Captain Marvel Adventures #84 is an issue of the series Captain Marvel Adventures (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1948.
Synopsis for "Captain Marvel and the Runaway Steamshovel"
Ground's broken on the new transmitter stations for Station WHIZ, but a gypsy whose wagon is on the property protests. Everything was taken care of legally, so this Gypsy Joe declares he's casting an evil spell on the steam shovel to run wild. It does indeed run wild twice. When Billy tries to guard the machinery overnight, he finds Gypsy Joe in the vicinity, who tries to roll over Billy with the machine. However it hits a rock and Joe's thrown from the cab. Fleeing the out-of-control machine, both Joe and the steam shovel are smashed to bits against a rock wall. Captain Marvel's perplexed at whether it was ordinary tampering, or an actual evil spell that caused it all.
Appearing in "Captain Marvel and the Runaway Steamshovel"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Gypsy Joe (Apparent Death)
Other Characters:
- construction workers
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City Area
- WHIZ Radio
- WHIZ new transmitter site, outside of town
- New York City Area
Vehicles:
- steam shovel with a hex on it
Synopsis for "Billy Batson's Phobias"
Sivana poses as a doctor who inflicts Billy Batson with a Phobia Ray so he'll be afraid of the thunder and lightning of transforming into Captain Marvel.
Appearing in "Billy Batson's Phobias"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Doctor Sivana as "Dr. Phobe"
Items:
- Sivana's Phobia Ray
Locations:
Synopsis for "Captain Marvel and the Surrealist Imp"
"Somewhere in the ultra-dimensional world where masterworks are created", an imp is assigned to deliver the image for a painting into the dreams of an artist. However, the imp is disgusted with the uncreative art ideas he's required to give to modern artists, his tastes running toward surrealist paintings instead. Artist Hans Krendler paints the imp on his canvas, who then comes to life. Billy Batson's walking by Krendler's studio and sees him panicking about his painting coming to life, prompting the boy reporter to transform to Captain Marvel. Thinking Krendler's mad ravings might just be true, the hero investigates, but the imp dazes Marvel by putting him in a trance where everything looks surreal.
The imp comes upon a bridge and uses his magic to turn it into a surreal landscape, but causes a horrific traffic jam in the process. Captain Marvel comes along and helps to clear things up, prompting the imp to give him a hideous surreal costume in revenge. However this time the hero catches up to the imp and bops him on the head before he can hit Marvel with another surreal trance. The blow to the head cures the imp of his fixation on surreal art, and he returns everything to normal before heading back to the extra-dimensional realm he calls home
Appearing in "Captain Marvel and the Surrealist Imp"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Surrealist Imp
Other Characters:
- unnamed Creator of Masterpieces
- Hans Krendler, painter
Locations:
- Ultra-Dimensional World (where masterworks are created)
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Krendler's Studio
- WHIZ Radio
- New York City
Synopsis for "Captain Kid and the Lost Job"
Appearing in "Captain Kid and the Lost Job"
Featured Characters:
- Captain Kid
Antagonists:
- Grocer
Other Characters:
- Kid's Replacement
Locations:
- grocery store
Synopsis for "Captain Marvel and the Feud with the River"
Ben Flint kills the Riverman, an old fellow who makes his living selling junk he fishes out of a river. This causes the river, a sentient entity, to flood its banks in rage, and Captain Marvel investigates when he suspects Flint of the old man's murder. Deciding to dig up the Riverman's body from his basement before Captain Marvel can find it, Flint's surprised when this causes his basement to flood and drowns him.
Appearing in "Captain Marvel and the Feud with the River"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Ben Flint (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Old Riverman (Dies)
Locations:
- Earth-S
- The River
- Old Riverman's Shack
- Ben Flint's Place
- The River
Notes
- Published monthly by Fawcett Publications, Inc.
- Runaway Steamshovel:
- page 5, panel 5: Gypsy Joe actually has a handlebar mustache, and he actually twirls it.
- page 8, panels 2 & 5: Billy gets head-bopped unconscious, with a blackjack, recovers, then gets head-whacked unconscious again, with a flying rock.
- page 9: Captain Marvel thinks Gypsy Joe is dead, beneath the wreckage of the runaway steamshovel, and maybe he sees a body, but we readers do not. Marvel also is unable to ascertain whether Gypsy Joe's "hex" was real or not, and says so.
Trivia
- Also featured in this issue of Captain Marvel Adventures were:
- Billy the Kid and Oscar: "Rock-a-bye Baby" by Bill Brady
- Willie the Worm: "...Gets Artistic"
- Fuzzy Bear: "Something To Cry About"
- John Jarl: "Invisible Man of Mars" (text story) by Eando Binder
- Dopey Danny Dee: "Hang-er it all!" by Lit-Win
- Tightwad Tad: "Not So Cracked!"
- Sherlock Monk: "One in a Thousand"
See Also