Captain Marvel Comic Books

The family of comic books featuring Captain Marvel and members of his extended family were the most popular superhero comics during World War II and into the postwar era. Captain Marvel presented a simple message of optimism and patriotism, suitable for inspiring young people during an uncertain time. Children could identify with a grown-up superhero who could right the world's wrongs, but still had a child's point of view.

In 1939, Fawcett Publications decided to join the growing number of comic book publishers. Writer Bill Parker was ordered to create a hero to rival Superman, National Comics' best-selling superhero. Not wanting simply to copy Superman (an adult hero from another world), Parker aspired to create a fresh, new hero with whom the young readers could more closely identify. At first named “Captain Thunder,” the hero was renamed Captain Marvel because the original name was already copyrighted. Parker's creation could turn from a boy into an adult superhero by saying the magic word “Shazam.” The word was based on the first letters of six heroes of myth and biblical stories: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury. Each hero gave Captain Marvel certain characteristics, such as wisdom (from Solomon) and invulnerability (from Achilles). In contrast to the adult Superman, Captain Marvel was a homeless boy named Billy Batson who survived by selling newspapers. He first appeared publicly in Whiz Comics #2 in February 1940 and was an immediate success. Children's fantasies about growing up and doing something important were embodied in Captain Marvel.

Part of the credit for the popularity of the Captain Marvel comic books goes to artist C. C. Beck. Although Beck had a degree in fine arts, he regarded himself as a cartoonist. He drew in a simple style, using as few lines as possible. Sometimes Beck skipped the backgrounds entirely. He modeled the captain's face on that of movie star Fred MacMurray. Beck also used bright colors to appeal to younger readers. He used a light opera–styled soldier's uniform as the inspiration for Captain Marvel's red and yellow costume, complete with white cape. After Beck established the style, other artists were employed to meet the demand. [Page 106]Eventually, an entire studio of artists copied Beck's style, producing three to four stories for each issue of the captain's adventures. The stories were also written simply. Plot development was minimal, with the emphasis on action. The main writer for Captain Marvel was Otto Binder, who produced 986 of the 1,743 Captain Marvel stories between 1941 and 1953.

Captain Marvel was given to making puns and bad jokes during his fights. He came across as polite, good-humored, and often included patriotic and wholesome encouragement to his younger readers, such as “Never let anyone persuade you to break the laws of our great country.” His signature exclamation was “Holy Moley!” Unlike Superman's adventures, which could be plodding and predictable, Captain Marvel stories were light and slightly satirical. The captain was known as the “Big Red Cheese” to his archenemies and the writers alike.

The popularity of Captain Marvel stories surprised Fawcett, but the company took advantage of its success. Since the captain shared Whiz Comics with other characters, Fawcett decided to produce a magazine devoted solely to Captain Marvel. Following a special issue in August 1940, Captain Marvel Adventures appeared in March 1941. Annual circulation rose from 2.6 million in 1941 to a high of more than 14 million in 1944. To help encourage readership, a series of stories saw Captain Marvel traveling to different U.S. cities, seeing local landmarks, meeting prominent citizens, and battling menaces. Fawcett made millions from a product that cost just 10 cents an issue. Additional profits came from Captain Marvel toys and products. The captain also made history when he became the first comic book superhero to appear in a movie serial in 1941. Starring Tom Tyler, the 12-chapter serial was set in Southeast Asia.

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