Set Description:
Captain Marvel Adventures is to WHIZ comics what Superman Comics is to Action Comics, a chance for the publisher to showcase its biggest star. In the case of Fawcett, Captain Marvel was even more important to their stable of heroes than Superman was to National Publications. Action Comics #1 was published in 1938 followed by Superman Comics #1 in 1939. Subsequently WHIZ comics #1 saw its first issue in 1940 with Captain Marvel Adventures starting the next year. It would be naïve to think that Fawcett wasn’t trying to follow in National Publications very successful footsteps although in many cases the Worlds Mightiest Mortal was a more interesting alternative to the Man of Steel with one of the most unique origins in the history of comics. Supposedly, in his heyday Cap boasted sales that exceeded even Superman’s. The success was in no small part due to the efforts of two of comic’s greatest legends, Otto Binder and C.C. Beck. Captain Marvel Adventures survived until November 1953 ending with issue 150 after a losing legal battle with DC Comics who claimed trademark infringement.
The highest unrestored CGC graded copy of Superman #1 is an 8.0 guide listed at $312,000. By comparison Issue #1 of Captain Marvel Adventures graded 8.0 is a bargain at $31,250. The highest unrestored CGC graded CMA #1 is an unimpressive 5.0. CMA #2 has an 8.0 CGC graded copy but from then on most issues have at least one high CGC graded copy more often than not a 9.6 with the occasional 9.8 sprinkled in. Most issues have between 1 and 2 dozen CGC graded comics. Because the first two issues are lower quality the highest guide priced CGC graded comic that actually exists would be the 9.6 copy of issue #3 at $18,000. WHIZ #2 (there is no issue #1) has a highest grade issue of 9.2 at a pricey $94,000 making it the highest valued issue starring Captain Marvel. Issues 20, 21 and 23 of CMA featured a mini comic attached and these three comics are significantly higher priced if the comic is still attached but the CGC grading doesn’t tell whether this is as far as I can tell.
In my opinion Captain Marvel Adventures are guide priced too high in the sense that when CMA issues are priced near guide and offered online they don’t sell. In fact I’ve seen about a 5% reduction in guide prices in the last year or so for CMA issues. It’s hard to say what the future holds for Captain Marvel Adventure’s value. For the series to be going down in price 60 to 70 years after it was first published doesn’t bode well but maybe it’s just going through a cold period. When compared to a popular series like Amazing Spider-Man the number of CGC graded issues is minuscule. Captain Marvel’s popularity pales in comparison to Spider-Man or Superman but from a historically relevant standpoint Captain Marvel is huge and continues to be popular to this day. From issue 82 onward not a single issue has more than 11 CGC graded copies and a majority have 5 or less so there is the scarcity factor.
There are two reasons I can think of as to why there are so few CGC graded copies of Captain Marvel Adventures. Either there is a pile of high quality comics that no one bothered to submit for grading or the number of preserved issues really is quite small. So why would someone not submit a high grade CMA comic to CGC? Issue’s graded 9.4 and above would theoretically double in value. Maybe a lot of CMA collectors never heard of CGC. It’s rare that I see a high grade CMA issue selling online that isn’t CGC graded which implies that there really aren’t that many. It’s not completely shocking since at the time when these comics came out they were seen as disposable entertainment and it was the rare collector who kept them in a place where they would be preserved for 60+ years. I made no attempt to focus on Pedigree issues and yet 27 of the 46 issues in my collection are Pedigree Copies. Mile High pedigrees seem to be the Crown Jewels of CMA and sell for double and triple guide (or should I say don’t sell). There are also a lot of Crippen “D” issues and other smaller Pedigree comics but I only own a couple non-Crowley Pedigree copy. The main reason I don’t own more Crippen comics is because they are rarely if ever the highest grade.
The goal of my collection is to gather the highest grade copies of as many issues as possible given my current budget. There are a few more highest grades available that I don’t have but they tend to be early Mile High pedigree issues that are well outside my budget. Currently my collection has 26 highest grades. 14 of those stand alone at the top position. In a comparison between myself and the current top CMA set there are 15 issues owned by both of us. We have the same grade on 3 issues. My competitor has 2 comics with higher grade than mine. In the other 10 issues mine is the higher grade. On an issue by issue basis my set is of higher quality than the 8 time CMA set of the year and 2009 Golden Age set of the year. My collection has 8 comics graded 9.4 while Starman221 has only 3 and only my set has a 9.6. On the other hand Starman221 has the first 26 issues while I haven’t a single comic prior to issue 30 so from a shear dollar value mine lags far behind.
Key Issues in my Collection….
Issue 64 – Highest Graded Copy of Oggar’s (“World’s Mighiest Immortal’s”) First Appearance
Issue 79 – Highest Graded Copy of Tawky Tawny’s First Appearance
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| The gallery tab shows only items with images. Click the thumbnails to enlarge. |
| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 15 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 15 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1261005011
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Owner Comments
(Published) September 1942
(Cover) Mark Swayze
16 page Captain Marvel story
"The Great Atlantic Dam"
(Pencils) C.C. Beck
The story opens to Adolph Hitler ordering his commanders to find a way to destroy England. The plan they come up with is to build a massive dam in the middle of the Atlantic to stop the Atlantic Gulf Stream and freeze the U.K. The concern is that Capt. Marvel will stop them. After two years the dam is complete and England experiences arctic weather. Billy Batson announces on the radio that he believes the freeze is man made so the Nazi's kidnap the boy.
Billy is taken directly to Hitler at a place near the ocean dam. His gag is removed so Der Fuhrer can question him allowing Billy to speak his magic word and transforms. Capt. Marvel starts to tear the dam apart and in response the Nazi's begin to bomb him which only helps destroy the dam. Cap starts to catch some of the bombs and hurls them back at the bombers. Hitler orders his battleships to attack Marvel but they suffer the same fate. The dam is completely destroyed and Cap flies back to the U.S. mainland which begs the question why didn't Capt. Marvel do anything to Hitler when he was face to face with him.
13 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel a Murderer?"
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Constanza
The story opens to a Swami in a turban doing a reading using a crystal ball. He channels the voice of a man's sister and she asks him to give $100,000 to the swami. Meanwhile, Billy Batson has discovered that the swami is a fraud and alerts the man. The swami pulls a gun on Billy but the boy transforms and starts to rough up the swami, tossing him to the ground. Capt. Marvel leads the potential sucker away from the fraud but later that evening, in a bit of meta writing, the swami reads Whiz magazine and discovers that Billy and Marvel are the same. He sneaks into Billy's room while the boy is sleeping and puts the whammy on Billy. When Billy awakens he shouts Shazam and transform.
As Marvel, he is now under the mental control of the swami. He goes downstairs, pulls out a gun on the man whom the swami was trying to fool and shoots him through the chest. The swami calls the police and they find the dead man but Marvel has lost his memory. They move to arrest him for murder so Cap transforms back into Billy. Billy tells the cops that Marvel has gone off to investigate the case but Billy is mystified as to what happened. Later, Billy is hanging out with Steamboat and decides transforming back to Capt Marvel may help solve the mystery but our hero simply turns himself in to the police. Cap is quickly found guilty and sentenced to death in the electric chair which is about as successful as you might imagine. Since they can't kill Marvel he's to be imprisoned for life. While being taken to prison Cap changes back to Billy and leaves to consult old Shazam who tells the boy that Cap acted under hypnosis. Old Shazam gives clues to the swami as the culprit and Cap flies to his shop. He beats a confession out of the swami and the swami is sent to jail. Wonder why HE didn't get the electric char.
10 page Captain Marvel story
"Bulbo the Whale "
(Script) Bill Woolfolk
Billy is out doing some fishing on a small boat when another fisherman with him spots a boat adrift, heading for some rocks. Billy transforms and saves the ship before it wrecks in a fairly nice piece of artwork. He drops the anchor and then changes back to Billy. He and the sailor explore the ship but it's entirely deserted. Billy stays on the ship while the sailor goes ashore to alert authorities He begins to explore the ship and finds the captain log with the last entry talking about how they are being menaced by a huge whale named Bulbo. Billy hears a sound and rushes to find the ships overweight chef suffering a stomach ache because he ate to much. The chef tells Billy that the rest of the crew abandoned the ship out of fear of Bulbo. Suddenly, the boat starts rocking and they rush to the deck to find Bulbo bumping the boat.
Billy changes back to Marvel and begins pummeling the whale but a wack from Bulbo's tail sends him flying back to the deck and the cook is tossed overboard and into the whales mouth. The whale's mouth isn't open large enough to fit Cap so Billy dives in and the two are trapped within the whale. The discover an old seaman who's been trapped in Bulbo for 12 years. Billy changes back to Capt Marvel and pries open the whales mouth and pulls everyone out. Cap swims them towards the ship with Bulbo in pursuit but right as he's about to collide with the ship he spots his wife and kids whom he thought had been killed. The whale family swim off and everyone is happy.
12 page Captain Marvel story
"Klang the Killer"
A man asks Billy for help fixing some kind of device and he secretly transforms to use the wisdom of Solomon to fix it without even knowing what the device does. He returns the device, as Billy, but then follows him out of curiosity. The main walks into a gated house so Billy changes to Marvel and hops the fence. Cap spots a tiny mechanical man when suddenly the man appears and start shooting him. Marvel explains that he was only curious about the invention. They enter the man's home and see an even larger mechanical man. Cap's curiosity is satisfied and he leaves. Later, the man discovers that his robot, Klang, drank unpurified gasoline and starts to go crazy so he calls Billy for help.
Marvel arrives to find the front gate ripped open, the toy robot smashed and the inventor dead with his head smashed in. Meanwhile, Klang is going crazy and attempts to murder a woman, Marvel arrives and smashes the robot in the head and Klang is easily defeated and chained to a tree. Marvel inexplicably leaves and Klang rips the tree from the ground and tries to kill a trainload of people. Cap finds him and barrels into the mechanical menace. Marvel hits him in the gut shattering him to pieces. Cap removes the impure gasoline and rebuilds Klank who now cheerfully works in a factory to help in the war effort.
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| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 30 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 30 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0779952013
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Owner Comments
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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| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 31 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 31 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0238117004
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Owner Comments
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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| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 32 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 32 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0912650011
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Owner Comments
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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| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 33 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 33 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1053525015
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Owner Comments
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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| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 34 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 34 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0074384014
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Owner Comments
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.
|
| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 36 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 36 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1464923016
|
Owner Comments
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.
|
| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 37 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 37 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1039684001
|
Owner Comments
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.
|
| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 40 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 40 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1015879001
|
Owner Comments
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
|
| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 41 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 41 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0074380008
|
Owner Comments
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
|
| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 43 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 43 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0074380011
|
Owner Comments
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.
|
| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 44 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 44 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0158632002
|
Owner Comments
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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| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 46 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 46 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0074380017
|
Owner Comments
Second Highest Grade behind a single 9.6.
(Published) May 1945
(Cover) C.C. Beck
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Tall Stories of Jonah Joggins"
Appearances: Sivana
Script: Otto Binder
Capt. Marvel is battling some super small time pirates in a tiny boat when one of the three pirates clunks him on the head and ties him to an anchor. Enter Jonah Joggins who knocks out the thieves and breaks Cap's chains. Turns out the story was being told by a massive bullshitter, Jonah himself, who is telling the story to a group of doubting kids. A shady looking fellow appears offering Jonah $500 for his half acre of "worthless land" that sits in the middle of his oil field. Jonah resists only because telling stories to the kids is the only thing he has. The man vows to himself that the land will be his.
Billy Batson comes by to interview Joggins given that he discovered all the oil wells and remains poor. Rather than address the question Jonah launches into some of his tall tales regarding Capt. Marvel so ludicrous to be hysterical. Later, at dinner, Jonah confesses that the story wasn't true and he only wanted to impress the children who look up to him. Suddenly, the man from earlier who wants Jonah's house bursts in and demands it burned to the ground. Billy transforms and literally punches a man through the ceiling. Jonah jumps in but gets shot and when Cap grabs the leader he confesses that there is a ton of oil on Jonah's little quarter acre land. A boy walks in to find Jonah laid out although only stunned. The lad admits they never believed Jonah's stories. Cap convinces the boy to allow Jonah's sham to continue and when he wakes he finds Marvel tied up. The boys praise Jonah and all is happy.
7 page Captain Marvel story
"Captain Marvel Has a Dull Day"
Script: Otto Binder
Captain Marvel is looking through a scrapbook Billy created of his heroic exploits but finds it boring so he heads out with Steamboat to find some excitement. Cap encounters dangers and crimes as he and Steamboat walk through the city but nothing that excites him. They finally arrive at their destination and the punch line us that Capt. Marvel and Steamboat are there to do some fishing.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The Monster Society of Evil Ch. 25: The End of Mister Mind"
Appearances: Mr. Mind, Herkimer
Script: Otto Binder
Pencils/Inks: C.C. Beck
Reprinted: Monster Society of Evil, The (Hawk Books, 1989 series) #1
Only Mister Mind and Herkimer remain of the Monster Society and Herkimer has had enough and leaves. All alone Mind decides to take revenge on Billy and knocks the boy out with Ether while he's working at WHIZ. It occurs to Mr. Mind that without an assistant he has no means to move the prone Billy, instead he tries to use some radio wires to electrocute him. Before Mind can enact his plan Billy wakes and the evil worm is forced to flee into a ventilation grate. He speaks his magic word and begins ripping the wall apart but Mind is gone. The police form a cordon around WHIZ and search the building top to bottom with no success.
Capt. Marvel brings in an exterminator who sprays the place eventually forcing Mr. Mind out. Cap grabs him up and Mr. Mind is put on trial for his crimes. Mr.Mind attempts to defend himself but even his own lawyer turns against him (which would generally cause a mistrial). Mind is found guilty of 186744 murders and sentenced to die by the electric chair and so it goes. In the end Mr. Mind's body is stuffed and displayed in a museum. The End.
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| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 48 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 48 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0074380019
|
Owner Comments
Second Highest Grade behind a single 9.4.
(Published) Aug-Sept 1945
(Cover) C.C. Beck
8 page Captain Marvel story
"Sivana and Marvel, Inc."
(Appearances) Sivana
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Costanza
Sivana walks into Billy's office and announces that he has reformed. Sivana makes a deal with Capt. Marvel to create Sivana & Marvel, Inc to offer people protection. Any money they make would be given to charity.
The next day they get their first customer, a grocer who's had multiple robberies. Capt. Marvel gets a list of places to patrol and is more convinced than ever that Sivana is legit. He stops more than a dozen crimes and their business becomes highly in demand. Capt. Marvel hires Sivana's daughter Beautia as his secretary. Sivana gives Cap the rest of the day off but as he leaves the building he's named bu the FBI for tax evasion. Turns out Sivana set him up but Sivana isn't done. He broadcasts that Marvel is a tax cheat on the radio further humiliating the hero. However, Beautia rushes over and offers to do Cap's taxes. Instead he has Beautia lead him to Sivana's hideout and arrests the evil scientist. Wow, that was easy.
7 page Captain Marvel story
"The Repentant Cook"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Costanza
Billy is staying at Mr. Morris's house when they hear a thief trying to break into his safe. The thief is an bespectacled old gentleman in a suit and Capt. Marvel begins to pummel him. However, it turns out that the man was actually putting money INTO the safe. He's a retired crook who's returning money he stole because of a guilty conscience. Cap lets the man go but follows him, just in case.
On his next reverse crime he's caught by a cop but Marvel whisks him away. Now, however, Cap is being reported as aiding a thief. Capt. Marvel assists him in a few more reverse thefts and then the man turns himself into the police but it turns out the police have no record of his crimes and with the good word of Marvel he's let go.
8 page Captain Marvel story
"The World's Mightiest Dream! "
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils) C.C. Beck
(Inks) Pete Costanza
Billy is walking home from his birthday party, having eaten perhaps too much cake, unaware that he is being followed by Sivana carrying a hatchet. All that cake gives Billy nightmares so in his dream he speaks his magic word and ends up mumbling it so the sleeping Billy also transforms. Dream Capt. Marvel finds the dream monsters more than a match for him. Almost the entire story is based around birthday cake nightmares and near the end Capt. Marvel changes back to Billy in order to escape the monsters through a small hole. He changes back to Billy in real life just as Sivana moves to murder him with a hatchet but in the dream Sivana appears with a hatchet prompting Billy to transform again. He wakes up as Capt. Marvel relieved that it was all a dream but when he spots the hatchet wonders if it WAS all a dream.
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| Slot: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 50 |
| Item: |
Captain Marvel Adventures 50 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1223018002
|
Owner Comments
Currently Tied with one other issue for the Highest Grade. This is one of the most heavily graded issues with 49 graded copies.
(Published) December 1945
(Cover) C.C. Beck
8 page Captain Marvel
"The Twisted Powers:
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Costanza
(Reprinted) Adventure Comics #493 (November 1982)
Thanks to some faulty lightning bolts, Zeus accidentally gives Billy Batson the powers of Captain Marvel while Captain Marvel has none.
7 page Captain Marvel
"Villain's Valhalla"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils/Inks) Pete Costanza
When their adult sons are put into jail three geriatric crooks from a retirement home decide to challenge Captain Marvel to show their sons how crooks used to do it in their day.The three fogies are no match but when one accidentally shoots a bystander in the foot Cap needs to assist him while the old crooks escape in a jalopy. The three decide to rob a bank but in their senility stick up a shoe store. Capt. Marvel interrupts their crime but in classic Golden Age goofiness is unable to capture them for fear of getting physical with the decrepit crooks. Finally he frightens them with a demonstration of his strength, ties all their beards together and flies them to jail. Back at Villains Valhalla another trio of aged crooks decide it doesn't make sense to tangle with Capt. Marvel.
7 page Captain Marvel story
"Sivana's Crime Newspaper"
(Script) Otto Binder
(Pencils) C.C. Beck
(Inks) Pete Costanza
Sivana begins publishing a crime newspaper for the underworld but when Capt. Marvel uses a tip printed in the newspaper to foil a crime the crooks go after Sivana himself to exact some revenge. Cap rescues Sivana but the devious scientist escapes. On the printing press, however, is the next days headline which is a smear campaign against the underworld mayor. Marvel correctly deduces that Sivana is attempting to take over as the crime mayor. The mayor is rescued by Marvel after an agry mob of crooks are roiled up by Sivana's mischeivous article. When Capt. Marvel take the mayor to jail for past crimes it ends up giving Sivana exactly what he wanted which is the position of mayor.
Sivana informs criminals that Billy Batson is Capt. Marvel and they kidnap him in order to put him on trial. Billy is found guilty and sentenced to death but while in jail one of the crooks thoughtlessly removes Billy's gag allowing him to transform and capture Sivana.
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