Marvel Mondays: The Other Yellowjacket

Quit complaining bug boy. Least you both have a gal to fly by your side!

Marvel Mondays:Webheads Love Redheads

Think again, Spidey. Rose is more a nag than MJ. Course you don't have to worry about that these days, ey?

Marvel Mondays: Super-Soldiers

True, Joe, but at least Steve has (had?) an admantium shield which beats your supersuit!

Marvel Mondays: Creature Counterparts

Animal alias...check. Red jumpsuit....check! Strong physique...check! Wolverine style hair...check!

Marvel Mondays: Blonde Brickhouse Boys/Babes

So far with Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family we've considered the main man, the young apprentice, the long lost sister, the evil ancestor and the wizened old coots that empowered such beings. Today we depart from the template to reflect on the long-time friends, once foes, of this family. While not appearing a great deal throughout the decade their presence was known and their influence on both the Marvels and their opposite number, the Sivana Family, was felt.

For you see, our two candidates today were actually the first two additions to Doctor Sivana's infamous family, sometime before their younger siblings Georgia and Thaddeus Junior appeared. Magnifus was the firstborn son of Sivana, and a more marvelous physical specimen you could not find, at least not without the souped up powers of Captain Marvel. Both he and his older sister Beautia were the offspring of Sivana and an unidentified woman, whom he left on the planet Venus to rule while he himself returned to Earth to attempt conquering it without success. Evidently, at least on Venus itself, Magnificus' might matched Caps for a brief period. After initial tension between the two, however, Cap and Mag became friends.

The aforementioned Beautia was installed by her father as queen over Venus' strange creatures. Herself immediately enamored by the rugged looks of her papa's arch-foe, she nevertheless did his bidding off and on for awhile trying to defeat the "Big Red Cheese". Instead, she ended up falling in love with him and later returning with her brother to Earth to become extended members of the Captain's family. Both she and her brother were instrumental in later years overturning their sire's sick schemes. On on occasion, Magnificus actually impersonated Captain Marvel while being flown around and protected by Captain Marvel Junior, in an attempt to free Cap's alter ego Billy Batson from a death trap. In the end, both brother and sister were among the Marvel's closest friends and biggest supporters.

Mister Muscle's career in the limelight was about as long (or as brief) as that of Magnificus, as was that of his girl Friday, Miss Muscles. Both filled in the "perfect specimens" of humanity niche on Earth-Four like that of the Sivana siblings.

And finally, on Earth-MLJ, you can't have more direct parallels for Magnificus and Beautia than Steel Sterling and Ms. Sampson, two paragons of perfection!

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In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series. 

Marvel Mondays: Energetic Egyptians

These two cats from the way back are distinct parallels for a number of reasons. Both Black Adam and Blue Beetle were tied to ancient Egypt, the former being its protector in centuries bygone before becoming its dictator, the latter being an archeologist who unearthed its greatest secret and became a guardian of good himself. Each met a tragic end to their ignoble careers, despite what the two old men... Shazam and Pharoah... had expected of them when electing them their candidates of courage. And still they returned...

Teth Adam allowed greed to corrupt him, while Dan Garrett allowed overconfidence to overtake him. Each faced their own mortality and yet were revived in manners only left to comic books through pseudo-science and the like. While Dan proved the inspiration for another to take his name and his place, Adam became the perpetual thorn in the side of his arch-rival Captain Marvel. With but a handful of appearances for each, both men still found ways to leave their mark.

Both possessed vast powers by simply calling out to their mentors, such as flight, superstrength, invulnerability, etc. While Dan continued his career as an archeologist, Adam abandoned his occupation as... royal court lackey? Nevertheless, their greatest acclaim was that the were the forerunners for a new generation of superheroes that would take what they started to greater heights.

A possibility for an Adam counterpart on Earth-MLJ  might be the golden age Red Rube, another "color"ful hero with a short lived career gaining powers from a similar method and quickly fading in the back pages of history. Or not.

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In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

Marvel Mondays: Glorious Gal-Pals

Every truly successful superhero has a female partner riding his coattails, and hopefully one day stands out on her own as a marketable character. A case study in whether or not this works, and how very often it doesn't, is our skirt-clad sisters of scintillating superheroism.

Mary Marvel was the third (okay actually the sixth if you count three runners-up to her brother's title) of the Marvel Family to debut in the early 1940's. Mary Blomfield, the long lost twin sister of Billy Batson, gained powers like her brother beyond those of mortal men. Soon she was featured in her own titles as well as alongside her new extended family.

Nightshade, whom we've already considered, was Eve Eden a debutante daughter of a U.S. Senator.  However she secretly had a family connection like Mary that granted her immense powers, only hers originated from a mother from another dimension. Like Mary, Eve was separated from a brother, Larry, as he had been trapped in that world when she and her mother escaped. It is unknown if Eve ever reunited with her brother from Earth-Four.

Instead of Mary power to transform into a flying invulnerable version of herself, Nightshade's differed in that she transformed into a shadow that transported from the third dimension. In each case, the gal was rendered immune to physical attack while in that form. And each provided a valuable skill set to aid their Captain comrades, that being Captain Marvel and Captain Atom. While the Marvels had a long documented partnership, Nightshade and Cap only had a few recorded cases together. And rather than brotherly affection like Billy, Captain Adam had something more in mind when he looked at Ms. Eden.

Over at Earth-MLJ, Fly-Girl aka Kimberly Brand was another female given powers that allowed her to mimic a prominent hero, including the requisite power set. Or perhaps the amibguous Catgirl, Jaguar's female counterpart with various superhuman abilities that assisted her male contemporary. There is no clear counterpart on that world for Mary, however.

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In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

Marvel Mondays: Protegees of Power

In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

Freddy Freeman was a normal lad until he and his grandpa faced a power mad Nazi during a fishing trip. As a result of this confrontation, he ended up losing his beloved relative and was now physically limp for life and near dead!

Johnny Mann was a world traveler stumbling on a war torn area, and became an innocent victim during a confrontation with a power mad warrior whom Mann crossed. This led to Johnny losing a leg and faith in humanity!

And then, each were noticed by prominent powerful legends who made sure that each "Man" was given  a physical form commensurate to their heroic spirits, becoming men of another kind. Gaining super-strength, flight, invulnerability and a host of abilities, this pair protected their respective worlds as Freddy's Captain Marvel Junior of Earth-S and Son of Vulcan of Earth-Four. Each were named after their heroes who were the ones that bestowed powers upon the lads after saving their lives. Freddy became an owner of a newspaper stand while Johnny remained in his position as reporter for the Worldwide News Syndicate. And each repeatedly faced a genius arch-foe, whom we'll consider in a couple of days during our next installment.

A parallel character on Earth-MLJ might be the the silver-age Shield, son of the original, himself inspired and empowered by his mentor and hero. Or perhaps Lancelot Strong, himself a latter-day heir to the Shield title with the standard flight/strength/durability powers of Junior, plus the ability to absorb massive amounts of energy like Freddy does with the lightning that transmits his immense powers!

Marvel Mondays: The Captains of Energy

In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

No two figures are as prominent on Earth-Four and Earth-Shazam as the Captains, Atom and Marvel. Each our dynamos of power, the pinnacle of human perfection, the guardians of the greater good. And also partial to the similar color scheme in their speedos.

Captain Marvel is really Billy Batson, a young lad transformed by lighting which he calls upon from ancient Shazam to grant him vast powers unmatched by his peers. Captain Atom is Captain Nathaniel Adams, a soldier who during a mishap in a launched rocket finds him body atomized and transformed into a human nuclear furnace. Each fly, have superhuman strength and durability, and can call upon tremendous energy to transform themselves from mere men to mighty mortals!

Both men are the recognized leaders of their worlds premier heroic teams, the Squadron of Justice and Sentinels of Justice! Alongside their skirt-clad gal pals, goggle-clad aviators and fellow red-and-yellow spandex studs, they champion the cause of justice. While Atom changed to a red, white and blue suit latter in his career, Marvel remained in his familiar duds.

Another hero cut from Captain Marvel's mold is Earth-MLJ's Ralph Hardy aka the Jaguar. Transformed by an ancient entities, deriving abilities from mighty beings including super-strength/stamina/speed and flight, glad in a red body suit with yellow boots and belts.

Marvel Mondays: The Captain's Curvacious Cronies

Nightshade debuted towards the middle portion of Captain Atom's 1965-67 run in Charlton Comics, at first merely an athletically skilled costumed sidekick for the cosmic captain, eventually she would come into her own. Gaining an origin as daughter of an alien princess, granted the ability to transform her body into a living shadow, she would use these abilities selectively so as not to tip off any (including Atom) as to her more than human nature. Her solo series in his back pages was short lived.

In 1968, another commander of the cosmos,  Captain Mar-Vell, met a courage and talented young woman named Carol Danvers employed by the U.S. government to uncover the truth about the Kree Captain sent to Earth on a mysterious mission. Instead, she became his partner and, like Atom and Eve Eden aka Nightshade, the two began to express romantic feelings towards one another. It would take nearly a decade until the former security chief gained superhuman powers as Ms. Marvel. At which point, she operated separate of the Captain to stand on her own.

However, perhaps a more direct analogue for Eve Eden over at the House of (rehashed) Ideas was a femme fatale known as Nightshade! In her civilian identity as Tilda Johnson, she was a criminal scientist capable of transforming humans into were-beast that obeyed her command. Undoubtedly the most drastic departure from the Charlton template yet, although she too worked for para-military organizations and encountered her own Captain, America. She wasn't an A-lister.

And so concludes our mini-series for Marvel Mondays. What have we learned, with regards to Marvel's take on Mighty MLJ and Charlton characters? Occasionally, the concept was improved upon, such as the aforementioned Captain Marvel (although he had other influences including the original Captain published by Fawcett Comics). However, the vast majority such as the Human Fly, Scarlet Scarab and Nightshade herself were mere evil copies of the originals. And the heroes cloned after their golden age templates, such as Blue Shield and Comet, ended up a fodder for future death scenes as they never stood well on their own. Hence why we continue to call out to comic fandom and encourage them to look at the classic tales and characters that compose what we here like to call... Charlton vs Mighty MLJ!

Team-Up Tuesdays: Marvel Mondays Madness!

On the outskirts of Marvel's main fictional universe, a team of alien adventurers formed to protect a strange world made up of floating enclaves connected in a metallic web floating through space. We have already considered two of their members which were at least partly inspired by the Comet and Hangman. Two more members of this society also gained some notoriety. One tied to the Champions, an analog for the Crusaders, the other a native Xandarian who struck off on his own to explore the cosmos with his cosmic abilities.

Powerhouse was a young Rieg Davan that gained the power to harness energy which allowed him to magnify his superhuman strength further.  Much like Lancelot Strong aka the Shield, he had great potential yet his life was prematurely snuffed out before his career could take off.

Firelord began as an ordinary lad in Xandar society Pyreus Kril that was second in command of a stellar vessel, who first assumed his friend and captain's place after his abduction, and later adopted a similar set of cosmic powers from the same cosmic entity when the former captain was himself killed. Much like Fireball and Inferno, his fiery disposition was matched by his manipulation of thermal energies around his body. While never officially joining a team like his MLJ counterparts, he was ultimately on the same side of good. But there were other Champions, like their Crusader forebearers, for another Monday.

Fear not, you Charlton fans (both of you) for Mighty Marvel also featured a team-up of an energetic captain and a spunky femme federali (no, not Captain Atom and Eve  Eden aka Nightshade) i.e. Captain Mar-Vel and Major Carol Danvers aka Ms. Marvel.

But that is a tale for another week yet to come.

Marvel Mondays: The Comets and their Avengers

In perhaps the most outright homage of a concept from the old MLJ by Marvel Comics, we introduce you our loyal (and few) readers to the Comet! Harris Moore was a citizen of New York City during the 1950's when, while simply minding his own business, one of those extremely confident plot devices... er a small comet... irradiated him. He was then transformed into a flying powerhouse, with the ability to manipulate electrical energy. Adopting the alias of the Comet, he became a crimefighter during a time when there not many, if any, operating publicly.

When Comet abruptly left his family, his son Frank thought this meant that his father was the victim of gangland. Hence, he created a flying pod and specialized hand gun that ensnared his foes, developing the alias of Crimebuster.

This is extremely similar to the modus operandi of the Hangman, who used ropes to entangle his foes, seeking vengence against criminals including the man who shot his brother  the Comet!

Unlike this pair, the MLJ/Mighty superhero siblings didn't play nice as the former heroic Hangman turned villain temporarily. They last spoke during the his dying breath with apologies exchanged between both brothers.

Even the flying pods were somewhat similar, although the now evil Hangman's choice of head gear left something to be desired!

Eventually, Frank met his father who had since taken up residence on an alien world named Xandar to protect it's residents (sound familiar...like say planet Altrox?). There he formed the Champions of Xander and eventually recruited his son into their ranks. Alas both father and son were killed in conflicts with alien forces. No doubt, this had something to do with the Comet connection between Marvel and MLJ's characters (MLJ owned the rights) and the family legacy connection of Crimebuster and the Hangman to their father and older brother, respectively.

Will there be another Charlton or Mighty MLJ character we can dig up for next Marvel Monday? Join us in seven days... or tomorrow!

Marvel Mondays: The Captains of the Cosmos

Captain Atom debuted amidst the the Cold War when atomic power was a scary prospect. He was revived and had a three year run until 1967, when another Captain... this one from outer space... was introduced at Marvel Comics. This Captain was inspired by a different contemporary topic... space exploration! Both liked that stars and Starlin!

Mar-Vell was a military captain, much like Atom's civilian identity, only he was sent by his race the Kree to Earth. At first an agent for their interests, he ultimately turned his attention to the affairs of the humans. In the process of doing this he changed his costume and gained cosmic energy manipulation powers which included superhuman strength and intense radiation discharges.

He also gained a human alter ego, of a kind, in Rick Jones whom he traded places with from his universe and that of the Negative Zone. His run didn't last much longer than had Captain Atom's, and ultimately he was doomed to an early death  thanks to toxicity obtained from a villain. Meanwhile one of Cap's inspirations over at Charlton Comics was immune both to toxic substances and to cancellation of his titles.

Next week we turn our attention back over to the MLJ crowd with a two-for-one, as we're keeping that entry "all in the family":

Marvel Mondays: Shields Across Two Worlds!

We now feature the 1970's version of golden age stalwart from MLJ Comics, the Shield. To say that Blue is more than a homage is playing down what Tom DeFalco did that was original with this character (not much). For instance, note the following points of similarity:

1. Both were named Joe, losing their fathers at a young age to a gangster's hit on them.
2. Each wore an item of clothing enhancing their durability, strength and speed to superhuman levels.
3. The Joes worked as law enforcement authorities while moonlighting as superheroes.
4. And, of course, they had big old shields on their chest. Yet no red for Blue.

Joe Cartelli initially met with the heroine named the Dazzler, and they struck up an on-again off-again partnership for a brief period. Then Joe was hired onto Project Pegasus (think Thunder Agents) leading a rather non-discript career as a mere security officer without actually being in the front lines like Mr. Higgins was in the 40's and later in the 80's when he was revived.

According to available figures on the exact abilities conveyed to Blue Shield via his force-belt), "amplifies his body's natural life force (bio-energy), granting him superhuman strength, speed and near impenetrable force field.  The Blue Shield is ten times as strong as the average human being, able to lift (press) approximately 1,800 pound. His reaction time is about ten times that of a normal man, and he is able to run at a maximum speed of 50 miles per hour for short length of time." Quite an array of powers!

Next week, we return to Mighty Marvels take on one of Charlton's finest. Join us then when we take on a pair of Captains.

Marvel Mondays: Colorful Creepie-Crawlers

Continuing on with the Mighty Marvel tradition of snagging concepts from defunct superhero lines of other publishers, we next introduce their take on Blue Beetle, the Scarlet Scarab. While not dressed the same, both were archeologists... Professor Abdul Faoul like Dan Garrett found an ancient scarab that gave him the whole host of Kryptonian-approved powers.

Originally leader of a band of freedom fighters that patterned themselves after ancient Egyptian warriors (while wielding the weapondry of modern day militants), Faoul stumbled upon the insect jewel that would change his life. And wardrobe.

Gaining superhuman strength, endurance, flight and energy blasts which allowed him to battle alien metahumans to a standstill to protect Cairo.

Scarab only had a handful of appearances before fading into obscurity. Since he was Egypt-centric there wasn't much market for a middle-eastern superhero comic. And so, in his fictional universe, his career ended when he lost his power inducing jewelry for good.

Years later, his son Mehemet obtained the scarab and began his own career of conflicts with American heroes.

Next week a pair of Shields!