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From SHAZAM! To KIMOTA! The Sensational Story Of England’s MARVELMAN – The Hero Who Would Become MIRACLEMAN by Derek Wilson
M
Larue, Monte Hale, Rocky Lane, Rod Cameron, SixGun Heroes, Tom Mix, Tex Ritter, Spy Smasher, and Captain Midnight, as well as the various Captain Marvel-related series—Adventures of Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., The Marvel Family, and Mary Marvel, which were their best sellers—and being just as successful in the UK as in the United States in attracting a large young audience for two weeklies (CM & CMJ) and one monthly comic (MF). Mary Marvel didn’t survive beyond a few Photogravure issues. In an earlier series, Master, Whiz, and Wow were also being reprinted.
arvelman was born of necessity on 3rd February 1954, after Captain Marvel lost his 12-year battle with Superman.
National Comics Publications (now DC Comics) took out a lawsuit against Fawcett Comics in 1941, claiming that the latter’s costumed hero Captain Marvel was an infringement of copyrights and a direct copy of DC’s Superman, despite the obvious differences in the characters. (E.g., Superman was an alien from another planet whose secret identity was merely a change of clothes with his adventures occurring in the “real” world, while Captain Marvel’s alter ego was magical, since he Slipping You A Mick changed back and forth from being a young boy, and Mick Anglo circa 1952—i.e., not long before The largest-circulation periodical in the his storylines were more in the realm of fable and the creation of Marvelman. We’ve avoided, Miller library could not be allowed to die—at fantasy.) The fact that Captain Marvel Adventures so far as possible, repeating images that was outselling Superman for some time in the midleast not without a successor—so writer/artist appeared in the 2001 (but long out of print) 1940s is most likely the real reason the lawsuit refused Mick Anglo was recruited and given the job of TwoMorrows volume Kimota! The Miracleman Companion, by George Khoury; but a few to die, but sales made no difference to the eventual creating an alternative character because the repeats, such as this photo, were outcome, and Fawcett “Captain Marvel” material was unavoidable. Actually, this version of the was forced to hang up running out fast. Anglo’s photo was sent to us from the UK by Roger the cape of the previous work had been with Dicken, whose interview with Anglo begins World’s Mightiest Arnold Miller’s Arnold Book on p. 17, but we preferred to feature it earlier Mortal in 1953 after Company, producing covers rather than later in the issue (though we an expensive struggle for the Len Miller’s “L. will be repeating it later—to show you what that had lasted a Miller & Son” comics. he’s smiling at!). dozen Arnold’s were years. publishing comic titles such as Capt. Valiant, Space Commando, Ace It’s interesting to note Malloy, and Space Commander that even Mad comics Kerry. were giving the The injunction obtained in the lawsuit attention at US had no jurisdiction over here that time, by having in the UK, but of course the their spoof character supply of “Captain Marvel” stories Superduperman defeat would run out before long. The Captain Marbles, who first name change suggested— had given up fighting and most obvious one—was crime to become a finally adopted, with Captain criminal. Marvel becoming Marvelman, In Britain, L. Miller although other names were & Son were reprinting seriously considered, including the Fawcett titles such as Bill Miracleman and Capt. Miracle, Boyd, Bob Steele, Hopalong which were registered as possibilities; Cassidy, Ken Maynard, Lash and Captain Marvel Jr. became Young
Two Of A Kind Fawcett’s original Captain Marvel (drawn by C.C. Beck) and L. Miller’s Marvelman (drawn by Don Lawrence)—side by side. With thanks to Derek Wilson for the images. But then, he informs us that from the entire original Marvelman-and-Family run of 770 comics and 24 annuals, he is missing only two Marvelman issues. We “Americanized” a few English spellings in his article, since the majority of our audience is in the USA. [Shazam! hero TM & ©2009 DC Comics; Marvelman TM & ©2009 the respective trademark & copyright holders.]