The Marvel Family #40 is an issue of the series The Marvel Family (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1949.
Synopsis for "The Seven Wonders of the Modern World"
A father and son are visiting a memorial to the Marvel Family and the other people who lost their lives in a plan to create international unity by displaying a modern Seven Wonders of the World.
- The project was the brainchild of a Kenneth Leith, who was waved off by all the investors and politicos he approached with his idea because of how impractical such an international project sounded. The first people to take him seriously were Billy, Mary, and Freddy, who immediately decided to transform and advertise the project. Such as by dumping an entire barge of leaflets all around the world, and writing an ad into the side of a mountain so passing planes will know about it!
- At the same time, Rex, the head of a vast conspiracy, started to work against the Seven Wonders project because it would hinder his plans to start another World War, then build his own empire on the ashes. The Marvels split up to try to thwart his attempts to undermine the project, with each falling into a deadly trap related to the thing they were trying to protect (Mary was to be incinerated by the world's largest cyclotron, Freddy saw a henchman dressed as Captain Marvel which fooled him into saying his magic word and leaving him vulnerable, while Billy wass about to be blasted into the farthest reaches of space aboard a new rocket ship). One of Rex's followers had a crisis of conscience when it came to shooting a young boy into space, and gunned down the would-be conqueror. Though he was killed in retaliation by Rex's loyal troops, the traitor's daughter rescued Billy, giving him the chance to transform and rush off to save his friends. Although Captain Marvel saved Mary, none of them have been seen since a load of dynamite destroyed the ship Freddy was on.
It's believed that the Marvels were finally destroyed in that massive explosion, but they then fly down to the exhibition, carrying the sacred Buddhist tapestry the ship had been carrying. They'd been missing because they spent days locating every piece and re-weaving it.
Appearing in "The Seven Wonders of the Modern World"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Kenneth Leith
Antagonists:
- Rex (Dies)
- Rex's secret organization
- Paul Delacroix (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Wong Howe (Dies)
- Anabel Delacroix
- Unnamed Father
- Unnamed Child
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Polar Regions
- Europe
Items:
- The World's Largest Cyclotron
- Painting of the Aurora Borealis
- The Buddha Tapestry
Vehicles:
- The Interstellar Rocket-Ship
Notes
- The full Modern Seven Wonders of the World are never enumerated entirely: North America, Africa, and South America each provide one, as does Europe, Asia and "the Polar Regions," leaving two unaccounted for entirely. South America's, involving some kind of meteors, is never shown. The final one, presumably from Australia, is never spoken of or shown.
See Also