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129,890
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in: Curt Swan/Cover Artist, Julius Schwartz/Editor, E. Nelson Bridwell/Editor,
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Shazam! Vol 1 15

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"Captain Marvel Meets...Lex Luthor!?": On Earth-One, Lex Luthor builds a device capable of absorbing mystic power from the very air, and intends to use this object against the Man of Steel. But its first use causes Luthor to travel to the

Shazam! #15 is an issue of the series Shazam! (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1974.

Synopsis for "Captain Marvel Meets...Lex Luthor!?"

On Earth-One, Lex Luthor builds a device capable of absorbing mystic power from the very air, and intends to use this object against the Man of Steel. But its first use causes Luthor to travel to the Earth-S dimension, where he makes an alliance with Mister Mind to destroy Captain Marvel.

Appearing in "Captain Marvel Meets...Lex Luthor!?"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Locations:

Locations:

Items:

  • Luthor's Magic Accumulator
  • Mister Mind's remote-controlled metal monster

Vehicles:




Synopsis for "Mary Marvel Meets the Chameleon Girl!"

This story is reprinted from The Marvel Family #47.

A young woman, Lucy Todd, doesn't want to be herself anymore. She toils at chemistry in all of her spare time until she discovers a chameleon hormone that enables her to change her height, weight, complexion, hair color, eye color, and apparent age. Despite some good advice from Mary Marvel, Lucy makes poor use of her new ability, and complicates her own life in unforeseen ways, losing her job and her apartment, and getting arrested for murder, and losing her boyfriend. Also she loses control of the changing ability, as the chameleon hormone formula continues to work on her, and the changes become more random. Mary invents an antidote for Lucy's hormone formula, and Lucy agrees that it's best to just be herself.

Appearing in "Mary Marvel Meets the Chameleon Girl!"

Featured Characters:

Other Characters:

  • Lucy Todd
  • Mr. Blair, her boss
  • Mrs. Peters, her landlady
  • Jim, her boyfriend

Locations:

Items:

Synopsis for "Sivana's Good Inventions"

This story is reprinted from The Marvel Family #50.

Dr. Sivana has created a death ray that is sure to kill millions of people, but finds it won’t work yet on monkeys, but will kill rats very easily. He finds that this means that he’s made something beneficial to society and therefore meaningless to him and goes to work at another plan that make humanity miserable again, finishing an Ice Bomb that seeds clouds with severe hail. However, he doesn’t realize that at that moment, New York City is under severe heat warnings and the reservoir is drying up, meaning that there is heavy water conservation needed. To check on the damage, Billy calls SHAZAM and summons Captain Marvel to find that the hail has stopped some traffic, but is easily cleared by the World’s Mightiest Mortal and now can do well to solve the water shortage! Dr. Sivana is horribly embarrassed at having done so and takes off as Captain Marvel flies behind his rocket-ship, asking for him to try doing good by providing them more water with his inventions, but he escapes into a cloud and returns to his secret hideout. Captain Marvel manages to slip in at the last moment as the doors close and demands to see Sivana’s failed inventions and says he’s more than willing to just wreck everything anyways, breaking through to a room that even Sivana demands must never be seen!

Within, Captain Marvel tears down the door to find Sivana’s Top Secret Good Inventions: an air purifier that can filter for a whole city, a criminal detector, a cold light and a machine that turns rocks into edible food. Sivana admits his secret guilt and throws a bomb into the room to destroy his “good inventions,” only for Captain Marvel to dive on the explosive, protecting them all while Sivana escapes in his rocket-ship and tries to push a large boulder on to his lab (which Captain Marvel shatters) and an Earthquake Bomb that Captain Marvel is able to brace the building against with his Stamina of Atlas. Captain Marvel soon flies out with the inventions in his arms, only for Sivana to melt them all with a Flame Ray from his ship and lands, relieved that he stopped his “horrible” good inventions from being released even when Captain Marvel punches him over. However, he reveals that those weren’t the inventions he was carrying, he stowed them and carried out a bunch of junk knowing that he’d melt it! Sivana blacks out and wakes up in prison. Later, Captain Marvel tells him that his good inventions will do a very small amount to make up for the constant evils he commits against the whole Earth. Billy signs off saying that Sivana has gone mad and that Captain Marvel thought the whole affair was rather funny.

Appearing in "Sivana's Good Inventions"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

Other Characters:


Locations:

Items:

  • Sivana's Rat Death Ray
  • Sivana's Ice Bomb
  • Sivana's Cheap Food Machine
  • Sivana's Criminal Detector
  • Sivana's Air Purifier
  • Sivana's Cold Light
  • Sivana's Flame Ray

Vehicles:

  • Sivana's Rocket-Ship

Synopsis for "The Marvel Family Battles the King of All Time"

This story is reprinted from The Marvel Family #88.

A siren sounds, but Billy announces it is a test of the air raid system, but as he goes home he thinks about the fact he didn't have time to report about Zotan, the dictator who took over the mountain kingdom of Javania in one week. Real ships appear, but the Army think their Air Force is doing this to help the practice and fire blanks. However it is really the fleet of Zotan, who has taken advantage of the lulled security. His fleet starts dropping bombs on the city. The Marvels transform when they realize this is real, however a bomb reaches the basement, hitting the other occupants. They are unharmed, but start shouting 'Down with America! Down with democracy!', attacking the Marvel Family. The Marvels see an air raid warden has also been affected and realizes the bombs only effect the mind. Captain Marvel finds the bombs are soft plastic, and instead of explosives hold a drug-like gas that enslaves human minds. Zotan talks about how his weapons possess minds. In his arsenal are 'Mental ammunition', 'Dictator Bombs', 'Lie Bullets', 'Slavery Shells,' 'Evilness Rays', the 'Tyranny Cannon' and 'Propaganda Rockets.'

The Marvel family decide to attack the bombers. However only a dozen are smashed, and Zotan has over a hundred. He orders one of his henchmen at the Century Control to move the Time Lever so the rest of his ships can be saved. His fleet shifts to a different century. The Marvels find only a few thousand citizens were mentally bombed, so go to have them held for observation. The Marvels fly faster than light and get to the Rock of Eternity to ask Shazam about who attacked their century. He tells them it was Zotan; in One Million AD he was exposed as a brutal tyrant. He was exiled to 1953 and dropped in Javania. Using his advanced knowledge he made weapons of the future. Shazam explains all wars are fought over ideas, in the future all killing weapons were abandoned and only mental weapons were used. They go back to Earth, but find Zotan has taken over America. They are chased away, and find everywhere on Earth has been taken over by Zotan, meaning they leave Earth.

The Marvels travel to Ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece and Rome to stop Zotan's invasions, but fail. They think Zotan is about to attack the future, but the Marvels realise it was a trick to leave the Rock unguarded, but Shazam has already been captured and chained up. Zotan brags he will cut the wizard's throat when he feels like it. Shazam obeys Zotan's order to get rid of the Marvels, as so it is written, and uses a thunderbolt of Zeus to apparently destroy the Marvels, however it only transforms them into the kids, and they cannot change back as Shazam is captured. 'No gags seal of their tongues. No bonds restrict them.' But they cannot change.

Shazam is left chained to a rock on a faraway world, with a monster about to eat him. However the Marvels light a brazier to summon him to the cave. This enables them to transform back. They then create weapons to free the minds of those Zotan conquered. They free 1953 and the Time fleet leaves to free the other eras Zotan has taken over. Zotan finds Mary Marvel at his destroyed Time ship, but escapes a month into the future using his time belt. However Billy is waiting there, pretending to still be Zotan's subject. He takes Zotan's belt, transforms and defeats the Dictator, who is jailed.

Appearing in "The Marvel Family Battles the King of All Time"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:


Locations:

Items:

  • Zotan's Mental Ammunition
  • Zotan's Dictator Bombs
  • Zotan's Lie Bullets
  • Zotan's Slavery Shells
  • Zotan's Evilness Rays
  • Zotan's Tyranny Cannon
  • Zotan's Propaganda Rockets
  • Zotan's Slave-Gas
  • Zotan's Hypno Smoke
  • Zotan's Time-TV
  • Zotan's Time Belt (Destroyed)
  • Red O'Reilly's Chair (Destroyed)

Vehicles:

  • Zotan's Ship (Destroyed)
    • The Zotan Warfleet (Destroyed)
  • A Century Crosser Ship

Synopsis for "The Incredible Calculator"

This story is reprinted from Captain Marvel Adventures #53.

Billy's sent out to investigate the story of a computer more powerful than the human brain invented by Professor Smott. Although the machine is so intelligent it's sentient, Smott's rival, Professor Sneeyer, contends no human could invent a machine more intelligent than a human. In a contest of intellect, Sneeyer and the computer calculate where a devastating storm will hit. Sneeyer calculates exactly where it will make land, while the computer calculates no damage will ensue. Captain Marvel flies to the coordinates and saves a farmhouse from being blown away. At his lab, Smott's prepared to smash the computer, since the devastating storm did make land after all, but the machine protests that indeed no damage took place, because Captain Marvel prevented it, as it included that in its figures. Marvel leaves the scientists arguing over whether this proves the machine is smarter than a human brain or not.

Appearing in "The Incredible Calculator"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Professor Smott
  • Professor Sneeyer
  • The Calculator

Antagonists:


Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:


Vehicles:



Synopsis for "Mr. Tawny's Bouncing Shoes"

This story is reprinted from Captain Marvel Adventures #134.

Billy Batson is doing a special report on air traffic across the North Pole, the supposed shortest rout between the major continents, but is a problem of bad weather. To that end, Mr. Morris has built WHIZ Weather Station at Ice Point, near the North Pole and Mr. Morris and him are going to dedicate its opening and they’ll soon be broadcasting from the Arctic. They’re soon on a plane heading to Ice Point as the weather gets bad, underlining the need for this weather station to report on such blizzards. Mr. Morris tries to stabilize them, but one of the wings tears off, forcing Billy to call SHAZAM to summon Captain Marvel. He soon rubs his hands together hard enough that he can weld the wing back on, wakes up Mr. Morris and then returns Billy, thinking that nothing happened in between. They soon land at WHIZ Weather Station and Billy starts his report to say they’re fully operational in the Arctic Circle. The next day, Mr. Morris and Billy head out to look at the barren tundra and find a polar bear frozen in the permafrost. Billy worries that it seems to be getting warmer and Billy soon reports that it’s getting up to 40°F and rising and people are starting to get uncomfortable in their parkas. Mr. Morris goes to take a picture of the frozen bear, but soon finds it’s not frozen and Billy calls SHAZAM to summon Captain Marvel to throw the polar bear on his head. Before he can stop it any further, a technician runs in and says that their supply plane is lost and running low on fuel, prompting Captain Marvel to go right their plane.

However, the Pilot soon tells Captain Marvel that Ice Point is now missing, since it was built on top of permafrost too and is Lost on an Island of Ice. Unfortunately, the Polar Bear is also on the Island and starts to tree Mr. Morris on their radio tower until Captain Marvel shakes it lightly, knocking the bear unconscious when it falls and ties up the bear. Mr. Morris warns that the ice floe itself is breaking down over time, forcing Captain Marvel to push it back 600 miles north into place among the Arctic Circle and WHIZ Weather Station is reestablished. Meanwhile, the unfrozen Prehistoric Polar Bear is now friendly and happy.

Appearing in "Mr. Tawny's Bouncing Shoes"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists

  • The Prehistoric Polar Bear

Other Characters:


Locations:

Items:

  • A Camera
  • A Radio Tower

Vehicles:

  • A WHIZ Weather Station Supply Plane

Synopsis for "The Day Civilization Went Backwards"

This story is reprinted from Captain Marvel Adventures #115.

Billy Batson has invited over Professor Swope, an expert on civilization, which he says is based on a series of great discoveries and inventions: fire, iron, the wheel, the steam engine, railroads, automobiles, the airplane, radio and television. However, at 12 noon, he’s going to reverse civilization, donning a metal cap and then slaps Billy in the face on live television, shouting how he will undo all of civilization and shouts that he’s un-inventing television! Billy quickly calls SHAZAM and summons Captain Marvel, thinking Prof. Swope is just crazy and tries to stop his ranting… but finds the crew are throwing all the TV equipment out of the windows are now thinking backwards too, finding a nearby television store is shutting down and throwing all the sets into the trash and being collected as junk. Meanwhile, Prof. Swope has escaped and goes to a large antenna in the woods that is projecting a hypnotic “Backwards Ray” that makes people “think backwards” as they are now, which is also why he wears his metal cap. Swope soon un-invents the telephone, streetcars and roads until there are gigantic landfills in the countryside of rejected inventions of the modern world, then starts a campaign of loading all the un-invented things on to a large blue rocket-ship. Captain Marvel punches over Swope and he cops to a scheme to sell people back their inventions, but also that people thinking backwards now think of him as a great un-inventer and are violently devoted to him and start to mob around him.

Prof. Swope escapes into his ship and takes off through a large circular portal to “Dimension World,” a small parallel dimension of medieval development where Prof. Swope intends to create industry for both dimensions and become Ruler of both. Captain Marvel punches him in the face and immediately arrested by the local people (who think Swope is a wizard) and they prepare to take him to the Bastille. Since Captain Marvel refuses to break the law even in a violent alternate dimension, he calls SHAZAM to return Billy and let him try to run away while they’re distracted by the magic lightning. Prof. Swope manages to catch Billy and grabs him by the mouth, ordering him taken to his ship where he’s left bound and gagged under an exhaust pipe to be smothered by noxious rocket fumes while Swope and his goons unload his ship. Billy manages to lift his head through the exhaust and catches his gag caught in the moving gears of the rocket-ship and calls SHAZAM to punch them out easily, fly them back to Earth, breaks the Backwards Ray Tower, the breaks the Dimension Gateway. Captain Marvel is happy that his mad plot to destroy society has failed and didn’t get too far. Later, Billy signs off wearing a yellow sweater and saying that Swope and his men went to prison and he’s King of a Stone Cell for life that he can try un-inventing!

Appearing in "The Day Civilization Went Backwards"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

  • Professor Swope

Other Characters:


Locations:

Items:

  • Televisions
  • Telephones
  • The Gateway to Dimension World
  • Prof. Swope's Backwards Ray Tower

Vehicles:

  • Prof. Swope's Rocket-Ship

Synopsis for "The Man in the Paper Armor!"


Appearing in "The Man in the Paper Armor!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • "Rip-Off" Riggs (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:


Vehicles:


Notes



See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References
JLA v.1 21
Multiversal Crossover
The events from this issue or series involve a Multiversal Crossover between Pre-Crisis worlds and characters. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Pre-Crisis Multiverse Crossover category.
See also Post-Crisis Multiverse Crossovers.
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