I wonder if I’d have preferred Superman or Captain Marvel?
Having been born in 1954, I came to awareness when The Adventures of Superman was airing on TV, and was besotted with the character. Captain Marvel had long since vanished, and I knew nothing about him until a few years later when I curiously picked up a copy of something called The Marvel Family at a second-hand shop.
But what if I’d been born a decade earlier, when Captain Marvel was rivaling and sometimes surpassing Superman in popularity?
I don’t know if the quirky humor of the Captain Marvel feature would have appealed to me, but I’m sure I would have been intrigued by the way Fawcett Comics had capitalized on and expanded its franchise.
Because unlike Superman, Captain Marvel wasn’t alone in his heroic mission. He was backstopped by Mary Marvel, various lieutenants Marvel, a bogus “Uncle Marvel” and even Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny.
Or maybe, like Elvis, I’d have preferred Captain Marvel Jr.
“In 1943, (Otto Binder) was asked to develop a fuller background on the Captain Marvel Junior series,” observed Bill Schelly In his book Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Science Fiction and Fantasy Visionary.
“Herron’s creation was beautifully rendered by Mac Raboy, but hadn’t been fleshed out story-wise. Thus far, Freddy Freeman had only been standing on unidentified street corners hawking newspapers. He needed supporting characters who would lend themselves to story ideas and create continuity.
“Binder established that Freddy has a room in a house owned by Mrs. Wagner. He put Freddy in a specific neighborhood, and at an established newsstand at the corner of Oak and Main. This development did the trick, and helped ensure Junior’s longevity. Like Cap, he was able to carry two titles (Captain Marvel Junior and Master Comics) through his entire life in comics, battling foes like Captain Nazi, Mr. Macabre, Sabbac, Captain Nippon and the Acrobat.”
You might call Mr. Macabre Captain Marvel Junior’s Joker. Like Batman’s arch-nemesis, he was introduced as an extortionist who broadcasts murder threats to his victims over the radio.
“Tonight, at precisely twelve o’clock midnight, I will kill Henry Claridge and steal the Claridge diamond. Do not try to stop me! The Joker has spoken!” boasts the Clown Prince of Crime in Batman 1 (Spring 1940).
“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Macabre cutting in! In less than one minute, Harold Pittwell will die!” broadcasts Junior’s foe in Master Comics 24 (March 1942).
Instead of the Joker’s “smiling venom,” the cloaked and fedora-ed Macabre uses equally effective poison ice darts. Originally an embezzler named Filpott who adopted his costumed identity to exact revenge, Mr. Macabre plunges an ice dart into himself, faking death to avoid capture by the young superhero. The poison turns his face green, however, making Macabre resemble the Joker even more. The villain isn’t even displeased by the change.
“A face to inspire terror and horror in many future victims! Ha ha!” Macabre says, underscoring his villainous credentials by allying himself with Captain Nazi.
Many of Captain Marvel Junior’s early adventures show him trashing German and Japanese tanks, ships and artillery, and he does so again when Mr. Macabre reappears in Master Comics 31 (Oct. 1942), having kidnapped an American ambassador.
In the process of rescuing him, the teenage superhero saves American troop ships bound for Australia by intercepting and detonating a Nazi torpedo and then hauling the German submarine that fired it to the surface so the crew can be captured.
Mr. Macabre’s final 1940s appearance came in Captain Marvel Jr. 2 (Dec. 1942), when he tried to sabotage Texas oil fields for the Axis powers.
Blown down by Junior’s super-breath and drenched in crude oil, Macabre is jailed for the duration without ever learning the connection between “that meddling punk” Captain Marvel Jr. and Freddy Freeman, who always seems to be around before the superhero shows up.
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