It's Andy Fish!

Growing up I knew who Captain Marvel was but for some reason people called him Shazam. I always thought this was an interesting dilemma– because Billy Batson changes into Captain Marvel by uttering the word– so a conversation would go something like this;

PERSON: Oh thanks for saving me, Captain Marvel!

CM: No reason to thank me, and please, call me “Shazam”

Lightning bolt strikes and as the smoke clears Billy Batson stands where Captain Marvel once did.

PERSON: What the hell happened? Why is my hair on fire? Did I just get hit by lightning? Where is Shazam?

BILLY: Um…

Captain Marvel was the best selling superhero comic book character of the 1940s, outselling Superman Comics by about 3 to 1 (and some sources say 5 to 1). Some of his popularity may be due to his making it into a live action serial before Superman did– originally Republic Studios was going to make a Superman Serial in 1940, but then Paramount stepped in because they had licensed the character and were making beautifully animated shorts and felt they had the screen rights.

Republic, always anxious to avoid lawsuits, changed plans and took the script and much of the cast and turned Superman into The Copperhead and released the serial MYSTERIOUS DOCTOR SATAN.

A year later they took the effects they had figured out for making Superman fly and used them in ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (1941) a 12 Chapter Serial which is regarded by many, myself included, as the greatest serial ever made.

Above; a custom Captain Marvel Serial figure which sits in my art studio.

I was never a big fan of Shazam– his comics in the 1970s were dopey and seemed childish. His TV show on Saturday mornings was cheap and equally dopey- Billy Batson drove around desert towns in a Winnebago which had the Captain Marvel symbol clearly displayed on the hood.

It wasn’t until 1981 ish when Fabulous Fiction Books opened a great video store underneath the comic shop they ran and among those amazing titles they had for renting– amongst huge selections of rare B-Films was a title called Double Feature Productions and one of those sets featured Adventures of Captain Marvel as the serial which ran between features.

Today ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL is such a cult classic it’s been released on Blu Ray by no less than three different film companies. I own at least two different copies and it is also the only sealed VHS set I actually still own– having long gotten rid of all my VHS tapes.

Remember my recommendation if you want to try serials, and they are all over YouTube, there are a couple of important factors;

1- Don’t binge watch. You could watch one episode at each meal of the day if you wanted but there needs to be time between each episode which always ends on a cliffhanger.

2- Print and sound quality matter. If you start watching and can barely make out what’s happening find another print.

3- It’s entertainment with a lot of made up science, try to check your brain at the door.