Captain Marvel Adventures #137 is an issue of the series Captain Marvel Adventures (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1952.
Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel Battles King Kull and the Seven Sins"
Billy encounters his friends acting in uncharacteristically cruel ways, like Sterling Morris firing him to keep his salary, and Doc Quartz angrily kicking him out of the soda shop. Soon he encounters King Kull, who's throwing "sin bombs" to make everyone evil, but the villain gives him the slip. Realizing something's very wrong, he goes to Shazam's cave to ask the wizard's advice, only to realize the statues of the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man are missing. The wizard's ghost reveals King Kull used a ray to bring the Seven Evil Gods to life to establish an "Evil Olympus" and make more sin bombs. Captain Marvel tracks Kull to his temple headquarters, slips inside as Billy but gets caught. Kull decides to give him a poetic death and turn him to stone with the same ray that brought the Seven Enemies back to life. Billy bites Envy holding his mouth shut and transforms, then easily captures all eight villains, putting the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man back in Shazam's cave.
Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel Battles King Kull and the Seven Sins"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Station WHIZ-TV
- Dexter Knox's Private Laboratory
- Shazam's Secret Subway Station
- Evil Olympus
- New York City
Items:
- The Seven Sins' Sin Bombs
- King Kull's Life-Ray Gun
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Captain Kid: "The Sat-On Babysitter"
Captain Kid finds Betty Mae is stuck babysitting and needs to head home suddenly, asking him to cover for her until she gets back. Captain Kid is not sure, since he’s been attacked by small children before when he was shot in the rear with an arrow in an unfortunate accident. Betty Mae insists the boy is “tame” and they soon find that young Johnny has climbed a light fixture. Captain Kid decides he’s not sitting around for this, but Betty Mae argues she won’t go to the dance with him on Saturday if he doesn’t help. He offers he’ll get Johnny down from the chandelier. Johnny almost immediately drop kicks Captain Kid’s kidneys once his back is turned. Betty Mae shows him a large expensive vase that he has to be careful around and suggests he just occupy Johnny’s attention so he doesn’t think about smashing it. Once she’s gone, Johnny immediately demands they take down the vase to “play with it,” but Captain Kid refuses, saying he needs to stop shouting or he’ll wake the baby (or any baby in 20 miles of them, at least!) Captain Kid tries to show off by standing on his head for Johnny and then stands on his head on a chair for Johnny. Johnny asks if he can stack the chair on to the table and stand on his head on top of it, which he does do, but ends up breaking the weak-legged table in doing so, leaving him with a black eye while Johnny laughs coldly and races for the vase. Later, Betty Mae returns and Captain Kid happily says he figured out a way to keep Johnny from breaking the vase: shoving it on his head. Betty Mae points out they can’t remove his head from it now without breaking it and kicks Captain Kid to the curb. Captain Kid is upset that he’s run afoul of violent young children yet again.
Appearing in Captain Kid: "The Sat-On Babysitter"
Featured Characters:
- Captain Kid
Supporting Characters:
- Betty Mae (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
- Johnny
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Podunk City
- Johnny's House
- Podunk City
Items:
- A Large Expensive Vase
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Mr. Tawky Tawny: "Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny's Culture Craze"
Mr. Tawky Tawny has taken a Culture Quiz at home and finds he’s not very cultured in literature, art and music and wants to feel more educated. Billy Batson says not everyone has to be a genius and offers they play a game of checkers. Mr. Tawny’s ennui overcomes him and he decides to become high-brow. A week later, Billy finds that Mr. Tawny now walks with an arrogant stride, his chin held high and doesn’t even notice “riffraff” like him anymore. Billy points out that this isn’t a cultured attitude he has, but a snobbish one and Mr. Tawny says he learned it all at the All Arts Institute Culture Club. Billy decides to check them out and finds they’re a rather exclusionary club and when Billy tries to even open the door, a beefy artist tries to kick him in the pants. Billy calls SHAZAM to summon Captain Marvel, who shoves his way in and finds that the “cultured” people look like stuffy old men who smoke a lot and are disheveled. Their Chairman, Marmaduke Snootwick says that all culture has decayed, the world is full of riffraff and morons and that all art, music and literature are trash and only they truly understand culture and can save it. Captain Marvel notices that he’s not being cultural, but spreading intolerance and snobbery. Mr. Tawny insists that Snootwick’s ideas will uplift the “world’s culture,” but Captain Marvel says it’s just going to drag it in the mud. Captain Marvel starts to shove them all out until Mr. Tawny points out that being non-inclusive isn’t illegal until Captain Marvel quickly meets the Manager of the All Arts Institute, who says that he didn’t let them use this room for their meetings, so Captain Marvel quickly throws them out except for Mr. Tawny. Mr. Tawny angrily turns on Captain Marvel, saying he just doesn’t get Snootwick’s “odd” methods and calls him a peasant. Captain Marvel calls SHAZAM to return Billy, who says that Captain Marvel isn’t exactly well-versed in “the finer things of life.” Billy offers that they have the meeting at Mr. Tawny’s house and he does so, where they copiously smoke and drink. Billy puts on one of Mr. Tawny’s favorite pieces, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, but Snootwick smashes the record of the floor and stomps on it, then starts tearing up his books and insulting Mr. Tawny’s framed copy of the Gioconda, which he then promptly throws into Mr. Tawny’s fireplace. Billy calls SHAZAM and summons Captain Marvel as Mr. Tawny realizes his friends are judgmental idiots who like destroying anything they don’t respect, which is everything. They start to clean house of the snobs and the Manager of the All Arts Institute thanks Billy by inviting him and Mr. Tawny to see some new arts, music and literature to feel cultured. Billy notes that someday Captain Marvel should see it too!
Appearing in Mr. Tawky Tawny: "Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny's Culture Craze"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Chairman Marmaduke Snootwick
- Marmaduke Snootwick's Culture Club
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- The All Arts Institute
- New York City
Items:
- A Record of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor (Destroyed)
- A Copy of the Gioconda (Destroyed)
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and the Royal Riddle"
Some toughs try to kidnap Tommy Archer, a boy who looks exactly like Billy Batson, but are foiled by Captain Marvel. Next they try to capture Billy himself, but it turns out to be because he's the long-lost heir to the throne of their country. Billy wonders if he really might be the king's son since his history is unknown, but an attempt on his life is made during his first public address to his new subjects.
After checking the laws of succession, Billy finds out if the heir apparent dies, the throne passes to the prime minister, and figures him as being behind it. That night Billy's kidnapped from his bed and the prime minister tries to arrange his death again, but it turns out to be Tommy, acting as a decoy before Captain Marvel comes to the rescue. Tommy's the real long-lost heir, not Billy, because the portrait of the late king shows his hair curling the other way!
Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and the Royal Riddle"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Tommy Archer (really Prince Alfreed)
Antagonists:
- Prime Minister Disrooly
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Unnamed European Monarchy
Items:
- The Royal Crystal Ball
Vehicles:
- A Plane
Notes
- "Captain Marvel Battles King Kull and the Seven Sins" was reprinted in Shazam! #16, Shazam!: The Greatest Stories Ever Told and Shazam!: A Celebration of 75 Years.
- "The Royal Riddle" supposes that Billy Batson's parentage and background are unknown, seeming to overlook the established story elements of Ebenezer Batson and Billy's twin sister.
Trivia
- Despite the cover, Captain Marvel doesn't fight the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man while they're statues, but instead while they're alive, then returns them to being statues without breaking any of them.
- Prime Minister Disrooly is a reference to twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Benjamin Disraeli, the 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, who instead was a very close friend of Queen Victoria.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Marvel Family Recommended Reading
- Whiz Comics (Volume 1)
- Captain Marvel Adventures (Volume 1)
- Captain Marvel, Jr. (Volume 1)
- Mary Marvel (Volume 1)
- Master Comics (Volume 1)
- Wow Comics (Volume 1)
- The Marvel Family (Volume 1)
- Hoppy the Marvel Bunny (Volume 1)
- Shazam! (Volume 1)
- Shazam!: The New Beginning (Volume 1)
- The Power of Shazam! (Volume 1)
- Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder (Volume 1)
- Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil (Volume 1)
- The Trials of Shazam! (Volume 1)
- Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! (Volume 1)
- Shazam! (Volume 2)
- Shazam! (Volume 3)
- Shazam! (Volume 4)
- The New Champion of Shazam! (Volume 1)
- Shazam! (Volume 5)