It's a strange case! Physically, he's in good shape to recover! But he lost the will to live! His fever slightly affected his mind! He thinks he's Aladdin! But when he rubs his bedside lamp and no genies appear, he's broken-hearted! 
- — A "Doctor" before insisting they get a "real genie" to help cure him.
Captain Marvel, Jr. #68 is an issue of the series Captain Marvel, Jr. (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1948.
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and The Double Kidnaping"
At Pier 1, a bright red sedan parks out at the docks where a goon named Blackie accidentally lets a boy they kidnapped escape. The boy manages to hide out on the Nancy X, a nearby ship and the goons lose him, chasing what they think is him, but is a stray dog. They are alack to find they’re out a $50,000 ransom now. What’s more, the next day, Freddy Freeman finds out in the Daily Gazette that the boy, Chauncey Smythe II (son of the famed industrialist of the same name) is missing and believed to be have been kidnapped, offering an ironic $50,000 reward. The kidnappers, led by Mr. Knappe, decide to just kidnap Freddy, since he looks enough like him that they can just claim he “has amnesia” after they “found him on the roadside.” They soon knock him out on the way across the graveyard to get home and cart him off to the Smythe house. When Freddy wakes up, he calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to become Captain Marvel, Jr., only for Chauncey, Sr. to come in and declare that his son is gone and he’s going to kill himself. To stop him from freaking out, he calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to become Freddy again, pretending that he is Chauncey Smythe II and that he has a convenient new motility problem that he doesn’t want to talk about, insisting he’ll be alright. He “invites” his new “son” to the Music Room where he offers that “Chauncey” play the violin like he always used to, which Freddy doesn’t know how to do. Luckily, he finds that Chauncey, Sr. is going to his study while he “plays” and he puts on 12 records to play in a row of violin music for him. He soon calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to become Junior again and takes off to find the goons at the Black Owl Night Club. He drags the goons around until they admit that they lost Chauncey II at the docks. A Patrol Serviceman tells him that the ship he wants is the Nancy X, heading for Lisbon. Aboard, the Captain of the Nancy X threatens Chauncey II with a whip to be a sailor by force of will and threat, not caring much when his whipping near him makes him fall. Junior soon arrives and punches over the Captain, saying that he’s out of line and orders his 1st Mate to put him in the brig to face justice in maritime court. He flies off with Junior and returns his $50,000 to Mr. Smythe, who is very grateful that he’s saved his son and his life.
Appearing in Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and The Double Kidnaping"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Chauncey Smythe I
- Chauncey Smythe II
Antagonists:
- Knabbe
- Blackie
- The Captain of the Nancy X
Other Characters:
- A Harbor Patrol Serviceman
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Pier 1
- Freddy's Newsstand
- The Smythe Estate
- Black Owl Night Club
- New York City
Items:
- Chauncey II's Violin
Vehicles:
- The Nancy X
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and The Magic Lamp"
Freddy Freeman is at Mrs. Wagner’s Boarding House one evening and finds the doctor’s car is there, a sign of poor news. Within, he finds Mrs. Wagner’s visiting nephew Willie Wagner has developed some kind of fever madness where he believes that he’s Aladdin and if he rubs a lamp and a genie doesn’t come out, he’ll lose the will to live. Freddy decides to solve this by calling CAPTAIN MARVEL to become Captain Marvel, Jr. He uses a towel to make a turban and a sheet to form a sort of cowled robe. Willie decides to try rubbing his lamp just one more time and it doesn’t work, he’s just going to die. He calls “Lamp, Lamp, Don’t Be a Meanie! Abracadabra! Where’s my genie?” which “summons” Captain Marvel, Jr. Willie is immediately critical that his genie must be able to fly, which Junior can do. The doctor leaves Mrs. Wagner saying that now he’s entirely cured and will just “get over it” as an imaginative nonsense so they decide to just have an evening of genie fun. Willie has his “Genie” fly into the air to return when he rubs the lamp and shows his “magic lamp” to his friends. A bully runs up and demands the magic lamp from him, so Willie rubs it and Junior punches the bully away. However, Willie decides he wants Freddy Freeman to get a ride on his flying genie, but Junior just returns Freddy. The Bully shows up and tries to get some punch-based revenge on Willie, but Freddy defends the big lug in one punch and saying to get lost. Willie is shocked to find a boy with a motility problem can fight for himself, but Freddy says that all bullies are cowards who must be stood up to. Willie takes this good advice as reason that he doesn’t need Genies to solve his problems...
Appearing in Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and The Magic Lamp"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Willie Wagner
Antagonists:
- An Unnamed Bully
Other Characters:
- Mrs. Wagner
- A Doctor
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Mrs. Wagner's Boarding House
- Freddy's Newsstand
- New York City
Items:
- A Magic Lamp
Vehicles:
- The Doctor's Car
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and The Danger of the Dragon"
At a Science Museum, a 50,000,000 year old gigantic dinosaur egg suddenly hatches, releasing a small baby dragon. Freddy Freeman, who is visiting the Museum, calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to catch the creature as Captain Marvel, Jr., but he finds the dragon is gone due to a heavy fog. A docent tells him that it’s from a rare “Winged Lizard” family that will soon grow to a size larger than an elephant and hopes it’ll be reported and recaptured soon. Later, some hunters find the dragon is bulletproof when it spooks them during a hunt, not realizing that the dragon is just as scared of them and is actually quite cowardly as well. “Little” Lulu Perkins is a country girl who lives nearby, but is ostracized by the other children for her being “ugly,” which also seems to scare off dogs. The friendless Little Lulu decides to run off with a bucket because she doesn’t have any friends and finds the Dragon, giving it water until it feels better. Soon, she is able to ride the flying beast. More hunter begin organizing to kill the Dragon of Norton Forest and Freddy reads about it in the Daily Gazette and calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to continue his search for the beast as Captain Marvel, Jr. Junior soon thinks the beast is attacking Little Lulu, but she shoves him coarsely away and declares the Dragon as her own pet. Junior accepts this logic and urges the other hunters away, saying he’s a pet dragon, but the villagers decide when the Dragon and Lulu leave together it’s probably going to eat her. Little Lulu soon parks the Dragon in her barn and feeds it cabbages, only for her suspicious father to just run out of the barn and start a fire to burn it down around the Dragon. Junior figures out that the Dragon is scared of the fire, so he manages to blindfold it with a bed-sheet and leads it out carefully. Little Lulu insists she will nurse her dragon to health again and all the country kids are impressed that she has a dragon for a pet, but also that she is good at caring for animals. However, the Dragon suddenly dies and Junior says that this is what happens when your pet is born in an era where the air was mostly carbon dioxide, making the air for the Dragon only toxic enough for it to grow up to full size. Junior soon buries him and Little Lulu is heralded as a hero for having once owned a Dragon...
Appearing in Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and The Danger of the Dragon"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- "Little" Lulu Perkins
- The Dragon of Norton Forest (Dies)
Antagonists:
- Worried Hunters
Other Characters:
- A Museum Docent
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- Norton Forest
- A Science Museum
- New York City
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and The Wheel of Crime"
Ace Hart is a known gambler who runs a casino that’s probably rigged. He demands $16,000 owed from a Mr. Hunkins, who finds he’s deep in the hole and now, Ace is demanding he “find” some money at his job at the bank to pay him or he’ll kill him. The next day, Freddy Freeman sees Mr. Shye, another banker, heading into the Citizen’s Bank next to his newsstand. Later, Shye and Hunkins are cashing out the drawers into the vault, so Hunkins puts a sleeping pill in his water while he’s at the vault door. Soon enough, he passes out and Hunkins steals the keys to the vault and takes a huge armful of money. When a night watchman comes in, Hunkins is forced to shoot him, knowing he’ll be recognized. He drops the gun and tries to head out the back. Officer Jim Bellows soon hears it and Freddy calls CAPTAIN MARVEL to become Captain Marvel, Jr. and fly in to help. They find Mr. Shye unconscious next to a gun, a dead guard and an empty vault, so they presume that Shye did it. Junior is able to vouch for Shye being a good man who wouldn’t break bad like that suddenly and has him go to the Police Station to tell them about this. However, once he’s outside, Hunkins leans out and knocks him out with milk bottle to the head, shoves him into a trash can (sitting-ways) and dumps that into his backseat to deal with him later.
Hunkins soon delivers the money (and Shye) to Ace, who decides they’ll just have to kill Shye. Meanwhile, Junior drinks some of the sleeping pill water and realizes that Shye was telling the truth. However, when it comes before the Sergeant, they point out that Shye isn’t there to defend himself and could’ve faked this to try to make for a complex alibi. Junior says if someone made a mistake, it’d be him, but he’s going to clear it up. Junior figures that whoever is responsible will make it look like a suicide, which is the case as Ace tries to have Hunkins force the gun into Shye’s hand. Junior flies in and Hunkins wastes all his bullets trying to shoot the World’s Mightiest Boy to predictable results. Ace and Hunkins try to scarper, but get their heads knocked together and are dragged to jail. Mr. Shye thanks Captain Marvel, Jr. for saving his job and his life!
Appearing in Capt. Marvel, Jr.: "Capt. Marvel, Jr. and The Wheel of Crime"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Officer Jim Bellows
- Mr. Shye, a Banker
Antagonists:
- Ace Hart
- Mr. Hunkins, an Unscrupulous Banker
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Freddy's Newsstand
- Ace Hart's Gambling Casino
- The Citizen's Bank
- New York City
Items:
- Sleeping Pills
- Sleeping Pilled Water
Vehicles:
- Hunkins' Sedan
Trivia
- Despite the cover, Captain Marvel, Jr. doesn't stop some kind of runaway or unscrupulous steamroller almost crushing several kids playing marble. Nothing like this happens at all within, including kids playing marbles or a steamroller threatening anyone!
See Also