HO, HO! I get little exercise, feel better. Now I give you little men chance to live. You go 'way, leave my forest, not come back! 
- — Paul Bunyan, Jr., who talks like a caveman, despite being from New England.
Captain Marvel, Jr. #61 is an issue of the series Captain Marvel, Jr. (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1948.
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel Jr.: "Captain Marvel, Jr. Fights Himself"
Mad scientist Mr. Maker is at the wall to the City Penitentiary, where he uses his new Atomoscope to essentially compact physical objects into slides, then can resize them to normal later, unpacking a loaded cannon and blasting a huge hole in the wall. The guards start firing after the escaping convicts, but Mr. Maker projects them some guns to fight their way out. Meanwhile, Freddy is peddling papers when Officer Jim Bellows dashes by to say there's a jailbreak. He quickly calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to join him as Captain Marvel, Jr. He punches all the convicts back into prison and then turns on Mr. Maker, who quickly figures out that a cannon won't do much to stop him. Mr. Maker panics, projecting a large finned dinosaur to attack Junior while he escapes. The next day, Freddy finds there's no word on Mr. Maker yet as Mr. Maker walks behind him into the Citizen's Bank, where they're having a Numismatic Exhibit. He soon projects a large humanoid robot who resembles a can-headed Tin Woodsman with light bulbs for ears. He proceeds to steal $50,000 worth of rare coins and Freddy, overhearing it, calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to smash the robot to pieces as Captain Marvel, Jr. Mr. Maker projects a giant metal spiked ball, forcing Junior to fly through it entirely, destroying it so it can't block traffic and endanger people. Junior catches Mr. Maker soon after, but the Mr. Maker he catches says that he's a double of Mr. Maker created by the Atomoscope to distract him. Now that his entire life's purpose is finished, Mr. Maker II jumps into the path of an oncoming truck, destroying himself.
Back at his hideout, Original Mr. Maker is worried he really doesn't have a way to stop Captain Marvel, Jr., so he leaves an ad for him in the paper, challenging him to a battle at the Old Mill. Freddy reads it and calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to finish things for good this time as Junior. Arriving at the Old Mill, he finds that Mr. Maker has created a Duplicate Captain Marvel, Jr. with the Atomoscope! Junior is shocked to find that they're about equally matched, but when he calls CAPTAIN MARVEL again, the magic lightning turns him back into Freddy… but destroys the Duplicate, who doesn't have a human form. He calls CAPTAIN MARVEL once more to become Junior and punches over Mr. Maker, smashing the Atomoscope on a rock and says that he can figure out how he destroyed the Duplicate Captain Marvel, Jr. while he's in jail (or if he can!)
Appearing in Capt. Marvel Jr.: "Captain Marvel, Jr. Fights Himself"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mr. Maker
- Mr. Maker II (Dies)
- Duplicate Captain Marvel, Jr. (Dies)
- Some Kind of Dragon (Dies)
- An Evil Robot (Destroyed)
Other Characters:
- A Confused Truck Driver
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- The City Penitentiary
- The Citizen's Bank
- New York City
Items:
- Mr. Maker's Atomoscope (Destroyed)
- A Cannon
- Some Machine Guns
- A Giant Spiked Ball (Destroyed)
- A Rare Coin Collection
Vehicles:
- A Truck
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. vs. Paul Bunyan, Jr."
Paxton T Crumpet, Editor of the Daily Gazette and Evening Star, drives up to Freddy Freeman's Newsstand and tells him to get in and get on an airplane with him because print media is dead altogether! Freddy stops reading his copy of The Adventures of Paul Bunyan and finds out that there's a severe paper shortage due to a giant getting in the way of local lumberjacks getting the timber they need! They land in the North Woods where the aggressively French foreman, Pierre, says that everyone is scared of the giant, so they left and he's the only person there. Suddenly, there is a rumbling not unlike an earthquake, meaning the Giant has arrived and started wrenching up the foundation. This turns over the coal stove and starts a huge fire, prompting Freddy to call CAPTAIN MARVEL to become Captain Marvel, Jr. to usher the others out. The Giant laughs at their misery and threatens to destroy them, declaring himself “Paul Bunyan, Jr.” Junior kicks him in the ankle, infuriating the Giant, who punches the World's Mightiest Boy a few miles away. Paxton insists he bought this land, but Paul Bunyan, Jr. insists that this land was owned by his father and that his trees are his. Junior flies back and Paul Bunyan, Jr. tries to knock him away like a baseball with an uprooted tree, but Junior instead parries it with another uprooted tree, disarming even the mighty Giant. Junior challenges him to a fist fight, defeating him quickly with smart boxing. While he's out, he returns to being Freddy and shows Paul Jr. the book about his father and that to tell his story, trees are needed. Understanding that trees are used to make print media, he is delighted to help and cuts down all 20 trees in 20 seconds, doing the work of 40 men. Editor Crumpet is amazed that the paper shortage is over.
Appearing in Capt. Marvel Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. vs. Paul Bunyan, Jr."
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Paxton T. Crumpet, Editor of the Daily Gazette and Evening Star
Antagonists:
- Paul Bunyan, Jr.
Other Characters:
- Foreman Pierre
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- The North Woods
- New York City
Items:
- The Adventures of Paul Bunyan Book
Vehicles:
- Editor Crumpet's Car
- Editor Crumpet's Plane
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. Battles the Reptile"
In a hotel room, horse-faced gangster The Reptile is informed by his goon Bloot that Captain Marvel, Jr. is a common menace to criminals in the Big Apple, but the Reptile is confident that he is smarter than the World's Mightiest Boy even. The next morning, Freddy gets some mail for Captain Marvel, Jr. and finds that it's from the Reptile, who is threatening to blow up the Citizen's Bank at high noon. Freddy soon finds around the corner, the Reptile is dress in a knight's armor, much like the flowery archaic type in his note. When he tries to push down a plunger to activate explosives, Freddy calls CAPTAIN MARVEL and knocks him away as Captain Marvel, Jr. However, when confronted, the knight says that he's an actor doing a harmless publicity stunt without informing the local police or the bank for “Ye Olde Knight Cigar Lighters,” which are confusingly shaped like dynamite plungers. He orders that Officer Jim Bellows arrest Junior for assault and battery. Jim insists to Junior that he “has to” due to “technicalities of the law.” Junior decides to stay in jail for now and gets a note passed to him from the Reptile, saying he's going to shoot the Mayor at City Hall while he's making a big speech with a poison arrow and by the explicitly racist phonetic spelling of his note, it's clear he'll be dressed like what a known gangster thinks a Native American Chief looks like. Jim decides to up the security and even manages to catch him, but the Reptile says that this is a publicity stunt for “Indian Medicine Oil” and shows that the arrow is merely made of cardboard. Junior soon gets a third note, saying that the Reptile will steal all the jewels from the Deluxe Jewelry Store window and offers they “split a bag of diamonds” but signs it “The Man from Mars.” Junior returns to being Freddy, who tells Jim he was accidentally tricked into the cell while visiting a friend. Meanwhile, at midnight, the Reptile and his men are dressed in self-contained breathing suits so they can spray knockout gas, flame-throwers and use extending vacuum hoses to siphon up jewels. Freddy approaches and is gassed in the face, so the goons decide to dump him into the river off a bridge. The gas makes Freddy have a nightmare where the Reptile appears in to attack him in all his disguises and he instinctively calls CAPTAIN MARVEL in his sleep, becoming Captain Marvel, Jr. again. Junior soon knocks out the three goons and drags the Reptile, Bloot and even a third guy in. Jim says the Judge dismisses the case against Junior and Junior takes back the large bag of jewels from the Reptile, who is all washed up.
Appearing in Capt. Marvel Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. Battles the Reptile"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Reptile
- Bloot
- A Third Guy
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- The Citizen's Bank
- City Hall (Mentioned only)
- Deluxe Jewelry Store
- New York City
Items:
- Man from Mars Suits
- Flame-Throwers
- Gas-Guns
- Jewel Vacuums
Vehicles:
- A White Horse
Synopsis for Freshman Freddy: "Master Psychologist"
Podunk U is informed that in order to build a new gym, students will have to raise funds for it and whoever gets the biggest donation will win a free trip to Canada! Freddy tells Harriet he'd love to go and she offers that he go talk to stingy old Farmer Silas Nugent, a man so miserly that he runs an entire farm by himself so he doesn't have to pay anyone. Ace and Stooge, however, have come to the same concludsion and find Freddy has beaten them to the punch. Freddy boldly offers to do his plowing for him, but Nugent insists this won't change his mind any. Ace demands that he get to run the plow because he thought of it first and drags Freddy out. Next, Freddy offers to help Farmer Nugent chop wood, but Stooge goes over to intercept him and start chopping. Freddy soon overhears Farmer Nugent's Wife telling him to get some empty jugs from the attic and the way he reacts very quickly, Freddy begins to think that she may control the purse-strings one way or another. Soon enough, he finds her setting two pies on the windowsill and says they smell like the best pies he's ever smelled, so she invites him in for some. While he eats pie, Freddy says that they need a gymnasium at Podunk U and badly. Mrs. Nugent is charmed, but when she calls her husband over, he drops all the jugs, smashing them. Outside, Ace finds his back hurts from running a tractor all day, Stooge finds his back hurts from chopping wood all day and Freddy walks away with the big donation, since they backloaded the talking to Farmer Nugent to earn his respect part, hoping to use their hard work to earn it. Freddy leaves and says that figuring out how to do it was easy as pie and says he'll write to them from Canada.
Appearing in Freshman Freddy: "Master Psychologist"
Featured Characters:
- Freshman Freddy
Supporting Characters:
- Farmer Silas Nugent
- Mrs. Nugent
Antagonists:
- Ace
- Stooge
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Podunk
- Podunk University
- Nugent Farm
- Podunk
Items:
- A Chopping Ax
- Two Fresh Pies
Vehicles:
- A Tractor
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and the Junior Chain Gang"
Freddy Freeman is visiting fellow newsy, Johnny Fowler, who is withdrawn and not talking to friends two weeks after a vacation. He is similarly evasive and quiet about his problem, so Freddy calls CAPTAIN MARVEL in an adjacent room to become Captain Marvel, Jr. Johnny is far more willing to talk to the World's Mightiest Boy about this, so he says that two weeks ago, he was coming back from a vacation at his uncle's farm. He tried to save money by hitchhiking back, but a cop in a green car tells him it's illegal to hitchhike in this county and arrests him to just go to reform school for a few weeks. However, the reform school is actually a forced labor camp where kids they feel like abducting or arresting for any given reason are given ankle-weights and forced to mine gold after the Warden discovered it under the jail. What's worse, he's not even declaring it on his taxes. Johnny, a weak child, collapsed from the stress and was let go. The same evil cop slapped Johnny in the face and threatens that he'll be there for life if he ever tells anyone and that no figures of authority will believe him, since they have “ways of proving that you're a liar.” Junior flies off and directly informs Gov. Thomas Dewey of the State of New York, who begins an investigation into Warden Scrunch's reform school and child labor gold mine. The Warden soon finds that the Governor is coming over, so they release the kids and press them into pretending they're frolicking and playing sports. Junior overhears that the Warden was called in advance and decides to stick around and investigate. He returns to being Freddy and whips a rock into one of their windows, prompting the evil prison guards to arrest him and force him into their child labor gold mine, despite him having an inconsistent motility disability. When he spots other kids getting whipped due to exhaustion, he calls CAPTAIN MARVEL and becomes Junior once more to start cleaning house of the evil prison guards. Junior flies off, drags the Governor into the child mines and he decides this time he's going to shut down the Scrunch Reform School. Later, Junior assures Johnny that the abuse he suffered won't happen again and that the gold from the mine will be used to help children all over the State.
Appearing in Capt. Marvel Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and the Junior Chain Gang"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Johnny Fowler
- Other Abused Child Laborers
Antagonists:
- Warden Scrunch
- Other Unscrupulous Corrections Officers
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- Scrunch's Reform School
- Scrunch's Child Labor Gold Mine
- New York City
Items:
- Prison Whips
- General Sports Equipment
Vehicles:
- A Green Car
Trivia
- Despite the sign claiming the Numismatic Exhibit has priceless coins, it also directly lists a market price of the coins, claiming they're $50,000.
See Also