Envy comes over and puts the thought in Whitey's head that Cissie cares more about Capt. Marvel than him. Hate then riles Billy up while Selfishness gets Cissie to desire a fight in her honor. Hate hands Whitey a rock which he tries to brain Billy with prompting Billy to transform. Cap beats up the three villains but they manage to escape when Cissie is nearly run over by a horse.
Billy goes back to WHIZ but finds Mr. Morris taking all the money from his station thanks to the influence of greed. Morris actually pulls a gun on Marvel allowing greed to jump out the window. The six catch greed and it's now up to Sivana as Pride and Injustice to take down the Big Red Cheese. At that moment Marvel shows up and Sivana ducks into a dark doorway followed by Marvel who delivers a punishing punch in the dark. When the light comes on it's Sivana's daughter Beautia crumpled up on the ground. Cap allows Sivana and Injustice to take him to prison for the crime of murder. He's barely in jail a moment when Beautia wanders by alerting him to Sivana's deception. Capt. Marvel leaves prison and shows up at a celebration of the seven even as Sivana is giving a victory speech. Cap cleans house and all the deadly sins are taken to prison.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Adventure of the Two Heroes in Dayton, Ohio"
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck?
City story: Dayton, OH
Mr. Morris sends Billy to Dayton to cover a war bond drive while several Japanese plan to sabotage the event. They plan to kill several soldiers who are guests of honor at the rally. The first attempt on their lives is doomed to failure with Capt. Marvel protecting them. The next attempt is to drop a huge block on the solders heads but again Capt. Marvel makes the save. Two more attempts are made on the soldiers lives but on the final attempt the soldiers themselves take care of the would be assassins. In final desperation one of the killers accidentally lights himself ablaze in an attempt to blow up a munitions plant but Capt. Marvel prevents any damage and later the soldiers make a speech promoting war bonds.
9 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Runs For President"
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck?
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 20:Mr. Mind's Book"
Appearances: Mr. Mind, Sylvester
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
Reprinted: Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
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| Chicago, IL |
Captain Marvel Adventures 43 Universal
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9.2
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Currently Tied as the Highest Graded Copy of this Issue. The other Crowley copy is a 9.0.
(Published) February 1945
(Cover) C.C. Beck
10 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Meets Uncle Marvel"
Appearances: Uncle Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr.
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
Mary Marvel visits WHIZ and brings Billy to meet Uncle Dudley. Dudley, who runs Shazam Inc., gets a call from a carnival needing help. Billy and Dudley arrive and immediately have to save a collapsing ferris-wheel. Billy speaks his magic word and Uncle Dudley (who is not a real Marvel) strips his clothes down to a home made costume. The owner thanks them and asks if they can substitute for his trapeze artists.
Later, Dudley and Marvel are doing their trapeze act when Dudley's clumsiness forces Marvel to save him. Meanwhile, a former circus star tries to kill the two by undoing the trapeze ropes but Capt. Marvel simply flies to safety to the delight of the audience. Next, the two are asked to do a strongman and juggling act. Two more disgruntled performers have appeared. One throws a bomb at Uncle Dudley that looks like one of the cannonballs he's juggling but Marvel spots it and flies it into the air to explode harmlessly. The three performers rush Dudley who takes a swing at them but the super fast Capt. Marvel who connects giving the impressions Dudley laid them out. The performers successfully beg for their jobs back and everyone is happy.... uh, they DID try to commit double homicide,
8 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Goes Nowhere"
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck?
Billy Batson picks up a strange message on a short wave radio from someone claiming to be King Nobody from nowhere. He tells Billy that to get to nowhere he needs to fly into a black hole in the sky so Billy transforms and travels through the dark tunnel.arriving in the kingdom of nowhere. He finds a battle going on at castle noplace. Capt. Marvel repels the attackers. Later King Nobody explains that the land of Nowhere where banished into nowhere by a fiendish wizard scientist. They can't return through the black hole because it will kill them seeing as they lack Marvel's invulnerability.
Later, Billy begins doing a broadcast to Earth when the attackers from earlier grab him and launch a second attack. The attackers kick king Nobody from his throne. Billy manages to escape and again cleans house restoring King Nobody to his place. Cap then heads back to Earth. The End.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Black Spot Gang of Chicago, Illinois"
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck?
City story: Chicago, IL
Billy is taken on a tour of Chicago when his guide is shown a threatening letter from the "Black Spot Gang" by a fellow named Henry Kennedy. Billy changes to Capt. Marvel and begins following Kennedy to watch for any danger.. He saves Kennedy from a hail of fire but the car escapes. Billy goes to meet a local radio personality and discovers he's also received a threat from the same gang. In fact threats are poring in across the city. Even Billy gets a later. He chases down the man who delivered the letter as Capt. Marvel but the man manages to escape but hilariously Cap notices that each of the threatening letters has the name of the printing company printed on it. The printer gives up the address of the Black Spot Gang. He arrives at their hideout but they hit the lights and escape.
The next day the city is blanketed with threatening notes dropped from an airplane. The pilot claims to not be a member of the gang and Cap lets him go and decides to go to the place where the threatening later has ordered everyone to go. He's led back to the hideout he visited before and sees a group of gang members filing out. Cap starts knocking them around but discovers it was all a publicity stunt for a new nightclub. Billy is left convinced that Chicago's mob days are a thing of the past.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 22:Mister Mind Loses His Mind"
Appearances: Mr. Mind, Herkimer
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
Reprinted: Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
The story opens with Billy being knocked out by a man in a criminal mask causing Mr. Mind to drop from his pocked and bonk his own tiny head. The crook wants Billy's meat rations and when he pulls Billy's gag down the boy speaks his magic word. Capt. Marvel punches out the crook but when Mr. Mind awakens he's suddenly quite nice. Seems the blow to the head has given Mr. Mind amnesia. Mr. Mind is horrified when Cap tells him he's the most evil being in the universe. Cap is thrilled to see Mr. Mind is no longer evil and takes him to WHIZ to inform the world. Mr. Mind gets on the radio and begs forgiveness promising to work side by side with Capt. Marvel to fight evil.
The Monster Society of Evil hears Mr. Minds announcement and Herkimer is elected leader with his first order being to kill Mr. Mind. Adorably, Mr. Mind has actually taken to sleeping on Billy Batson's pillow at night. A trio of alligator men sneak in Billy's room and attempt to smash Mind with a mallet but the boy transforms and saves Mr. Mind but the villains escape. Mr, Mind vows to help capture the evildoers.
Herkimer decides to continue with Mr. Mind's evil plans and carries a machine up to an observatory. He uses the machine to pull an asteroid out of orbit to smash earth but Billy spots it before it strikes. Mr. Mind vaguely remembers something about an observatory so Capt. Marvel heads to Hill Observatory. He punches out Herkimer, destroys the machine and smashes the asteroid.
Back on Earth, Herkimer smacks Mr. Mind and the blow and the blow restore his evil memory. When Cap returns he finds an angry letter from Mr. Mind confirming he's back to his nasty ways.
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| Washington, DC |
Captain Marvel Adventures 44 Universal
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9.2
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Currently Tied with two others as 4th highest grade behind a trio of 9.4's.
(Published) March 1945
(Cover) C.C. Beck
11 page Captain Marvel story
"The Genius of the Garret"
Script: Otto Binder
Billy gets a series of letters requesting a picture of Capt Marvel and decides to get his portrait done in oils. He tries to consult an artist named Michael Banjello but messes up the address and arrives at the studio of Rafael Rembratt. Rembratt is a very confident artist but is far less recognized than Benjallo, however, Cap agrees to pose for him. The picture ends up looking absolutely bizarre but Cap agrees to pose again the next day.
Four more pictures are painted but none are acceptable. A man comes in and offers to buy the paintings for Rembratt's usual fee of $1.69 but Marvel decides he wants them. Later, Rembratt is feeling sorry for himself when a trio of thieves show up and steal his artwork. Rembratt laughs at the idea of them stealing near worthless art but when Cap shows up he begins knocking the thieves around. The crooks toss Rembratt out a window and escape while Marvel is saving him. The two are perplexed as to why crooks would try to steal the worthless artwork. They decide to set a trap for the thieves by having Cap dress up as the painter. They try knocking out Cap from behind to no effect and then toss a can of paint in his face. While blinded, the thieves grab the paintings and escape. The thieves discover that they stole Cap's childish sketches but as Marvel is searching for the thieves he discovers a shop selling one of Rembratt's paintings for $5000. Turns out the guy was buying paintings for $1.69 and selling them for thousands.
The next day, Rembratt puts on an art exhibit and the money starts rolling in. An old woman buys a statue of Capt Marvel but when the thieves show up the statue comes to life and knocks them out. With the success of the show Cap decides that his portrait is actually very good.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"His Trip to Other Worlds"
Script: Otto Binder
Mr Morris sends Billy out to interview Astronomer Professor Ein. Billy goes to visit Ein and his assistant Dr Dunke at a planetarium. Ein declares himself the greatest living authority on interplanetary matters when Professor Stein shows up to dispute him. Ein leads them into a simulated rocket ship. When the door reopens they appear to be on the moon. There are mountains and craters and a cheese tree? Stein laughs at the farce but Ein seems perplexed and the smell of the cheese starts to knock the group out. Billy transforms and pulls everyone to a separate room. Marvel asks about the cheese tree but Ein is perplexed and asks Dunke if he built it. When no suitable answer is given Ein he decides to take them to a simulated Mars. This simulation is even more ridiculous with beautiful canals and gondolas rather than Martian canals. A crocodile crawls from the water but Cap protects everyone. Dunke claims these were all in the plans Ein gave him and Stein just laughs at the situation.
Next planet they visit is Saturn which is a miniature version with simulated rings. The balls of the rings start to detach and hit people so Cap deflects them and stops the gears of the machine. Again, Dunke claims this was all part of Ein's design so the professor just moves on to the Milky Way. They appear to be walking in outer space when they come upon several cows and a bull. Marvel again rescues them and they move on to the coalsack black nebula which is nothing more than a room filled with coal. Stein starts to laugh again but Cap notices a fake bead falling out of his pocket. Professor Stein had been dressing as Ein in order to create these bizarre plans to pass on to Dunke. He wanted to humiliate Ein but in the end is forced to confess in a radio broadcast on WHIZ. In the end Ein and Stein become friends.
11 page Captain Marvel story
"Washington's Haunted Embassy"
Script: Otto Binder
City story: Washington, D.C.
Billy arrives at Union Station in Washington D.C. to meet Joe Ottenstein, owner of the District News Co. He then meets with local radio personality Earl Godwin before the story shifts to the Pacific battle front. The Japanese are dropping leaflets on American G.I.'s announcing a peace treaty between the two countries. The officers are dumbfounded as they've heard nothing about it. The War Department in D.C. is likewise confused by the find an original of the peace treaty in a file cabinet.
Meanwhile, Billy is sitting on a park bench when he spots a man sneaking into a window. Bills transforms to Capt Marvel to investigate and discovers the building is the War Dept. The peace treaty is discovered to be a planted fake. The man sneaking in is Japanese and goes to stab the to men discussing the fake. The Japanese man is American born and has been loyal for 20 years and refuses to explain why he would become a traitor. He escapes by jumping out a window an Cap gives up the search surprisingly easy. The fake document has two fingerprints on it including a Japanese admiral who died a year ago. They decide to investigate the near by Japanese embassy. Cap spots a cherry tree in the middle of the sidewalk which is something he noted earlier when he was trying to chase the Japanese spy. They leave but Cap can't get the tree out of his head and when he returns to investigate, it's moved to a location near a boarded up window. Marvel can't fit through a space in the window so he changes to Billy. A man in a cheap ghost costume tries to scare Billy away but when that fails he just knocks Billy out. Billy is bound and gagged and when he wakes he see Admiral Yamomoto who was an actual historical figure. Turns out the traitor from earlier was actually the twin brother of a loyal Japanese American and the evil twin attempts to kill his brother and Billy. Suddenly, J Edgar Hoover and the FBI break in and Billy is able to change and knock out Yamomoto. The evil twin jumps through a window and hides in the fake cherry tree. The twin is arrested and Yamomoto commits suicide so now he really IS dead.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 23:Mister Mind's School for Evil"
Appearances: Mr. Mind, Herkimer, Archibald
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
(Reprinted) Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
Having recovered his memory, Mr Mind decides to enroll in his own school of evil as a refresher. Mind's first class is Methods of Murder and he is sent out with Archibald the Satyr to do an evil deed as his final graduation test. The come across some kids, including Billy Batson, who are having a picnic. Mind tells Archibald to gore them and he charges towards the children. Billy transforms and Archibald is no match but in a crazy twist an echo sends Marvel magic word back at him and he transforms back and gets knocked out by Archibald. He's bound and gagged and taken back to the School of Evil. Mr Mind and Archibald graduate and Mind gives the valedictorian speech. After the speech, Archibald plans to kill Billy with spiked brass knuckles but Billy dodges and his gag tears off. Billy changes back and knocks Archibald for a loop. He looks for Mr Mind but the evil worm hides behind a book. Marvel starts moving through the school, punching out students (all adults) and clearing out the building. He still cant find Mr Mind who has escape into a mouse hole.
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| Kansas City, MO |
Captain Marvel Adventures 54
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9.0
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Currently Tied with Two Other Comics as the Fourth Highest Graded Copy of this Issue. There exist a 9.4 and 9.2 Crowley copy. Not sure if the other 9.4 is a pedigree comic. I bought this one because it was an auction and I had never seen this issue before for sale. It's also a neat cover.
(Published) February 1946
(Cover) C.C. Beck/Pete Costanza
12 page Captain Marvel (score ***)
"Sivana Plots Again"
(Appearance) Dr. Sivana
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
Sivana hatches a plan to defeat Capt. Marvel by creating a robot duplicate of Marvel that is just as strong as the real thing. The robot is actually Sivana in a robotic suit and Capt. Marvel mask. After capturing Billy Batson, Sivana uses a Batson robot to broadcast that Sivana is no longer a threat. Sivana then frees dozens of prisoners giving them weapons. Meanwhile the Capt. Marvel robot is sent out to do mundane tasks in order to ruin Marvel's reputation while the criminals maraud around town. Eventually Billy frees himself, captures Sivana and rounds up all the escaped criminals..
The most indelible image of the story is Sivana shooting Billy point blank in the face. Unbeknownst to him it was the robot but if he'd just shot Billy from the get go he would have won. All in all not a bad story.
4 page Captain Kid
"Takes a Flyer"
(Script/Pencils/Inks) Al Liederman?
7 page Captain Marvel (score ****)
"The Country Slicker"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils) C.C. Beck
(Inks) Pete Costanza?
A country bumpkin is swindled by the notorious "city slicker" using the old trick of selling the deed to property he doesn't own. The hayseed gets his revenge by dressing up as the "country slicker" and trading deeds to properties HE doesn't own. When the city slicker and gang try and claim the properties they tangle with Capt. Marvel and end up getting hauled to jail.
9 page Captain Marvel
"Marooned in the Future" (score **)
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
Capt. Marvel is asked to pilot is super fast experimental jet but during the run he's pulled into the future where future human's use robotics to dismantle the jet for its metal. The robotic factory unsuccessfully tries to dismantle Capt. Marvel himself and he's dumped in a garbage bin. It turns out Marvel has been pulled 500 years into the future to the year 2446 where metal is extremely rare and precious. The future men explain the situation to Marvel and tell him they have no way to send him back. In short order there a several attempts to steal the metal and Marvel chases a criminal to a lab where a scientist just happens to have developed a serum that puts a person to sleep for 500 years until time catches up (which makes absolutely no sense). Both the criminal and Cap drink the solution and back in 1946 Marvel punches out the crook.
9 page Captain Marvel (score **)
"Station WHIZ Goes Television"
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
Station WHIZ is moving to television and they're looking for talent. The discover that Capt. Marvel is a captivating crooner who makes women faint. Marvel becomes so popular that women mob him tearing his suit. When Billy makes a rude sound while a Capt. Marvel song is playing on the radio a woman punches him in the face. Things get dark as fans are so rabid some women threaten suicide if Capt. Marvel won't marry them and Cap muses that sometimes he wishes he were dead. The next time Marvel goes on air a bitter washed up singer slips him a drink that causes his throat to constrict and Cap is unable to sing. He changes to Billy and does his broadcast and somehow this simply ends Cap's singing career.
10 page Captain Marvel
"Captain Marvel Visits Kansas City, Missouri"
(City Story) Kansas City, Missouri
Billy arrives in Kansas City to find they have a serious problem with juvenile delinquents. Cap catches a couple boys committing a robbery but lets them go for a second chance. Later, a couple of thugs pay the boys 10 bucks to smash some windows and then use the distraction to rob a fur store. The cops assume the boys robbed the fur store but Cap finds some gold cuff links and deduces it was someone else. He posts a lost and found in the newspaper and gets a response from the crook. Billy returns the cuff links but kicks the thief for such a paltry reward. Billy is pushed out of his apartment but then rips his own collar off. Pulling the prints from the collar they determine it's a crook named Louie Nemus. Cap returns to the apartment and pummels the thieves and the boys are let free and have clearly learned their lessons.
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| Columbus, OH |
Captain Marvel Adventures 55
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9.2
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Currently the Highest Graded Copy of this Issue. There is a Crowley copy but it's only a 9.0.
Cap visits Columbus from my home state of Ohio.
(Published) March 1946
(Cover) C.C. Beck
8 page Captain Marvel
"The Endless String"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Costanza
(Reprinted) Shazam #1 (February 1973)
While sitting in the park, Billy spots an old man collecting refuse including a long piece of string coming from some kind of dimensional portal. Turns out the old man is unraveling a carpet in an alternate dimension enraging its king who orders his soldiers to grab the string and pull it. The old man staggers forward so Billy says his magic word and Capt. Marvel pulls all the soldiers off their feet. The king ties a bomb to the string which Cap pulls through the portal. He flies into the atmosphere where the bomb explodes harmlessly. Cap tells the man to cut the string with a knife and heads off to get a scientist but the string is unbreakable so the old man ties the string to a tree to secure it.
Cap returns with a scientist and the old man shows that he attached a hook to the string and has been pulling things like a vase through the dimensional hole. The hook gets attached to the old man and he's pulled through the hole. Capt. Marvel fails to fit because of his broad shoulders so he changes to Billy Batson but is predictably knocked out the moment he emerges from the hole. He's gagged but moments later they remove the gag to burn out his tongue with a hot poker allowing Billy to change back to Capt. Marvel. Marvel cleans house, escapes with the old man and tosses all the string back through the portal. We close with Billy doing a report for WHIZ telling the story.
8 page Captain Marvel
"The Gorgon's Curse"
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Costanza
Professor Edgewise Smith receives a Gorgon's head i(basically Medusa with snakes for hair) in a box and takes it to Billy Batson. Before he can hand it over a man in a black suit snatches it up. Billy transforms and grabs the fellow who then explains the history of the Gorgon's head. Supposedly looking into the Gorgon's head will turn one to stone. The wants to bring the Gorgon's head back to life and rule the world which seems like an exceptionally stupid thing to say to Capt. Marvel but then jumps out the door before Marvel can catch him. Captain Marvel decides to destroy the head but mysteriously becomes paralyzed when Professor Smith looks at him. Smith then stares into the Gorgon's head to prove it doesn't turn people to stone. The Gorgon head has no effect on Smith and he leaves confused as to why Capt. Marvel is standing like a statue.
Capt. Marvel finally breaks free of the influence and hurries after Edgewise. Meanwhile the man in the black jacket tries to steal the Gorgon's head from Edgewise but Capt. Marvel arrives to take it back. As he puts it into the box he's cursed and his eyes grow as big as saucers. Apparently his gaze can now turn people to stone so he's forced to get dark sunglasses. He hears a news report that Prof Smith will be appearing to tell about the Gorgon's head and worries that he'll turn all viewers to stone.As Smith tries to enter the studio the man in black (apparently Dr. Zorro) tries to get the head but is paralyzed by Smith gaze.The TV broadcast is about to start and Cap tackles Edgewise causing the head to drop and shatter breaking the curse. Dr Zorro is taken to prison. The End
9 page Captain Marvel
"The Crime Egotist of Columbus, Ohio"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Costanza
(City Story) Columbus, Ohio
Billy arrives in Columbus and is asked for help in capturing the egotistic crook, Vulture Vane. As they're talking Vulture Vane walks right up to taunt them. Billy transforms but Vane escapes in a crowd. The mayor turns to a group of boys called the Knot-Hole Gang to hunt down Vane (seriously?) Despite the Knot-Hole Gang having 35 thousand members it's Capt. Marvel who spots Vane on the top of a building but Vane escapes again by dumping a barrel of tar on Cap's head. Billy continues his tour of Columbus but later Cap comes up with a plan. They'll do a showing of all the film taken during Billy's tour and call it, 'The Man Capt. Marvel Couldn't Catch'. With Vane huge ego he's compelled to show up and Cap easily captures him.
7 page Captain Marvel
"The Furious Five Minutes"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Costanza
It's five minutes before his broadcast and Billy has no story. As he's walking along a piece of coal from a train falls out and hits a man in the head. He thinks another man hit him and strikes him knocking him into the street. Billy transforms as a truck hits a steam roller while trying to avoid hitting the man. This causes the steam roller to roll down a hill, strike a fire hydrant, knock down a telephone pole and smash through a store. Each time Cap is there to repair the damage and rescue people but with each rescue time slips by until it's only two minutes to Billy's broadcast.
The steamroller continues its path of destruction finally aiming at the very train the coal initially bounced from. Capt. Marvel stops the steamroller in the nick of time leaving him with just one minute until Billy broadcast is scheduled to start. Predictably his report is about the lump of coal that caused so much mayhem.
8 page Captain Marvel
"The Hobo Newscast"
A trio of freezing hobo's trying to get firewood by ripping boards from their own shack but end up pulling the whole place down. Turns out these hobo's are childhood friends of Mr. Morris and they send a letter telling Morris they'll be stopping by. However, Mr. Morris will be out of town so Billy is asked to watch them. When Billy sees them he mistakes them for troublemakers and tries to throw them out but when he discovers their identities he offers to let them stat at Mr. Morris's mansion but they act like children.
Later that evening the fire department rushes to the mansion because the three morons lit a fire in the fireplace and turned off the ventilation creating a huge amount of smoke. Word gets out of the hobos and a rock is thrown through a window in the mansion threatening them if they don't leave town. Capt. Marvel catches the thrower who confesses that Judge Snobbish hired him to create public support for getting rid of the hobos in order to become a hero. Cap approaches Judge Snobbish who denies everything but when he returns a cop of throwing the three out of town. There is an hour before the hobos must leave town and they use the time to make a radio broadcast to plead their case. Turns out the radio program is a hit and the people turn against Judge Snobbish. The three get a permanent radio program.
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| Mobile, AL |
Captain Marvel Adventures 56 Universal
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9.6
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This is the single highest graded copy of this issue.
(Published) March 1946
(Cover) C.C. Beck
12 page Captain Marvel story "Captain Marvel Goes Crazy"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
At the Evolution Institute scientist are looking at a display showing the evolution of man and trying to come up with a figure that will represent the acme of current evolution and decide Capt. Marvel is the perfect choice. The find Capt. Marvel through Billy Batson and measure him for a statue. The process of measuring and poring plaster takes so long that Cap claims he's going insane and when another scientist enter he finally loses it. Turns out the scientist is Sivana in disguise trying to mentally push Marvel over the edge and after further stoking the fires of insanity Sivana is literally booted from the room. Capt. Marvel literally seems to be cracking up so he transforms to Billy to calm down.
Sivana goes to the Board of Mental Health and tries to convince them that Capt. Marvel is insane but they find his proof insufficient. Later, Cap is invited to see the statue created and it's rather odd in that it partially bones, partially muscle and the rest has lifelike skin. They ask Marvel for one more measurement but Sivana has knocked out the scientist who was to do the measurement and he continues to try and drive Capt. Marvel insane. Marvel chases SIvana around the museum but he escapes and later uses further evidence to convince the Board of Mental Health that Marvel IS insane. They start question Marvel while Sivana slips some itching powder down down hi back. Matvel starts scratching wildly further convincing the board that he's insane and he's committed to an asylum.
While in the asylum, Capt. Marvel simply transforms to Billy and walks out the door. Billy just happens to run across Sivana in disguise and hears his distinctive laugh prompting him to pull off his fake beard. Sivana confesses, problem solved.
9 page Captain Marvel story "The Flower Peril of Mobile, Alabama"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils) C.C. Beck
(Inks) Pete Costanza?
Capt. Marvel arrives in Mobile Alabama where everyone is preparing for the big flower show. Apparently a new super plant food has been created in Mobile and the food is spread across the city. The next morning to, Billy's dismay, Mobile is engulfed in tree sized flowers that threaten the entire city. Cap gets ahold of the plant foods inventor and they travel around the city to the locations where the food was spread. This gives Marvel the chance to visit famous locations around Mobile. The flowers are all cleared out. The inventor ends up winning the flower show, ironically with a very small flower, and he vows to tone down his plant food significantly.
11 page Captain Marvel story "Captain Marvel Gets the Golden Fleece"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils//Inks) C.C. Beck
The story opens on the Cult of the Golden Fleece where a head priest claims to be able to read the thoughts of their golden dog and claims the dog wants golden fleas. The cultists travel to the U.S. to get golden fleas from a famous fleas circus. They steal the fleas but Billy, being close by and hearing the crime transforms to Capt. Marvel. Marvel mistakes fleas for fleece and so heads off to find the legendary Golden Fleece. The cultists jump in a plane with Marvel on their tail but he loses them in a storm. He finds out the plane took off from Greece and so heads off to retrieve the Golden Fleece.
Cap finds the cultists and demands the Golden Fleece but they refuse and he can't find it because they have the golden fleas not the Golden Fleece. So another message is delivered from the golden dog and this time the head cultist says he wants the Golden Fleece (go figure). They go into town and simply steal a Golden Fleece from a fabric store. Marvel spots the cultists and shows up to get back the Golden Fleece but one member runs into the temple. Capt. Marvel begins to search the temple but it's filled with traps which naturally have no effect on the invulnerable skin of Marvel. Capt. Marvel manages to get a robe from a cultist but it's too small so he changes to Billy (why he feels the need to sneak around I don't understand).
Billy spots the Golden Fleece on the golden dog and stupidly walks right up to grab it and gets captured and gagged. They send the golden dog to tear Billy apart but he simply wags his tail and licks off the gag. Billy transforms and cleans house. The cult is ended and Marvel flies back to America to deliver the Golden Fleece to the flea circus owner who denies ownership. Marvel realizes his mistake but discovers the golden fleas have infested the Golden Fleece so all is good in the end.
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| Hartford, CN |
Captain Marvel Adventures 67 Universal
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9.2
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Second Highest Grade Behind a Single 9.4
(Published) November 1946
(Cover) C.C. Beck
9 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Gets a Secretary"
(Writer) Otto Binder
(Pencils) C.C. Beck
We are introduced to Dina Duval and Joan Jameson who just completed their business degrees. Dina just wants to marry a rich man but Joan wants to make her own way in the world. Joan applies for a job at WHIZ because she has crush on Capt Marvel but Billy tells her he has no need tor a secretary. A man comes into the office saying he wants to give a medal to Cap prompting Billy to steps away and transform but Joan spots him and manages to get the job as secretary due to her knowledge of Billy's secret. Using an intercom, Joan can alert Billy if he needs to change helping him preserve his identity.
Cap suspects Joan might try some monkey business but she proves to be very serious about her job. When Dina finds out Joan working for Capt Marvel she goes mental and ties up Joan to try and snag Marvel for marriage. Apparently Dina and Joan are near twins and Billy can't tell the difference except that Dina is a horrible person. Billy transforms and when Dina sees him she throws herself on his lap shamelessly. Enraged, Cap immediately fires her but when she begs for a second change he relents. She figures she's going to be fired at the end of the day so she hires a safe cracker to break into WHIZ's wall safe. Billy spots the thief and speaks his magic word before punching the guy out but Dina claims she was a victim. When Cap changes to Billy to get a police officer, Dina wakes up the crook and they knock the boy out. Billy is tossed in a closet with Joan to be used for ransom. Joan uses her teeth to remove Billy's gag and after transforming he easily takes care of the crooks. The story concludes with Joan as his new permanent secretary.
7 page Captain Marvel story
"The Mad Mahout
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
Billy welcomes a visitor from India, Mahout Ali, but when the ropes of the visitors elephant break while lowering it from a ship, the boy quickly transforms. He saves the pachyderm but Mahout sees him transform although was apparently already aware of Billy's secret, as if it were common knowledge. Turns out, Mahout was attempting to kill the elephant for the insurance money and it's not even his famous performing elephant. He comes up with a plan to have the elephant kill Capt Marvel so that the elephant will have to be put down. He locks Billy in the elephant cage but the beast is no match for Marvel. Cap changes back and looks for Mahout who is telling a crowd that Marvel killed his elephant. Marvel grabs Mahout and tosses him next to the elephant cage Mahout inexplicably reveals his scheme but then runs off and starts opening all the animal cages which proves no challenge to Marvel. Mahout is captured and confesses his insurance fraud scheme.
7 page Captain Marvel story
"The Great Butterfly Chase"
(Script) Bill Woolfolk
There is a fight at the butterfly collectors association over whether the lepidoptera video butterfly is real or fake (I thought at first it was a video of a butterfly but video is actually the name). Meanwhile, Billy is interviewing the owner of the butterfly itself but tn another room the professors son accidentally releases the butterfly which flies out a window. Billy transforms and takes chase but the butterfly manages to get away. The professor relates the history of the lepidoptera video and then expresses sorrow over its loss.
Later, the son relates to Capt Marvel where the butterfly was originally found so the both fly out to see if they can find another. They explore a cave and don't find the butterfly but find a rare flower with a cocoon (wonder what could possibly be in there). Back at the house the professor is planning to commit suicide but he spots and a butterfly on his window sill. It turns out it's part of a woman's hat and she begins to beat him with her umbrella until Cap pulls him away. The professors son is so angry he decides to smash the cocoon they found but unsurprisingly it turns out it contained the lepidoptera video and the professor is acclaimed for his discovery.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Key of Crime"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) C.C. Beck
(City Story) Hartford, Conn
Billy arrives in Hartford, Connecticut and is greeted by some magazine distributor as well as a Congressman and the mayor. The mayors kids ask Billy to change into Capt Marvel and he complies (It's inconsistent as to whether or not people know Billy is able to transform with his magic word.) The mayor gives Cap the key to the city but it's almost immediately snatched by a thief who ends up with nothing more than a sore head. Marvel is confused as to why someone would try to steal a ceremonial key. Meanwhile, the crook escapes into a crowd. It turns out the crook had previously hid some jewels in the key and is now trying to retrieve them.
"Slippery" Sam gets an itinerary for Capt Marvel and lucky for him Cap wanders the city holding the huge ceremonial key. While visiting the state capital a car drives by and manages to yank the key from the hands of the World's Mightiest Mortal. This happens repeatedly as thugs of snatch the key and then immediately get caught. Sam makes one final grab and ducks into a sewer but proves no more effective than his buddies. Turns out Cap figured out immediately what was going on and lugged the key around just to lure out Sam.
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