Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional character owned by the US entertainment company WarnerMedia .
The character was originally developed in 1939/1940 by the Americans Bill Parker and C. C. Beck as the hero of a comic series of the same name, which was marketed (with interruptions) by the New York publisher Fawcett Comics until the 1950s. The peak of its popularity reached the captain in the late 1940s as the best-selling comic book series of the time and with a same serial of feature films. In the early 1970s, DC Comics, a subsidiary of Time Warner, acquired the rights to the character. Time Warner has since used this for other comics, as part of an animated series and in the form of merchandising products (action figures, breakfast boxes, etc.). In addition, the film Shazam! in theaters as part of the DC Extended Universe .
Release dates
The concept for Captain Marvel was developed in 1939 by the author Bill Parker. Parker had previously been commissioned by the publisher Fawcett Comics to create a fictional character with which Fawcett wanted to repeat the financial success that the publisher DC Comics celebrated with the "newfangled" science fiction hero Superman since 1938 . The visual design of the character, which has remained essentially unchanged to this day, was created by the illustrator C. C. Beck assigned to Parker by Fawcett, who based his designs on the appearance of the actor Fred MacMurray .
After Fawcett's officials gave their approval to Parker's and Beck's concept, the publisher began publishing Captain Marvel stories in February 1940. The first story about the character finally appeared in the comic book Whiz Comics # 2, whose cover, which later became famous - a man who (similar to Superman on the cover of Action Comics # 1) hurls an automobile through the air - also Captain Marvel graced.
In the 1940s, Captain Marvel was the most successful US comic series based on sales. Whiz Comics # 2 has already sold more than 500,000 copies. Fawcett took this success into account by creating the series Captain Marvel Jr. , Mary Marvel and Marvel Family and even had a rabbit called Hoppy the Marvel Bunny created in 1942 , to which a series was also dedicated from 1945 to 1947. Fawcett eventually continued publishing Captain Marvel stories through 1953. That year, the publisher ceased operations as a result of a lawsuit with DC Comics that Fawcett had with Captain Marvel to plagiarize his DC character, Superman.
After DC Comics acquired the rights to Captain Marvel in 1972, it began publishing more comic book stories of the character. In the meantime, however, the Marvel Comics publisher had created its own character called " Captain Marvel " and registered the name as a brand name . For this reason , DC is still not allowed to use the name "Captain Marvel" on the comic book front pages or for advertising purposes, but instead uses substitute titles such as "Shazam!" Or "The Power of Shazam!" The dialogues in the comic stories themselves are not affected, however, here Captain Marvel can still be called by name.
The first in the new series, Shazam! # 1, published in February 1973. The author of the magazine was Dennis O'Neil , and the Captain Marvel veteran C. C. Becks was the illustrator. Later issues in the series were illustrated by Bob Oksner , Kurt Schaffenberger and Don Newton . O'Neil succeeds him as the author of Shazam! took over one after the other Elliot S! Maggin and E. Nelson Bridwell . The series reached thirty-five issues in total, filled with reprints of stories from the 1940s and 1950s and with new material, before being discontinued in June 1978. After that, the Captain Marvel stories were integrated into other series as second stories until 1983. The series World's Finest Comics (issues # 253 to # 282, October / November 1978 to August 1982) and Adventure Comics (issues 491 to # 498, September 1982 to April 1983) brought reprints of old and some new stories in the series in the following years .
In 1986, DC released the four-part miniseries Shazam! The New Beginning by Roy Thomas, which was implemented by the draftsman Tom Mandrake , but was largely rejected by the "old fans". In 1994, DC published the 96-page graphic novel The Power of Shazam , written and drawn by Jerry Ordway , which received very positive reviews and good sales. Subsequently, DC started a new Captain Marvel series, also written and drawn (or painted) by Ordway, also titled The Power of Shazam , in March 1995 , which had 48 issues up to 1999 (# 1-47 and the special edition # 1,000,000) brought. There was also one that appeared in 1996 as The Power of Shazam! Annual titled, Special. In addition to Ordway, the artists Mike Manley and Dick Giordano as ink draftsmen and Glenn Whitmore as a colorist worked on the series . Ordway (who wrote all the booklets and painted all the cover paintings, but was often unable to draw the inside of the booklet himself) was represented as a guest artist by artists such as Peter Krause , Gil Kane and Curt Swan .
After this series was discontinued, Captain Marvel mainly had guest appearances in series with other main characters for a few years. The illustrated book Shazam , which was published in A3 format, was an exception . Power of Hope by Paul Dini and Alex Ross , which became a bestseller.
Between September 2005 and March 2006, DC published the Superman / Shazam: First Thunder miniseries, written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Josh Middleton, which tells a new version of the first encounter between Captain Marvel and Superman. From August 2006 to July 2007 followed the twelve-part maxi series The Trials of Shazam! by author Judd Winick and illustrator Howard Porter . At the same time, between February and July 2007, one was released as Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil titled miniseries consisting of four 48-page booklets in bound Prestige format by Jeff Smith , which once again tells the story of Captain Marvel's origin.
For 2008 is an ongoing series called Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! announced.
Appearance
Captain Marvel is traditionally depicted as a tall, muscular man with attractive, slightly beefy facial features. The facial model for the superhero was the actor Fred MacMurray , who was popular in the 1930s and 1940s .
During his missions he wears a red costume that is based on military uniforms and ancient Egyptian and Persian costumes. A large golden lightning bolt emblem is emblazoned on his chest, which is the symbol and leitmotif of the superhero brand Captain Marvel.
Like Superman, the captain wears a cape (unlike Superman's red cape, it is snow-white) that is tied around his neck and falls over his back. The cape is modeled on the ceremonial capes of the British nobility that Beck had seen on various occasions in newspaper reports in the 1930s. The hems of Captain Marvel's Cape are trimmed with gold edges. Also yellow to gold are Marvel's boots and ribbons that are wrapped around his wrists and stomach.
Main character and plot
Captain Marvel (sometimes called Captain Thunder) is described as a magical superhero who owes his extraordinary abilities (superpowers) to the magic of the benevolent wizard Shazam. Shazam, a white-bearded old man reminiscent of the Celtic Merlin, creates Captain Marvel in the first Captain Marvel story by casting a spell on an orphan boy named Billy Batson, who is about twelve years old: From now on, Billy can get himself into a 1 by pronouncing the wizard's name , 90 meter tall, stocky man with super strength, super speed and endurance, physical and magical invulnerability, fearlessness, wisdom, as well as increased mental awareness and the ability to fly.
The process of transforming Billy Batson into Captain Marvel occurs when a lightning bolt strikes Billy as soon as he utters the wizard's name (Shazam!). If he pronounces it again, a second lightning strike will transform him back into Billy Batson. The word Shazam is a made-up word that is composed of the first letters of the names of six mythological figures, whose characteristic skills Captain Marvel has: Solomon ( wisdom ), Hercules ( strength ), Atlas ( endurance ), Zeus ( power ), Achilles ( courage ), Mercury ( speed ).
In his secret identity as a young boy, Billy Batson (fully William Joseph Billy Batson) works as a junior presenter for the radio station WGBS and lives with his uncle.
As the Captain Marvel stories progress, Billy Batson faces a number of high-pitched villains and faces a variety of problems arising from his double life and from the mature inadequacies that come with having Batson in his superhero Identity as a naive child resides in the body of an adult man.
Billy's forced adversaries as Captain Marvel include the bald, mad scientist Doctor Sivana, the ingenious dwarf worm Mr. Mind, the fascist Captain Nazi, and his evil mirror image Black Adam, the murderer of Billy's parents.
More figures
The supporting cast of Captain Marvel consists of a number of recurring ally and villain characters. Marvel's closest allies are the members of the so-called Marvel Family consisting of the magician Shazam, Captain Marvel's junior partner, Captain Marvel Jr., and Marvel's younger sister, Mary Marvel. Until 1986 this also included characters such as Uncle Marvel and Hillbilly Marvel .
Other minor characters are the children of Marvel's archenemy Dr. Sivana, Beautia and Magnificus Sivana , as well as Mister "Tawky" Tawny a speaking tiger. Add to that the president of WHIZ Radio, the broadcaster Billy Batson works for, Sterling Morris , Billy's friend Cissie Sommerly , his principal Miss Wormwood, and Mary's adoptive parents Nick and Nora Bromfield .
Arson Fiend
Arson Fiend , aka George Tweedle (English for "Brandstiftersatan") is a former insurance seller who can transform himself into a demon-like being called Arson Fiend with a magic potion, who can set fire to everything he touches and fire balls can fire from his hands.
Black Adam
He was originally thought of as the villain for Fawcett Comics Marvel Family . After DC Comics started again, Captain Marvel or Marvel family stories under the title Shazam! Releasing in the '70s, Black Adam was drawn into the story as a recurring enemy. As originally portrayed, Black Adam was a wicked ancient Egyptian predecessor of Captain Marvel, who followed his path into modern times to challenge the hero and his Marvel family. He married Isis in the weekly series 52 (2006/2007) .
Captain Nazi
The character of the German super villain Captain Nazi was introduced to the Captain Marvel Comics in 1941. In the booklet Master Comics # 21 from December 1941, author Bill Woolfolk and draftsman Mac Raboy present the captain as the product of an experiment by the National Socialists: The physiology of the test subject - an ardent Hitler supporter - was changed by scientists through genetic interventions so that that this became the living embodiment of the idea of the Nordic superman.
The external appearance of Captain Nazi - with a swastika emblem on the chest, monocle and eye-catching shoulder pieces - visually reflects numerous stereotypes of the Americans of German militarism , whereby Nazi symbolism and Prussian military kitsch are mixed together.
As the "Champion of the Axis Powers", Captain Nazi takes part in the Second World War as the counterpart of the "All American Hero" Captain Marvel and engages in various comic stories with Marvel and other heroes such as the Bulletman. From the perspective of war propaganda, these can easily be interpreted as proxy battles in which the various characters fight each other as symbolic substitutes for the systems they embody: When Captain Marvel and Captain Nazi "wedge" each other in magazines like Whiz Comics # 25 - where Ultimately, of course, Captain Marvel wins - so this is ultimately nothing more than the personalized struggle of the NS system and the American way of life .
In Whiz Comics # 25, Captain Nazi murders a man named Jacob Freeman and cripples his grandson Freddy, who later becomes Captain Marvel Junior. After Captain Nazi last appeared in a facett comic in the 1944 issue of Captain Marvel Jr. # 14, the character disappeared from the Captain Marvel Comics for more than thirty years. Not until 1978 in Shazam! # 34 he appeared again. A modern Origin story finally came to him in The Power of Shazam! from 1995: There it is explained that the captain originally participated as a fighter on the Axis side in World War II and how he fought against American superheroes such as Spy Smasher during the war (Captain Marvel did not exist in this modern version during the Time of the World War, but only took up his superhero activity decades later). After the defeat of the Third Reich, Captain Nazi allowed his brother, the scientist Wolf Krieger, to freeze him so that he could return after a few decades and build a new “Fourth Reich”.
Together with his granddaughter Madame Libertine he fights several times against Captain Marvel in the series The Power of Shazam and is also responsible for the crippling of Freddy Freeman in this version ( Power of Shazam # 6-8), which is also the initial spark in this variant for his transformation into Captain Marvel Jr.). In other comic series, Nazi lay down u. a. with Batman ( Batman # 647), Black Adam ( 52 ) and Wonder Woman . After the Batman opponent Red Hood appears to kill him in a story, Nazi returns in Villains United Special # 1, where he reveals that he is not a human but some kind of occult being who has been spellbound for so long based on a spiritual connection would continue to exist just as there are still people who cling to the Nazi ideology: that is, as long as there are Nazis, the evocation through which it exists would continue and it would continue to exist.
Chain lightning
Chain Lightning (English for " chain lightning ") is a meta-being that Captain Marvel has to deal with on various occasions. Behind Chain Lightning is a girl named Amy who suffers from a multiple personality disorder (other personalities are her inner child, her id and the bitter Amber). Lightning has the ability to control electricity. Since she can absorb the Marvels 'source of power - lightning - and rob the Marvels of their powers, she is one of the Marvels' most dangerous adversaries.
Doctor Sivana
Doctor Sivana , aka Thaddeus Bodog Sivana, is Captain Marvel's archenemy. It was first featured in the 1940 Whiz Comics # 2 comic book (author: B. Parker, illustrator: C. C. Beck).
Sivana, who describes himself as "The World's Wickedest Scientist", is the stereotypical mad scientist in Captain Marvel's villain gallery: He is usually depicted as a short, bald man with thick glasses. Sivana, a brilliant inventor and strategist whose trademark is his giggling laughter “Heh! Heh! Hey! ”Is the most common adversary of Marvel and its allies. Usually he moves the Marvels equipped with all sorts of wondrous technical devices (such as the so-called "suspendium", a time travel machine in which he accidentally locks himself and the Marvels in and keeps them frozen for decades, a circumstance that the editors of DC 1973, within the plot Captain Marvel Stories, which explained the break in the series between 1953 and 1973), but finally succumbs, which is usually followed by the leitmotif “Curses! Foiled again! ”(Such as“ Damn it! My plan was thwarted again! ”). Later stories make Sivana the step-uncle of Captain Marvel's alter ego Billy Batson ( Shazam: The New Beginning , 1986) and the insane former boss of a large business enterprise called Sivana Industries.
In its original version, Sivana is a single father of four. His offspring are the good-natured adult children Beautia and Magnificus and the evil teenagers Georgia and Thaddeus Jr, with whom he forms the villain group The Sivana Family, the evil mirror image of Captain Marvel's Marvel Family . The four children were written out of the Captain Marvel Comics in 1986, but Beautia and Magnificus were reintroduced into the then Captain Marvel stories in 1994/1995. In 2006, the two remaining children, Thaddeus Jr. and Georgia, were included again in the stories about Captain Marvel. Sivana's ex-wife Venus Sivana appears briefly in Power of Shazam! # 27 on.
In more recent stories, Sivana once leads the rogue group Fearsome Five ( Outsiders # 13-15, 2004), develops futuristic weapon systems for the gangster group Intergang while he was living on the tropical island of Oolong Island, and is even appointed as a lawyer general for the US government at times ( Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil # 2, 2007). On television he was portrayed in the show Legends of the Superheroes (1979) by Howard Morris . As a cartoon character, he also appeared in The Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam! on.
Ibac
Ibac , aka Stanley "Stinky" Printhwistle, is a criminal who was first introduced in Captain Marvel Adventures # 8 from 1942 (author: Otto Binder , illustrator: C. C. Beck). There you learn that Printhwistle was originally a petty criminal who was killed in a bridge explosion that he himself caused. After his death, Lucifer turns him into a “mighty fighter for evil” in exchange for his soul and sends him back into the world of the living.
Since then, Printhwistle has led a double life: most of the time he is still as his old, chronically unsuccessful self as a small, skinny, gray-haired crook. But when he pronounces the magical word "IBAC" (acronym from: Iwan, Borgia, Attila and Caligula), he turns into the superhumanly strong colossus Ibac. When IBAC he has the capabilities of four historical villains: From I wan the Terrible, the Russian prince, he inherited the ability to spread terror. Ibac took over the gift of cunning from the Florentine statesman Cesare B orgia. Of A the Hun ttila ferocity. And of the insane Roman Emperor C aligula cruelty. In analogy to Billy Batson, who is transformed into Captain Marvel by the strike of lightning, Printhwistle is transformed into Ibac by a green flame and pumice stone fumes that waft around him. Since Ibac is relatively dependent and rather stupid, he often works as a henchman for other villains: In some stories he belongs to the Secret Society of Super Villains and in others to the club of Captain Marvel's archenemies, the Evil Monster Society of Evil. In contrast, in some stories Ibac appears as a purified, rather harmless fellow who has given up his attempts to capture Captain Marvel as unsuccessful (and is still in possession of his soul due to his chronic unsuccessfulness).
King Kull
King Kull is the king of the Beastmen , a Neanderthal-like race that ruled the earth in the Captain Marvel Comics in ancient times. The human race was held as slaves by the beastmen in prehistoric times before they revolt and destroy Kull's people. Kull survives this by hiding in a cave. Millennia later, he returns to take revenge on humanity with the help of his people's futuristic technology, and thus clashes with Captain Marvel.
Mister Atom
Mister Atom is a nuclear-powered intelligent robot that Captain Marvel uses multiple times in the newer Captain Marvel Comics. As its creator, a man named Dr. Charles Langley identified.
Mr. Banjo
Mr. Banjo , aka Kurt Filpots, is an Axis agent who Captain Marvel faces in several stories published during World War II. In these stories, he is portrayed as an inconspicuous man wearing a rumpled green suit and straw hat. His trademark is an old banjo that he always carries with him. Banjo transmits the information he has spied on to his clients in an encrypted manner through the musical notes or sounds of his playing.
Mister Mind
Mister Mind is a tiny worm-like creature from the planet Venus, who has an ingenious mind and mental powers that enable him to control other beings through telepathy . The figure was first introduced in Captain Marvel Adventures # 22 from 1943 (author: Otto Binder, draftsman: C. C. Beck). The American mythologist Don LoCicero interprets Mr. Mind as a modern version of the Midgard serpent , a monstrous creature of Norse mythology.
With the help of an organization he leads called The Monster Society of Evil , Mind tries again and again to conquer the earth, whereby his plans are usually foiled by Captain Marvel. The Society includes most of the other Captain Marvel opponents (such as Ibac and Sabbac) as well as various monster creatures such as werewolves, crocodile men, pig men, a giant octopus, a man with a hippopotamus head, etc., as well as normal criminals such as typical Chicago gangsters of the 1920s. In the Captain Marvel stories from the time of the Second World War , the leaders of the Axis powers Hitler , Mussolini and Tojo were also represented as "honorary members".
Mr. Mind has the habit - like a tapeworm - to lodge in the heads of other beings in order to be able to control them particularly effectively. His plans are usually characterized by absurd elements: He once tried to bomb the American naval port of Pearl Harbor a second time, repeating the Japanese attack of 1941. Another time he plans to bury the United States of America under a huge glacier. Another story describes his attempt to kill the Chinese army with the aid of the Great Wall of China (which he telekinetically floats through the air). And in still other stories he tries to invade Scotland with the help of a floating island, to trigger an artificial volcanic eruption in Great Britain or to fire Russia with a gun ten kilometers in diameter.
Apart from such rather bizarre escapades, there are various stories about more threatening plans Minds. In the more modern Captain Marvel stories, Mind originally belongs to a race of similar worm creatures who try to conquer the earth with him. Later he acts as a loner. After numerous arguments with Captain Marvel, Mind comes under the control of Doctor Sivana, who irradiates him with a fictional element called Suspendium and thus sets a mutation in motion: The little worm thus develops into a gigantic worm monster that has the ability to defeat itself to eat through the space-time continuum (i.e. to devour reality).
Mr. Who
Mr. Who is a crippled scientist who uses superpowers called Solution Z , a chemical that enables him to change his physical shape, to take down Captain Marvel .
Oggar
Oggar is a villain who mostly appeared in the old Captain Marvel stories from before 1986. There he appears as a magical being who claims to be the most powerful immortal in the world. Its most striking feature is that it has hooves instead of feet since the magician Shazam cast a spell on him. Since Oggar's magic is ineffective against women, Mary Marvel is usually used to defeat him.
Rowdy Sparkle
Rowdy Sparkle is a "funny" villain who thinks he's the "toughest guy in the world" since reading the book How to Do Everything. His cousin is the bon vivant Sunny Sparkle.
Sabbac
Sabbac is one of the many magical creatures that Captain Marvel often has to deal with. Visually, Sabbac - with red skin, horns and breath of fire - is similar to the Christian idea of the dragon. Its name Sabbac the fact that it (the capabilities of six demons S atan, A ym, B eilal, B eelzebub, A smodeus and C raeteis) combines. In its original version, Sabbac is the teenage Timothy Karnes, the foster brother of Captain Marvel's junior partner, Captain Marvel Jr. Karnes later dies in a story in The Outsiders . He is followed by a Russian criminal named Ishame Gregor as the new Sabbac.
Shazam
Shazam is a wise old wizard in the Captain Marvel Comics who acts as a mentor to Billy Batson / Captain Marvel. In addition, in all variants of the material, Shazam is the one to whom Billy owes his superpowers as Captain Marvel.
Shazam first appears in Whiz Comics # 2 from February 1940. There the reader learns that the magician has fought evil on earth for centuries, but is now old and needs a successor. For this reason he leads the brave orphan boy Billy Batson to his accommodation, a cave known as the "Rock of Eternity", which exists in a magical place outside of space and time. Using a spell, he equips Billy with the skills of Solomon, Heracles, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury and sends him out to continue his fight. Disguised as the white-bearded "old man next door", Jebediah O'Keenan, Shazam stands by his young student and the other Marvel heroes, whom he gradually creates with the help of his magic (Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr.), with advice and Act aside.
In later stories, Shazam is given a backstory. According to this story published in World's Finest Comics # 262, Shazam began his career as a young shepherd Jebediah of Canaan in ancient Canaan some 5,000 years ago. There he becomes the proto-superhero "The Champion" who by pronouncing the word "VLAREM!" (An anagram of the word "Marvel") the abilities of the fictional gods Voldar (strength), Lumian (wisdom), Arel (speed), Ribalvei (power), Elbiam (wisdom) and Marzosh (perseverance). In other stories it is described how the young Shazam, together with a female demon, fathered the half demons Blaze and Satanus, who later became opponents of his protégé Captain Marvel. Another villain, in whose creation Shazam plays a role, is Black Adam: Shazam created this in ancient Egypt when he - on his first attempt to recruit a successor - completely misjudged the young Teh-Adam, the son of the Pharaoh of his character, with parts of his magic. Adam murdered, seduced to evil by Shazam's daughter Blaze, soon after his father and proclaimed himself the new Pharaoh. Shazam kills his failed disciple and seals his powers in a jewel that centuries later is stolen by Theo Adam, a reincarnation of Teh-Adam, who becomes Black Adam. According to this story, Shazam was drawn to Billy Batson's homeland, Fawcett City, as he was on a scientific expedition that brought the artifacts they hid in the Egyptian pyramids to the city's museum. Shazam then settles near the museum in order to be able to keep an eye on the magical objects, and so finally becomes aware of the alert Billy.
In the storyline The Trials of Shazam , Shazam is finally killed by a being called The Specter . Shazam's successor as custodian of the Rock of Eternity will be Captain Marvel (Billy Batson), who will henceforth simply be called Marvel. Batson's successor as the new Captain Marvel will be Freddie Freeman (CM3).
Adaptations
The Captain Marvel story was first filmed in 1941 with actor Tom Tyler in the lead role. The film Adventures of Captain Marvel , produced by the Republic Pictures studio , was released as a twelve-part film serial spread over several months.
Between 1974 and 1977 the Studio Filmation produced a Shazam television series for the US television channel CBS, which was part of the Shazam! / Isis Hour program as a half-hour show between 1975 and 197x . The role of Billy Batson played there Michael Gray , while Jackson Bostwick (1st season) and John Davey (2nd and 3rd season) appeared as Captain Marvel.
Beginning in 1978, Hanna-Barbera Productions produced some low-budget comedy specials about Captain Marvel as part of the Legends of the Superheroes series (1978). The main role played Garrett Craig .
From 1981 to 1982 NBC finally broadcast an animated series, again produced by Filmation, under the title Kid Superpower with Shazam! . In the cartoon Justice League Unlimited , Captain Marvel was dubbed in the US original by Jerry O'Connell , while Billy Batson was voiced by Shane Haboucha .
The movie Shazam was released in 2019 as part of the DC Extended Universe .
Captain Marvel as a reference brand in pop culture
The Captain Marvel fabric has found its way into pop culture in a number of ways. Marvel's trademark saying “Shazam!” Has seeped into American colloquial language as a winged word since the 1940s. For example, a prominent user of the word was Gomer Pyle, a character on the 1960s comedy show The Andy Griffith Show . In the cinema, the word has found use in films such as Spider-Man and Austin Powers in gold stands .
Captain Marvel himself has been alluded to and joked in the film West Side Story and the TV shows The Monkees , M * A * S * H, and American Dad! used. Guitarist Duane Eddy released the song Shazam in 1960 , while Elvis Presley , a reader of the Captain Marvel Comics in the 1940s, recreated his famous curly hairstyle from the hairstyle of Captain Marvel's junior partner, Captain Marvel Junior. The Beatles, in turn, built Captain Marvel into the song The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (1968).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hoppy the Marvel Bunny , at toonopedia.com, accessed on February 10, 2014.
- ↑ Hoppy the Marvel Bunny at ComicBook +, accessed on February 10, 2014 (English).
- ↑ Among other things, it won the Comic Buyer's Guide Fan Award for 1994 in the Best Graphic Album category.
- ↑ Later versions were similar a. also the actors Cary Grant and Jack Oakie , before one finally committed to the "MacMurray model".
- ↑ In his debut story, Mr. Mind only appears as a voice that observes the events from behind the scenes. He was first seen in Captain Marvel Adventures # 26.
- ↑ Don LoCicero: Superheroes and Gods. From Batman to Babylon , 2007 (English). LoCicero speaks of a shades of Midgard snake . The concept he used is strongly reminiscent of Goethe's idea of “reflection”.
- ↑ According to some stories, Shazam creates the Rock of Eternity by bringing together two rock formations, one from heaven and one from hell. Since a dragon-like prehistoric monster is trapped in the rock in a dungeon, the cave needs constant guarding, so that Shazam is tied to it as the “keeper of the rock” most of the time.