COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Captain Marvel Adventures 44 Universal
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Grade:
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9.2
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Page Quality:
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CREAM TO OFF-WHITE
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Pedigree:
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Double Cover
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Certification #:
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0158632002
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Owner:
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David Swan1
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
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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