Carol's my sister! She's twelve, and ever since she was eight years old she hasn't been able to talk or walk! It came on her all of a sudden! I wanted to win that race and with the prize money take Carol to a big specialist who could fix her so she'd talk and walk again!
- — Joe Wright, Aspiring Car-Racer
Captain Marvel, Jr. #66 is an issue of the series Captain Marvel, Jr. (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1948.
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and the Hooded Horrors!"
Freddy Freeman is peddling the Evening Star, which is running a headline about Mr. Blackheart, who is running for Mayor with underworld backing. Suddenly, a man wearing a black hood and cowl riding on a horse, who knocks him out with a stick. More of these Hooded Horrors race in to start destroying the papers and then ride off with him to “No. 13,” who is their leader. He orders him bare-backed and tied ot tree where he flogs him while he’s out cold, then leave him short of dead to drag him to the offices of the Evening Star where Publisher Paxton T Crumpet thanks the lady reporter who got the hit scoop on Blackheart. They hear Freddy being dropped off and find a note telling them to stop talking about Blackheart or they’ll target more newsies and also themselves. Freddy wakes up in the car going to the hospital, then calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to become Captain Marvel, Jr. Saliently, he leaves Editor Crumpet a note to let him know not to worry about where Freddy is. Junior himself is confused as to exactly what’s going on and finds from one of the kids that the Hooded Horrors got to Freddy and that they’ll more than likely attack anyone who peddles it. Instead, Junior says he’ll do it and protect the kids, dressing up like Freddy to head there. He heads out, though Crumpet is worried about him, only for “Freddy” to save he has a plan and will be fine as he begins to peddle papers as Captain Marvel, Jr., now with a deep inner purpose.
At their hideout, the Hooded Horrors discuss how much they hate the Evening Star for publishing the truth as the mustachioed Mr. Blackheart returns to say that he hates violence and wants to win “fairly,” but No. 13 tells him to basically shut up and do as he’s told, since they’re the ones getting him elected in the first place. They soon find that “Freddy” is peddling papers again. Crumpet is unsure of what to do, since he doesn’t want to see his boys hurt out there, but he also doesn’t want a criminal to be the Mayor of New York City! The Hooded Horrors ride out to attack Freddy for speaking the truth, disarming the fiends and shoving them off their horses. He soon seizes them all together, then Mr. Blackheart (who openly threatens that the Hooded Horrors work for him) as Junior says intimidation has no place in a democracy!
Appearing in Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and the Hooded Horrors!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- No. 13
- Mr. Blackheart
- The Hooded Horrors
Other Characters:
- Publisher Paxton T. Crumpet
- An Unnamed Female Reporter
- Other Newsies
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- The Offices of the Evening Star
- New York City
Items:
- Beating Implements
- Bullwhips
Vehicles:
- Horses
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and the Return of the Gremlins"
Johnny “Fatty” Taylor is a boy of husky build who enjoys dressing up like Captain Marvel, Jr. Freddy Freeman sees him in his suit and thinks it’s cute fun. Above, he is watched by Spex, an ethereal gremlin, who decides that the Gremlins will have to do something about a boy thinking he’s the best and reports to the other Gremlins, Chex (who looks like Doiby Dickens,) Hex (who a devilish haircut) and Mex (who acts and talks like a stereotypical Mexican) at their Gremlin HQ in Gremland, which is somewhere in the clouds. Spex, due to his poor eyesight and outdated prescription of glasses, thinks that Johnny is the real Captain Marvel, Jr. and the Gremlins hate braggarts more than anything, so they decide to beat the tar out of him, especially since they haven’t had much to do since the War ended. However, they’re beaten literally to the punch by two masked robbers who hear Johnny bragging that he’s Captain Marvel, Jr. and decide to assault him. Freddy sees them attacking his friend and calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to stop them from shooting the boy as Captain Marvel, Jr. himself. Mrs. Wagner happens by and offers to look after Johnny while Junior goes after the goons and waits until they climb an entire fire escape before he attacks them on the roof. However, the Gremlins ambush him on the roof using a blindfold, a pillow that blocks his punches and tie his ankle to a chimney with a rubber cord. Junior finds that a rubber rope is slightly harder to remove, but he also doesn’t want to spend too much time trying to fix it. The two goons are wary to base-jump over to another rooftop as Junior accidentally breaks the chimney, sending the two goons plummeting to the ground. Junior flies down to catch them in front of Johnny, who Spex realizes isn’t the real Captain Marvel, Jr. and they decide to leave in shame. Later, the goons are arrested and Johnny realizes it’s wrong to boast you can do something when you can’t, though that’s not a problem for Captain Marvel Junior who doesn’t boast and only delivers!
Appearing in Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and the Return of the Gremlins"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Johnny "Fatty" Taylor
Antagonists:
- Two Unnamed Goons
- The Gremlins
- Spex
- Chex
- Mex
- Hex
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- New York City
- Gremland
- Gremlin HQ
Items:
- A Blindfold
- A Rubber Rope
- A Chimney (Destroyed)
- A Pillow
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and Sivana, Jr.'s Perilous Predicament"
Captain Marvel, Jr. seems mysteriously aloof to a robbery of the 1st National Bank near him and their getaway cart disrupting a European man’s fruit cart and a disturbingly jaded Captain Marvel, Jr. says he’s quitting and that he’s tired of all this! Later, a young boy calls to him while Junior is fishing at lake, saying that thieves are stealing his father’s prize hens, but Junior says to call someone else. He takes his fish home and tosses the fish on the table, then removes his mask… revealing it’s Sivana, Jr., who has kidnapped the real Freddy and left him bound and gagged on his bed, using a system of artificial muscles and a mask to pretend to be Captain Marvel, Jr. himself! He hopes that soon, the public will just not care about Captain Marvel, Jr. being a problem. An obese criminal nicknamed Dumpy who pistol-whips “Captain Marvel, Jr.” over and decides that he’s going to kill him, not trusting this concept that he’s “retired.” “Junior” insists they’re making a mistake, offering them free gems at his house on 64 West St. However, Dumpy instead sends his goon, Joe, to get them, but instead finds Freddy and frees him instead, thinking he has the map for the gems. He quickly calls CAPTAIN MARVEL and becomes Captain Marvel, Jr. to shake down Joe, who is confused, since Captain Marvel, Jr. sent him here from their hideout on Bleek St.! He’s soon punched over and Dumpy’s hideout is raiding with Dumpy falling on to “Junior” and the chair he’s tied to, breaking it. The real Captain Marvel Junior soon exposes Sivana, Jr. as being a fraud and dumps him in prison with the rest of the goons, then explains everything to the public, who are elated. Later still, Junior points out the irony that Sivana, Jr. needed his rescue and he was happy to see him for once. Sivana, Jr. swears he’ll beat him someday.
Appearing in Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and Sivana, Jr.'s Perilous Predicament"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Sivana, Jr. / "Captain Marvel, Jr."
- Dumpy
- Joe
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- 1st National Bank
- Sivana, Jr's Hideout at 64 W St.
- Dumpy's Hideout on Bleek St.
- New York City
Items:
- Some Tasty Fish
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. Fights Terror on the Speedway"
Freddy Freeman is closing up for the night when he hears someone being beaten near a construction site and calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to become Captain Marvel, Jr. he saves the man after the men try to dump him into a cement mixer and turn it on, forcing Captain Marvel to break it open and save the man. He says his name is Joe Wright and the goons took all his money, two full years worth of savings to buy passage for him and his Racer to get the entry fee. He reveals that he’s an auto racer and he was due to attend the Big Auto Race in Carson City. He notes that he also has a sister who cannot talk or walk for some reason, but that he could get it fixed: with a very expensive operation from a specialist. His Uncle, Howard Beal, is his only guardian and works for minimum at a factory nearby. Uncle Howard enters and says that there’s no real hope to fixing his sister Carol and that wasting all his money on this racing fad when he really wants him to take life seriously, since he wants him to be a good business partner ever since his fell out of a window to his death four years ago. Junior says if there’s any hope of curing Carol, he’s interested in at least trying to help and offers that he get into his racer and the next morning, he flies Joe to Carson City, NV and also rented them a shed for overnight storage for the racer and a hotel for the two of them. The next day after that, they find Carol and Howard are there for the race and the race soon begins. Junior finds filings on the ground and figures out that someone shaved Joe’s axle to sabotage his car. Suddenly, Carol screams that Joe is going to be killed and presumes that Beal was probably responsible. He drags Joe from his Racer, which crashes and is moved off the track. He dives down to find Howard Beal and yanks his shoe up to find there’s also shavings under his shoe too, confirming he sabotaged the Racer. Howard frantically breaks a cane on Captain Marvel, Jr.’s head and he gets punched out for it. Carol reveals that four years ago, she was traumatized after she saw Uncle Howard shove his business partner out of a window and then shouts at her enough that she became suffering from psychosomatic disabilities, but also Uncle Howard just lied about taking her to lots of expensive doctors altogether. A few days later, Carol is a happy, social and able child again and Joe thanks Captain Marvel, Jr. for saving his family, since he was able to sell the design for his Racer to some rich backers.
Appearing in Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. Fights Terror on the Speedway"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Joe Wright
- Carol Wright
Antagonists:
- Uncle Howard Beal
- Muggers
Other Characters:
- Other Racers
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- A Speedway in Carson City, NV
- New York City
Items:
- Axle Filings
Vehicles:
- The Racer (Destroyed)
Trivia
- Despite the cover, Joe Wright's Racer is nowhere near as detailed, doesn't have a huge exhaust pipe on the side, isn't numbered 7 and is entirely red.
- The Hooded Horrors, with their hood-based identity hiding, support of disenfranchising local governments, attacking any dissenters who speak out against them, their definitive hatred of the truth of their actions being considered evil by the print media and their predilection for riding horses and whipping people make them highly reminiscent of the The Klan, a known enemy of Superman since their appearance in 1946's Clan of the Fiery Cross.
- The preceding issue of Master Comics, similarly, has a Western adventure where Tom Mix is fighting hooded "Nightriders" who are violently bigoted against new people in town (although their point of contention seems to be the family being from the East Coast.)
- Further, the Hooded Horrors with their cultist control over a town, blue hoods with the letters HH on them specifically and kidnapping of children makes them similar to Mother 2's Happy-Happists, though they predate them by around 45 years.
See Also