86 CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST
Marvel, Uncle Dudley Marvel (a loveable con man without powers based on comedian
W. C. Fields), Mr. Talky Tawny (a talking tiger), and Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny!
Captain Marvel also came to be opposed by a rogue’s gallery of recurring villains.
Th ey included Captain Nazi, Black Adam (Captain Marvel’s evil doppelganger), King
Kull, Ibac, and the robotic Mr. Atom. Captain Marvel’s two most infamous foes were
Dr. Th addeus Bodog Sivana, a creepy bald mad scientist with thick eyeglasses, and
Mr. Mind, “the World’s Wickedest Worm.” Sivana continually battled Captain Marvel
(whom he nicknamed “the Big Red Cheese”) in his attempts at world conquest. He
was often assisted in his schemes by his two homely adult children, son Sivana Jr.
and daughter Georgina. His other two more attractive children, son Magnifi cus and
daughter Beautia, were not villainously inclined. Mr. Mind was introduced in a
25 chapter serial known as “Th e Monster Society of Evil.” Beginning in Captain Marvel
Adventures #23 (1943), Mr. Mind recruits Captain Marvel’s greatest adversaries as he
attempts to destroy Earth, thus forming the fi rst supervillain team in comics.
While Captain Marvel vanquished his foes in the comics pages, he lost his greatest
battle in the courtroom. National Comics, publisher of Superman, sued Fawcett for
copyright infringement. Th e legal proceedings continued for more than a decade as
National claimed that Captain Marvel’s appearance, extraordinary strength, ability to
fl y, and bald arch villain were too similar to the Man of Steel. In 1953, Fawcett settled
out of court and discontinued the entire Marvel franchise. Ironically, in 1972 National
(now known as DC Comics) acquired the rights to Captain Marvel and introduced
him to a new generation of readers. Attempts to fully integrate the whimsical Marvel
franchise into the darker, grittier superhero environment of recent decades have not
always proved successful. Two of the best are Jeff Smith’s 2007 miniseries Shazam! Th e
Monster Society of Evil and Mike Kunkel’s Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!, which
premiered in 2008 for DC’s Johnny DC line of youth-oriented comics.
Captain Marvel has also had a strong presence in other media. He was the fi rst
superhero to be depicted on fi lm when Tim Tyler portrayed the hero in Th e Adventures
of Captain Marvel (1941), a popular 12-part fi lm serial. From 1974 to 1977, Filmation
produced a live action Saturday morning television series which featured Michael Gray
as Billy and Jackson Bostwick and later John Davey as Captain Marvel. Filmation
revived the hero in 1981 for the Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam!, an animated series
employing 1940s Marvel Family style. Although Captain Marvel may not be the sales
leader he was in the 1940s, the character remains a comic book icon.
Charles Coletta
CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST. Casper was a children’s comic book character cre-
ated for the Harvey Company, a second-tier comic book company with few superhero
comics. Its children’s properties fl ourished in the 1950s, after the imposition of the
Comics Code limited the number and kinds of comic book titles that could be success-
fully marketed. Besides Casper, other successful Harvey children’s characters included
“Hot Stuff the Little Devil”; Little Lotta, a heavyset female child; Polka Dot, a grade
