Captain Marvel Adventures

Captain Marvel Adventures was a long running comic book anthology series by Fawcett Comics, starring Captain Marvel during the Golden Age of Comic Books.[1]

Captain Marvel Adventures
Issue #18 depicting the original Marvel Family: Captain Marvel (right), Mary Marvel (center) and Captain Marvel Jr. (left)
Publication information
PublisherFawcett Comics
ScheduleMonthly
Every third Friday
Biweekly
FormatAnthology
GenreSuperhero
Publication dateMarch 1941 – November 1953
No. of issues150
Main character(s)Captain Marvel
Creative team
Written byOtto Binder, William Woolfolk, Ed Herron, Joe Simon
Artist(s)C. C. Beck, Pete Costanza, Jack Kirby
Editor(s)Ed Herron, Wendell Crowley

Publication history

The series was the first solo series starring the superhero after he was the star of the anthology title Whiz Comics. It was first released in 1941. The premiere issue was written and drawn by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.[2] The series was a huge success at the time. It sold 14 million copies in 1944,[3] and was at one point being published bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.3 million copies an issue. Several issues of Captain Marvel Adventures included a blurb on their covers proclaiming the series the "Largest Circulation of Any Comic Magazine".[4] The series would be cancelled with issue #150 in November 1953.[5][6]

Outside of Captain Marvel stories, there were other featured character stories within the anthology every now and then, like Captain Kid.[7]

Otto Binder and C.C. Beck introduced supervillains like Ibac in issue #18, Mister Mind and the Monster Society of Evil in issue #26[8] and Mister Atom in issue #78, which would remain recurring antagonists for the superhero.[9] The series' most significant debut was introducing Mary Marvel in issue #18, along with the formation of the Marvel Family.[10][11][12] Also introduced was Mr. Tawky Tawny in issue #79.[9]

Legacy

The success of the comic series lead DC Comics to file a lawsuit on Fawcett Comics regarding the character being too similar to Superman, which Fawcett would forfeit, and DC would win.[4]

Collected editions
  • The Monster Society of Evil: Deluxe Limited Collector's Edition (1989, American Nostalgia Library, ISBN 0-948248-07-6). Compiled and designed by Mike Higgs. Reprints the entire "Monster Society of Evil" story arc that ran for two years in Captain Marvel Adventures #22–46 (1943–1945), in which Captain Marvel meets Mister Mind and the Monster Society of Evil. This oversized, slipcased hardcover book was strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies.[8]

See also

References
  1. Benton, Mike (1992). Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 156. ISBN 0-87833-808-X. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  2. "GCD :: Issue :: Captain Marvel Adventures #[1]". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  3. Lavinie, Michael L. (Summer 1998). "Comic Books and Graphic Novels for Libraries: What to Buy" (PDF). Serials Review. Vol. 2, no. 24. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-02. In 1944, the best-selling comic book title (Captain Marvel Adventures) sold more than fourteen million copies for the year.
  4. "Comic Book Success Stories". The Museum of Comic Book Advertising. Retrieved 2005-06-17. By the middle of the decade, Captain Marvel had received a self-titled comic book, Captain Marvel's Adventures [sic], which had a circulation that reached 1.3 million copies per month. Captain Marvel's circulation numbers exceeded National's Superman title and the rivalry between the companies led National to sue Fawcett for plagiarism.
  5. "Grand Comics Database". Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  6. "Mike's Amazing World of Comics". www.mikesamazingworld.com. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  7. "Mike's Amazing World of Comics". www.mikesamazingworld.com. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  8. "UPDATE: DC Cancels Plans to Reprint Iconic & Controversial CAPTAIN MARVEL/SHAZAM Story". Newsarama. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  9. Hamerlinck, Paul (2001). Fawcett Companion: The Best of FCA. TwoMorrows Publishing. ISBN 9781893905108.
  10. "Mary Marvel". www.dcuniverse.com. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  11. "Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Mary Marvel". www.toonopedia.com. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  12. Diaz, Eric. "The Comic Book History Of The SHAZAM! Family". Nerdist. Retrieved 10 November 2019.


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