Kid Eternity is a fictional character, a comic book superhero that premiered in Hit Comics #25 written by Otto Binder , drawn by Sheldon Moldoff , and published by American company Quality Comics in December 1942. All of Quality's intellectual properties were sold to DC Comics in 1956, including Kid Eternity. The character has continued to appear (albeit infrequently) in DC comic books since his revival in the 1970s.
117-455: In 1956, Quality Comics owner Everett M. Arnold decided to leave the comic business for the more profitable arena of men's adventure magazines and sold the company to competitor DC Comics. DC kept a number of Quality's titles running, but not until the 1970s did they look at the long-cancelled superhero characters (with the introduction of the Freedom Fighters ). In the 1980s, Kid Eternity
234-498: A Creole sorceress named Sabina. If she wins the trials, then the power of Shazam will be lost to the Marvel Family and she will control it. Freddy and Sabina end up competing nearly neck-and-neck for many of the trials, eventually becoming equal in power as each earn the various powers of each god. One trial, the trial of Atlas, ends prematurely when Sabina kills Atlas, and Zareb is forced to convince Apollo to take his place among
351-564: A U-boat , he arrives at an artificial heaven created by the supernatural Lords of Chaos , who make the Kid their unwitting servant by convincing him he had been killed too early and that they would return him to life for the error. The Kid is given the power to summon people by saying "Eternity", but the people he summons are actually demons who assume the form of the figures he desires. He can choose any person or fictional character, without regard to "good" or "evil" to bring back. The Lords of Chaos give
468-520: A Western digest, ran at least three issues during that time, as did Classic Photography , an innocuous (by modern standards) magazine of photo techniques plus shots of nude and semi-nude women; issue #3 (Spring 1957) featured Bunny Yeager on the cover. The Autumn and Fall 1956 issues were deemed "obscene" by the Post Office, and not applicable for second-class (standard magazine) mailing rates. Arnold, by then in his late 60s, moved to Florida . He
585-450: A 1972 history of comics, ...I believe the first feature I purchased from Eisner & Iger was "Espionage" in 1938 for Feature Comics (then Feature Funnies ), and in 1939 I started buying material from them for Smash Comics , but it wasn't until 1940, when they supplied most of the pages for my five new titles as well as some material for Police Comics , that I became op customer with Eisner and Iger... [which] supplied all or most of
702-514: A background character in the 1996 Kingdom Come miniseries by Mark Waid and Alex Ross . In this alternate future, Junior now goes by the name King Marvel , and resembles Elvis Presley. Mary Marvel, now called Lady Marvel , is his wife, and the two have a superpowered son named the Whiz , named after Whiz Comics . In this future, the adult Freddy Freeman has taken the Captain Marvel mantle and
819-659: A baseball game for his school team, Freddy and his grandfather Jacob went on a fishing trip in Fawcett Bay. At the same time, however, Captain Marvel found himself engaged in a battle with the supervillain Captain Nazi . As in the Fawcett origin, one of Marvel's punches knocks Captain Nazi into the lake near Grandpa Jacob's boat, and Freddy and his grandfather are attacked when they attempt to save
936-566: A complicated arrangement in which, Eisner recalled, "I regarded him as a partner and he thought of me as an employee". Whatever the specific business details, "The Eisner-Iger amalgam was dissolved, Iger buying out his partner's share of the organization", wrote historian Jim Steranko , who interviewed both Eisner and Arnold in the early 1970s. "In the bargain, Eisner took the shop's key men with him: Viscardi [also known as Nick Cardy ], [Lou] Fine , Bob Powell , Chuck Cuidera , and others." Second, Arnold explored an expansion into newspapers, with
1053-986: A doubt, one of the most generous comic publishers. He was always very fair with the artists and believed in sharing wealth. He often delivered an extra bonus to his men in appreciation for their work and loyalty. He was, perhaps, the only publisher who paid his men what they were really worth." He started Arnold Magazines, Inc., edited by Alfred Grenet, with editorial offices at 303 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. Mostly 35-cent digests , his publications included Homicide Detective Story Magazine , which ran stories by John D. MacDonald and William Campbell Gault . It later became Killers Mystery Story Magazine . Among its sister publications were Crime and Justice Detective Story Magazine (which included writers G.T. Fleming-Roberts, Robert Sidney Bowen , Harlan Ellison and Edward D. Hoch ) and Terror Detective Story Magazine , each of which ran four issues from 1956 through March 1957. Blazing Guns ,
1170-606: A hospital. Captain Marvel, in his alter ego as young Billy Batson, learns from a nurse that Freddy is not expected to last the night. This leads Billy to take Freddy to the underground throne of the wizard Shazam , who originally granted Captain Marvel his powers. Billy asks the wizard to heal Freddy and save his life, but Shazam cannot, and instead tells Billy that he, as Captain Marvel, can pass along some of his powers so that Freddy can walk again. Shazam disappears and Billy transforms back into Captain Marvel, just as Freddy awakens. Looking up, he exclaims “Why...it's Captain Marvel,” and
1287-439: A lake. An elderly man and his teenage grandson happen to be fishing in the lake near the place Nazi lands and, not knowing who he is, lift the unconscious man into their boat to prevent him from drowning. Nazi immediately comes to, tosses the old man into the lake, and knocks the boy out of the boat with an oar. The old man immediately dies, but Captain Marvel is able to save the unconscious boy, named Freddy Freeman, and bring him to
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#17328725717621404-466: A mutual attraction with Supergirl . Freddy also saved the team from Clayface himself acting as a bomb to blow up a building. Freddy joins Ollie and Hal's team after saving them from an explosion. Justice League members were attacked in the Justice League Watchtower , Supergirl discovers Freddy was apparently attacking the team. It is revealed that Prometheus impersonating him throughout
1521-578: A mystical bolt of lightning that reverts him back to his human form. Freddy immediately attempts to transform back into Captain Marvel, but is horrified to discover that he no longer possesses his abilities. Osiris then departs, leaving a distraught Freddy to be frustrated over his loss. In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Freddy Freeman is reintroduced in 2012's Justice League vol. 2 #8 as part of Billy's new foster family along with Mr. and Mrs. Vasquez, Mary Bromfield, Pedro Pena, Eugene Choi, and Darla Dudley. Freddy
1638-625: A new female archenemy named Sabina, a witch who is planning to take the power for herself. The Shazam gods are presented in The Trials of Shazam! in reimagined forms (Solomon is a female tattoo artist in New York City , Hercules a Latino convict, etc.), since they are all hiding from the various evils of the new age. The first eight issues of The Trials of Shazam! , as well as a prequel written by Winick for Brave New World #1, were illustrated by Howard Porter . Porter broke his drawing hand during
1755-411: A new series written by Ann Nocenti with art by Sean Phillips . This series quickly moved away from the continuity established by Morrison, and instead focused on the everyman qualities of the character. It lasted 16 issues (May 1993 – September 1994). The boat captain the Kid referred to as his grandfather is actually a sexual predator who had manipulated him for his own purposes. After being killed by
1872-595: A pass at his sister. The resulting conflict (created essentially to write Junior out of The Power of Shazam! from issue #13 on) causes Junior to leave Fawcett City and seek refuge in New York City , where he joins the Teen Titans . At this time, the character's name was briefly changed to CM3 (short for Captain Marvel Three, with Billy being CM1 and Mary CM2), a name he could identify himself with in dialogue without triggering his transformation. After some time spent with
1989-542: A portion of divine (or otherwise) essences. Instead, he directly drew his powers from entities that represented divine or other extraordinary beings directly. Initially, it was suggested that Freddy no longer required verbal invocation, as he could will his powers to manifest. Nevertheless, he continued to prefer using the word "Shazam!" to transform. In April 1950, the Belgian comic Bravo published its own version of Capitaine Marvel Jr , drawn by Albert Uderzo , later known as
2106-483: A prizefighter dies too soon in a plane crash and is given a new life by a celestial guide. He proved to be popular enough that when Quality Comics began expanding their post-war line, the Kid got his own self-titled comic book, Kid Eternity , in the spring of 1946. Further illustrating the popularity of the character, his antagonists , Her Highness and Silk were given their own strip in Hit Comics #29 through #57. By
2223-816: A run-down hovel and to dress in shabby rags. His one valuable possession appeared to be his diary, which was written in a large, richly ornamented book. In most of his adventures, Freddy Freeman is depicted as a character to be pitied for his injury, reminiscent of Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens ' A Christmas Carol , until he transforms into his super-powered state (C.C. Beck described the character as resembling Tiny Tim as Freddy Freeman, and Peter Pan as Captain Marvel Jr.). Junior, Captain Marvel, and Mary Marvel began appearing together in The Marvel Family comic book beginning in 1945. That title and Junior's own ran until 1953, when Fawcett Publications discontinued all
2340-501: A series of rotating cover features, including Hercules , the Red Bee , Stormy Foster and Neon the Unknown . However, December 1942 saw the entire line-up of comics at Quality change their features (if not always the cover feature). Kid Eternity was brought in from the start as the new cover feature for Hit . The character may have been based on the 1941 movie Here Comes Mr. Jordan , in which
2457-829: A similarity to the Marvels—after a magic word was spoken, and a character who had not been present arrived in a bolt of lightning (although unlike the Marvels, the Kid himself did not disappear). In this revival, the Kid was given a new name—Christopher "Kit" Freeman, and became the brother of Captain Marvel Jr. (Freddy Freeman). He is shown to live in the same neighbourhood as Shazam and the Elders, Eternity. In his first new story, he assists Captain Marvel in battling villains from American History whom Doctor Sivana has resurrected to cause trouble in Philadelphia while he prepares his plan to destroy
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#17328725717622574-491: A smattering of new features. His first office was at 389 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan . The new material came from comics packagers , small studios that sprang up to produce comics on demand for publishers looking to enter the emerging comic-book field. Initially, Arnold bought from the quirkily named Harry "A" Chesler shop and from Eisner & Iger , headed by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger . He recalled in an interview for
2691-651: A storm, Freddy's maternal grandfather Jacob took him in, while Timothy was sent to live with various foster families. As an adult, Karnes would harness the powers of the underworld and become Sabbac , one of Captain Marvel Jr.'s enemies. The teenage Freddy Freeman, living in Midwestern Fawcett City , was shown to be an all-star student and athlete at the Binder school in Fawcett City, and a friend of Captain Marvel's alter ego Billy Batson. One afternoon, after winning
2808-614: A super-powered form, providing access to a portion of Captain Marvel/Shazam's powers, which are derived from seven legendary figures and deities. After the death of the Wizard Shazam, Freddy assumed the mantle of Captain Marvel/Shazam from the Trials of Shazam! storyline onward until the New 52. However, unlike his predecessor, Freddy's powers were not derived from the magic of the Wizard Shazam and
2925-499: A time and only for just over 1 minute, shown when he used the soul of Abraham Lincoln to get some free fast food, with the soul fading after exactly 66 seconds. In Teen Titans #74, Kid Eternity is kidnapped by the Calculator and forced to summon the spirit of his son Marvin White repeatedly. The Calculator some time later acknowledges Kid Eternity as "burned out", without explanation. It
3042-496: A trial (similar to the Labors of Hercules ), which he would have to complete successfully to be granted with that god's particular power. If he completes all six tasks, he will take on the name Shazam. Zareb Babak, a demoted necromancer , serves as Freddy's guide during his trials. At the same time, however, a dark organization known as the Council of Merlin are backing their own candidate,
3159-532: A way to restore their powers. Shortly after the incident with Blaze, Freddy travels to Philadelphia, where he finds Osiris in the process of killing a group of gunmen. The two Marvels battle, with Osiris telling Freddy that he has to continue killing people to free his sister Isis from her stone prison. Freddy eventually convinces Osiris that his sister would not approve of the bloodshed that he has caused and offers to help him find another way to save her, but Osiris instead betrays Freddy, using his abilities to summon
3276-452: A wheelchair, the result of being inadvertently injured in a previous battle involving the Marvels. At a museum, he accidentally witnesses the Batsons transform and tells Theo Adam the magic word they used to transform back into Black Adam . Theo Adam then talks Freddy into becoming a Marvel as well, so he can do everything including walk again. He then transforms into Black Adam Junior and attacks
3393-511: A year later. Captain Marvel is transformed into Marvel , a white-robed being who assumes Shazam's old post as caretaker of the Rock of Eternity, although he can only leave for up to 24 hours at a time. Marvel drafts the now-powerless Freddy Freeman to undergo a quest to prove himself worthy of replacing Captain Marvel. Each of the six gods who contributed their powers — Solomon , Hercules , Atlas , Zeus , Achilles , and Mercury — present Freddy with
3510-534: Is a member of the Titans East . He is implied to have competed with Superman ( Conner Kent ) for the love of Cassandra Sandsmark (Now Wonder Woman ). In the final issue of the maxi-series 52 (#52, May 2, 2007), a new Multiverse is revealed, originally consisting of 52 identical realities. Among the parallel realities shown is one designated Earth-5. As a result of Marvel Family foe Mister Mind eating aspects of this reality, it takes on visual aspects similar to
3627-573: Is first placed with Freddy and the Vázquezes, Freddy ends up befriending his new foster brother – despite swiping his wallet when they first met. Freddy is also the first person to learn that he has the power to become Shazam. In the finale of the series of Shazam! backups in Justice League vol. 2 #21, Billy shares his powers with his foster siblings. Afterwards, by saying "Shazam!", Freddy becomes an adult superhero with shoulder-length blond hair and
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3744-620: Is forced to walk with a crutch (although Captain Marvel Jr. bears no such impediment). As a result, Junior sought revenge against Captain Nazi, and the two repeatedly battled in a number of World War II-era comic stories. Immediately following the crossover chapters in Master Comics #21–22, Captain Marvel Jr. began starring in the series with issue #23 (February 1942). His own Captain Marvel Jr. comic book launched nine months later. Mac Raboy's darker, more dramatic art style illustrated adventures with more serious themes than those often seen in
3861-473: Is his long-lost brother, Christopher Freeman. This retcon took place because of the characters' very similar origins. Both characters' origins involved the death of a grandfather, and both characters also rely on magic words that form part of their superhero names (and therefore neither hero can speak his name without triggering his powers). Kid Eternity had been published by another company, Quality Comics , whose characters DC had also purchased. Freddy Freeman
3978-548: Is instantly transformed into a super-powered version of himself. Freddy, now called Captain Marvel Jr., resembles a younger Captain Marvel, though with a yellow-on-blue costume with a red cape, rather than Marvel Sr.'s yellow-on-red with a white cape. Captain Marvel informs Junior that he cannot remain in his super-powered form at all times, but that he must allow his human form to heal as best it can. With that, Freddy once again said his mentor's name and returned to his hospital bed. Freddy remains permanently lame in his left leg and
4095-592: Is killed in the opening pages of JSA #1 (1999) by the sorcerer Mordru , who seeks to wipe out all agents of Order or Chaos. Sometime after, Kid Eternity later appears in JSA #48 as either a spirit within Doctor Fate 's amulet or a hallucination (the story is unclear on this point). He returns in Teen Titans #31 (2006) having been used by the newest Brother Blood to wedge open the doorway between life and death to which he
4212-403: Is later called to Billy and Mary's home, where he is seemingly poisoned by Mary, who had made a deal with Blaze , who wanted Freddy's powers, in exchange for restoring Mary and Billy's. However, it is then revealed to be a set-up. Freddy gets up and fights Blaze. With a little help from Billy and Mary, defeats her and sends her back to Hell . Later, Freddy promises Billy and Mary that he will find
4329-475: Is later indicated that he was beaten to death by the Calculator after he could not get the results he wanted from him. The Teen Titans later learn of Kid Eternity's death during a confrontation with a robotic duplicate of the Calculator, who shows them footage and pictures of his murder. Kid Eternity appeared in a new National Comics one-shot issue written by Jeff Lemire and drawn by Cully Hamner . His origin
4446-525: Is now depicted with blond hair instead of black, and has been disabled at least since early childhood. He is the good-natured "prankster" of the foster home, prone to mischief and pick-pocketing. The first of the Shazam kids placed with the Vázquez family in Philadelphia, Freddy was placed into foster care after his parents went to prison, and he has not seen them since age 10. Despite Billy's standoffishness when he
4563-601: Is one of the few transformations in which Freddy's mobility aids do not re-materialize when he powers down; instead he's seated on the floor with his legs in front of him. Freddy Freeman, Billy and Mary all possess different powers of Shazam. Freddy holds the Power of Zeus. He is still disabled and has a lightning bolt necklace. The musician Elvis Presley was a huge fan of Captain Marvel Jr., and styled his trademark haircut and some of his clothing after him. Elvis's childhood collection of Captain Marvel Jr. comic books still sits in
4680-523: Is revealed to be a huge fan of Elvis Presley . The narrator ( Superboy ) states that "He's okay, just a little too into the retro thing for my tastes. Loves all that rockabilly crap. Flame shirts and hot dice belt buckles." Captain Marvel Jr. himself quotes Elvis (whom he refers to as "the greatest modern-day philosopher"), with the quote "Do what's right for you as long as you don't hurt no one", to which Hawk (Holly Granger) immediately states that she likes Sex Pistols bass guitarist Sid Vicious better as
4797-525: Is transformed into Captain Marvel Jr., a blue costumed version of himself possessing powers of superhuman strength, speed, wisdom, and more. Junior derived his powers from Captain Marvel himself, while the other Marvels derived their powers from the wizard Shazam . Unlike Captain Marvel, Junior remained a teenager in his transformed state. A Trials of Shazam! maxi-series published from 2006 to 2008 featured Freddy Freeman undergoing six trials to prove himself worthy of succeeding Captain Marvel, who takes over
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4914-590: The Infinite Crisis crossover event, Junior briefly joins the depleted Teen Titans roster during the weekly 52 comic book series, and is part of the wedding party for his former enemy Black Adam's marriage to Isis , where he is in charge of crowd control. Later, Junior attempts to vouch for Black Adam's protégé, Isis' brother Osiris, who wants to join the Titans as well, but is distrusted from his connection to Black Adam. The Marvels and Black Marvels later help fight of
5031-580: The Anti-Life Equation he has used to take over the Earth and many of its heroes. Captain Marvel, Black Adam, and Tawky Tawny fight an evil, possessed Mary Marvel, whose body has been possessed by the New God DeSaad ; she is defeated after Shazam seizes her and uses his magic lightning bolt to transform himself back to Freddy and the evil Mary Marvel back to a normal Mary Batson. Freddy appears briefly in
5148-582: The DC Extended Universe film Shazam! (2019), portrayed by Jack Dylan Grazer and Adam Brody as a teenager and adult superhero, respectively. Grazer and Brody return in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). After Fawcett Comics ' success with their first superhero character, Captain Marvel , the company decided to introduce a spin-off character. Although Captain Marvel had been given part-time sidekicks in
5265-591: The Doctor Occult spin-off Dr. Mystic the Occult Detective (unrelated to the Mr. Mystic that later ran in newspapers), by future Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster . Other titles included Funny Pages , Funny Picture Stories , Detective Picture Stories and Keen Detective Funnies . Daniel R. Hanna Sr., publisher of Ohio's Cleveland News , printed the interiors, with Cleveland 's Penton Press printing
5382-633: The Flash Museum after an attack there and on S.T.A.R. Labs in Fawcett City . He meets up with Jay Garrick and Ray Palmer who are not sure whether he goes by Captain Marvel or Shazam, which he says to call him Freddy. Freddy and Ray talk about their time on the Teen Titans , then head to Gotham City where they meet Hal Jordan and the Green Arrow , as well as declaring they want Justice. Freddy ends up joining Hal and Ollie's group of heroes, developing
5499-593: The McClure Syndicate in Baltimore , Maryland . Circa 1930, either Arnold persuaded Buffalo , New York printer Walter Koessler to invest in a color plant in order to print comics, or vice versa (sources differ). In either event, Arnold became vice president of Koessler's Greater Buffalo Press and learned publishing as the company began printing a large number of color comic newspaper sections. In 1936, Arnold gave either financial or other, unspecified help to
5616-512: The McNaught Syndicate , the Frank J. Markey Syndicate , and Iowa 's Register and Tribune Syndicate . Hiring cartoonist Rube Goldberg , who had just begun the strip Lala Palooza , and Goldberg's assistant, Johnny Devlin, Arnold in mid-1937 began publishing Feature Funnies , which mixed color reprints of leading comic strips (including Joe Palooka , Mickey Finn and Dixie Dugan ) with
5733-456: The New York City -based Comics Magazine Company, founded by John Mahon and Bill Cook, former employees of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson 's National Allied Publications, the primary forerunner of DC Comics . The duo published the premiere issue of The Comics Magazine (May 1936), using inventory content from National Allied's submissions. The original features (as opposed to color comic strip reprints, as Famous Funnies published) included
5850-620: The 1930s and 1940s period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books . He was also instrumental in the publishing arrangement that led to Will Eisner 's newspaper Sunday-supplement comics series The Spirit . Growing up in Rhode Island , where his habit of talking in class earned him the admonishment "busybody" from teachers, and the subsequent nickname "Busy" from classmates, Everett M. Arnold graduated from Brown University with an economics degree in 1921, years later receiving
5967-958: The 1950s, Quality Comics followed the prevailing comics trends away from superheroes to a wide range of genres. This included a single horror title, Web of Evil , that nonetheless made Arnold's otherwise wholesome company a target, like many other comics publishers, as a supposed factor in juvenile delinquency , as charged by Dr. Fredric Wertham 's book Seduction of the Innocent and Congressional hearings led by Senator Estes Kefauver . Together with his staff's individual departures as time went on, Arnold in 1956 closed his company, selling most of its properties to DC Comics . The final Quality titles, including Heart Throbs #46, Robin Hood Tales #6, and Yanks in Battle #4, were cover-dated December 1956. Comics historian Jim Steranko wrote that, "Arnold was, without
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#17328725717626084-551: The Brown Alumni Association's Brown Bear Award for service to his alma mater. He found work with the printing press manufacturer R. Hoe and Company, and later spent 12 years as the Eastern sales representative for New York City 's Goss Printing Company. There he sold presses to Waterbury , Connecticut 's Eastern Color Printing (future publisher of the first American comic book , Famous Funnies #1, May 1934), and to
6201-625: The Cowles' brothers interest for $ 140,000 in 1950; during their 13-year partnership, the Cowles had earned nearly $ 1.8 million on their original $ 1,000 investment. Among his philanthropic efforts around this time, wealthy alumnus Arnold paid the Brown University tuition of college football player Joe Paterno , who attended from 1946 to 1950 before going on to become the College Football Hall of Fame coach of Penn State University . During
6318-649: The DC Universe. One of these appearances was as an adult Captain Marvel in " Titans Tomorrow ", a story-arc in Teen Titans vol. 3 #17–19 (2005). By this time, the character was once again identified by the name Captain Marvel Junior, rather than CM3, and his costume was slightly modified, substituting his traditional red cape for a white one like that of the other two Marvels. A guest appearance in The Outsiders vol. 3 #10 in 2004 led to Captain Marvel Jr. briefly joining
6435-568: The Des Moines Register and Tribune Syndicate, who said, "The newspapers in this country, particularly the Sunday papers, are looking to compete with comics books, and they would like to get a comic-book insert into the newspapers". ... Martin asked if I could do it. ... It meant that I'd have to leave Eisner & Iger [which] was making money; we were very profitable at that time and things were going very well. A hard decision. Anyway, I agreed to do
6552-656: The Eisner and Iger material and tried to replace it with better features. Arnold began developing an in-house staff, with George Brenner, writer-artist of comic books' first masked adventurer—the Comics Magazine Company's the Clock —among his first employees. In 1939, Arnold and the owners of the Register & Tribune Syndicate's parent company, brothers John Cowles, Sr. and Gardner Cowles, Jr. 's Cowles Media Company , bought out
6669-497: The Justice League battling Sabina and an army of demons summoned by the sorcerer Merlin, with the goal of sacrificing a million souls (by turning them into demons) to force Zeus to grant Sabina his power. By being willing to sacrifice himself to save the world by throwing himself into the portal used to summon the demons, along with losing the power of Shazam as a whole rather than let Sabina possess it, Freddy proves himself worthy of
6786-462: The Kid a guide, a minor Lord of Chaos called "Mr. Keeper". Mr. Keeper, who assumes the form of a pudgy, overweight human, acts as a guide for the kid in setting up and turning on a series of "Chaos Engines", which is part of a plot by the Lords of Chaos to earn their way back into Heaven by forcing the evolution of mankind, a deed for which they feel God will forgive their past transgressions. Kid Eternity
6903-451: The Kid fight against the Keeper who was trying to control the dead. In Teen Titans #68 it is revealed that at some point Kid Eternity rebelled against the Lords of Chaos and was almost stripped of his power before the intervention of a Lord of Order named Sister Sentry who offered Eternity protection. But due to Mr. Keeper almost taking his powers, Kid Eternity can now only summon one soul at
7020-465: The Kid returns to Eternity. Kid Eternity became a supporting character in Shazam! stories, and there was even an eventual rematch with both Her Highness and Silk, and later Master Man. Kid Eternity's powers prove a valuable asset at least once when a villain cast a magical black void around the Marvel Family in their regular forms, thus preventing them from calling down the magic lightning to change. Although
7137-499: The Marvel Family comic books as the result of a lawsuit brought by National Comics (later DC Comics ). After Fawcett Comics folded, Captain Marvel Jr. remained unpublished, alongside the rest of the Marvel Family , for years. In 1972, DC Comics purchased the rights to the Marvel Family characters and revived them in a new series entitled Shazam! In his 1970s adventures, Captain Marvel Jr. discovers that fellow superhero Kid Eternity
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#17328725717627254-571: The Marvels. However, Freddy soon realizes Black Adams' evil, rebels and makes partial peace with the Marvels, although he keeps aloof from them. However, Captain Marvel was later traumatically drained and aged by the supervillain, The Vampire Burglar, Mary Marvel and Tawky Tawny came to Freddy in desperation to help them get the Captain to the wizard Shazam's chamber. With much persuading, Freddy agrees but they encounter Black Adam there, having claimed Shazam's power for himself. Although Shazam soon reappears,
7371-818: The McNaught and Markey interests. Arnold became 50% owner of the newly formed Comic Magazines, Inc., the corporate entity that would publish the Quality Comics line. That year Quality released Smash Comics #1 (Aug. 1939), the company's first comic book with exclusively new material. By then, in February 1940, Arnold moved his offices from New York City to the Gurley Building in Stamford , Connecticut , with staffers now including editor Ed Cronin, Gill Fox , Plastic Man creator Jack Cole , Tony DiPreta, and Zoltan Szenics. "Since it
7488-412: The Pre- Crisis Earth-S, including the Marvel Family characters. The names of the characters are not mentioned in the panel in which they appear, but a character visually similar to Captain Marvel Jr. appears. Based on comments by 52 co-author Grant Morrison , this alternate universe is not the pre- Crisis Earth-S. Freddy Freeman first appeared in issue 13 of this book; he was shown crippled and in
7605-408: The Quality Romance Group, owned by Everett M. and Claire C. Arnold, with an office at 347 Madison Avenue, in New York City, published two titles as Arnold Publications, Inc., two titles as Comic Favorites, Inc., and 14 titles as Comic Magazines, Inc. In late 1939, Arnold orchestrated two roughly concurrent events. First, he made Will Eisner an offer to join Quality Comics' art staff. Eisner agreed to
7722-467: The Register and Tribune Syndicate signed a contract for a 16-page weekly section. After Arnold sold it to The Washington Star , The Baltimore Sun and The Philadelphia Record , the syndicate then acted as sales agent. "The Spirit Section", as it came to be colloquially called, eventually appeared in 20 major newspapers, premiering June 2, 1940, and continuing through 1952. Arnold's companies became highly successful during comics' World War II boomtime,
7839-486: The Rock of Eternity upon stating that they have failed him. Shazam vows to come after Freddy for "stealing his name". He does acknowledge, however, that Freddy's powers come from the gods themselves and not the wizard. Captain Marvel's profile is raised when he becomes part of a Justice League miniseries by James Robinson , which establishes a new Justice League of America line-up. In the second issue of Justice League: Cry for Justice (2009), Freddy Freeman appears at
7956-412: The Shazam collective of gods. Freddy is able to claim the powers of Solomon and Achilles, but Sabina steals half the power of Hercules before he can share it with Freddy, Apollo divides his power between Freddy and Sabina as he resents being forced to take on Atlas's role, and Sabina steals Mercury's full power before Freddy can claim it. The competition culminated in a large battle, with Freddy, Marvel, and
8073-420: The Sunday comic book and we started discussing the deal[, which] was that we'd be partners in the 'Comic Book Section', as they called it at that time. And also, I would produce two other magazines in partnership with Arnold. Eisner negotiated an agreement with the syndicate in which Arnold would copyright The Spirit , but, "Written down in the contract I had with 'Busy' Arnold — and this contract exists today as
8190-415: The Teen Titans, as he is mistrusted due to his alliance with Black Adam. Writer Judd Winick , who had written Outsiders (vol. 3), was given the task of revamping the Captain Marvel franchise. The events of Infinite Crisis included the death of the wizard Shazam, and in a 12-issue maxiseries titled The Trials of Shazam! , Winick began exploring Freddy Freeman's quest to prove himself worthy of wielding
8307-641: The Teen Titans, were sent to fight the Doom Patrol , which they defeated. Soon after, John Stewart freed Freddy, Mary, and the Teen Titans with his Green Lantern Ring , after which they joined the fight against the villains. He was last shown with Hal Jordan and other heroes fixing the Watchtower. In issue 21 of Tiny Titans , Hoppy the Marvel Bunny comes to the Tiny Titans Pet Club where Tiny Captain Marvel Junior joins him. Supergirl asks him his name and he replies "Captain Marvel Junior". He then transforms back to Freddy Freeman. When asked again he says "Captain Marvel Junior", but adds "You can call me Freddy." This
8424-477: The Titans, Junior returns to Fawcett (and The Power of Shazam! comic with issue #42) and makes amends with Captain Marvel. Another superhero team, The Outsiders, found themselves in a battle against Ishmael Gregor, who had killed Timothy Barnes and stolen his Sabbac powers. Captain Marvel Jr. arrived to help the Outsiders dispatch Sabbac, and some time later Junior would join the team for a brief period. Following
8541-406: The artist of Asterix . In this version Freddy Freeman, although crippled, tries to save the life of Doctor Satano who has built a machine designed to help him rule the world but has caused a series of explosions in his laboratory. The machine gives superpowers and blue Captain Marvel outfits to both Freddy and Satano and they become sworn enemies. An adult version of Captain Marvel Jr. appears as
8658-464: The attic at his Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee , with a copy of Captain Marvel Jr. #51 (1947) placed on the desk in the recreation of his childhood room at Memphis' Lauderdale Courts housing complex. In reference to Elvis's admiration for the character, Captain Marvel Jr. has often been shown as either a fan of Elvis or having been inspired by him. In Teen Titans vol. 3 #23, Captain Marvel Jr.
8775-421: The basis for my copyright ownership — Arnold agreed that it was my property. They agreed that if we had a split-up in any way, the property would revert to me on that day that happened. My attorney went to 'Busy' Arnold and his family, and they all signed a release agreeing that would not pursue the question of ownership". This would include the eventual backup features, " Mr. Mystic " and " Lady Luck ". Martin of
8892-473: The battle against the renegade is complicated by the fact that the only way to help Billy is give him his Shazam power as Black Adam Jr., which would permanently strip himself of it. With much consideration, Freddy agrees and restores Captain Marvel. When Marvels inquire how they can make it up to Freddy for his sacrifice, Shazam suggests Captain Marvel that his name has great power of its own. Inspired, Captain Marvel gets Freddy to speak his name and, upon doing so,
9009-529: The bodies of the historical characters he summoned, but starting from Hit Comics #28, the summoned characters were shown to exist separately from the Kid. According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes , "with the help of people like Sir Launcelot , Merlin and Hercules , [Kid Eternity] fights against crime, evil, the Germans, the super-strong Mr. Puny, Master Man (Satan's personal servant, who can summon history's greatest villains), and Dr. Pain,
9126-411: The boy is bestowed the power and form of Captain Marvel Jr.. This version is apparently able to say his own name without an unwanted transformation and his costume emulates the Captain's by being looser than the tradition costume, complete with a lapel. In the twelve-issue series of Justice, Freddy and Mary were taken captive by Black Adam and brainwashed to fight Billy Batson. Freddy, along with Mary and
9243-486: The character's name was changed to CM3 , so that he could identify himself without triggering his transformation. Junior continued to appear in Teen Titans until its cancellation in mid-1998. The character then returned to regular appearances in The Power of Shazam! , until that book was cancelled at the end of the year. After the demise of The Power of Shazam! , Captain Marvel Jr. made sporadic guest appearances throughout
9360-534: The city. Billy Batson goes to the Pavilion, but he is seized by a thug before he can speak. He is bound and gagged and taken inside. The Kid goes there and sees Billy but is coshed by the thug. He too is bound and gagged and brought inside. He and Billy are tied back to back and placed under the Liberty Bell . Billy removes his gag using Benedict Arnold 's sword as it goes through the crack. They defeat Sivana, after which
9477-502: The concurrent " New Krypton " (2009) storyline in Superman #684 and Action Comics #873, in which he joins forces with Zatanna and a band of other magic-based superheroes to help stop the invading Kryptonians by using the magic lightning of Shazam. In a 2009 Justice Society of America story, the wizard Shazam returns from the dead, and, angry at the state of affairs, strips Billy and Mary Batson of their powers and banishes them from
9594-408: The course of production on the series, which led to a number of extended delays between issues. Mauro Cascioli took over the artist's chores for the final four issues. At the conclusion of the series, Freddy takes over the mantle of Captain Marvel under the name Shazam (assuming the red costume and adult form of Captain Marvel with longer hair), while Billy Batson, the former Captain Marvel, was given
9711-619: The cover of Crack Comics #5 (Sept. 1940; see image above). "Seemingly never an official publishing title," the Connecticut Historical Society noted, "the Quality Comics Group is a trademarked name (presumably taking its name from Stamford's nickname of 'the Quality City') encompassing Comic Favorites Inc., E.M. Arnold Publications, Smash Comics, and any other imprints owned by Arnold". A 1954 federal document noted that
9828-422: The covers and handling binding and shipping. But the company — which would evolve into Centaur Publications — would have no hit title. The enterprising Arnold, deducing that Depression-era audiences wanted established, familiar comic strips for their hard-earned dimes, rather than untried original material, formed the suitably titled Comic Favorites, Inc. in collaboration with three newspaper syndicates :
9945-410: The demon-empowered Sabbac, now several stories high. However, Osiris accidentally murders a supervillain, leading to the Titans being investigated for terrorist affiliations. Osiris is eventually murdered by Sobek, a bio-generated crocodile monster who posed as the boy's friend. After the death of Osiris, Freddy and Mary are the pallbearers of his casket at his and his sister's funeral. His last appearance
10062-453: The form of the look-alike Lieutenant Marvels in Whiz Comics #21 (September 1941), Fawcett Comics editor Ed Herron wanted to introduce a distinctive spin-off character. Captain Marvel transformed from teenage boy to adult superhero with a magic word; Herron decided his new character would remain a teenager to differentiate him from Captain Marvel. Fawcett staff artist Mac Raboy designed
10179-460: The idea of a Sunday-supplement comic-book section. Compiling a presentation piece with existing Quality Comics features, he contacted editors he knew from when he was vice president of Greater Buffalo Press . An editor of The Washington Star liked George Brenner's " The Clock ", but not Brenner's art, and was favorably disposed toward a Lou Fine strip. Arnold, concerned over the meticulous Fine's slowness and his ability to meet deadlines, claimed it
10296-401: The late 1940s, however, Quality Comics was experiencing the post-war bust that most superhero comics were. In November 1949, Kid Eternity's self-titled magazine was discontinued (with issue #18) and his lead slot in Hit Comics was given over to Jeb Rivers, a riverboat captain (with issue #61). The Kid was originally a nameless boy (who remembered being called only 'Kid' by his 'Gran'pa') who
10413-456: The master of agony". In the early 1980s another American publisher, DC Comics, decided to revive Kid Eternity. Unlike most of the Quality stable, who were depicted as living on the parallel world Earth-X , Kid Eternity was retconned into the Marvel Family of Earth-S , which DC had acquired from another former competitor, Fawcett Comics . This change was made because the Kid's power bore such
10530-513: The material for the first issues of Hit Comics , Crack Comics ["crack" as in "being at the top of one's form", like a crack sharpshooter], Uncle Sam and Military Comics , but until paper restrictions sent sales sky high [since publishers in business before World War II could obtain paper that newer publishers could not, hampering newer titles], these titles all sold very poorly. (If I hadn't been making big money on Feature and Smash Comics I would have gone broke.) So I dropped some of
10647-557: The new character, named Captain Marvel Jr., using a more realistic style parting with C.C. Beck 's more cartoony artwork for the Captain Marvel stories. Whereas Captain Marvel changed identities by saying "Shazam", Captain Marvel Jr. says "Captain Marvel" to transform; this was intended to serve as a frequent reminder to readers to buy the Captain Marvel Sr. books. Captain Marvel Jr.'s first appearance in Whiz Comics #25 (December 1941), written by Herron with art by Beck and Raboy,
10764-544: The often whimsical Captain Marvel stories. Marvel Jr regularly dealt with espionage, organized crime, murder, and Nazis in more-or-less straightforward adventure styles with often somber overtones. The stories depicted the plight of working class and working poor people during World War II . Even as he fought Japanese air attacks, conferred with United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt and United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill , and even came close to capturing Adolf Hitler himself, Freddy continued to live in
10881-519: The period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books . Helping Arnold were wartime paper-quota laws, under which publications begun before the war received far higher allotments than those begun afterward. Postwar, he kept up with changes in taste, renaming Military Comics as Modern Comics (beginning with issue #44, Nov. 1945), turning the superhero series Crack Comics into Crack Western (with #63, Nov. 1949) and changing Kid Eternity into Buccaneers (with #19, Jan. 1950). He bought out
10998-480: The power of Shazam in the new age of magic, which began with the end of Infinite Crisis . As Winick felt the Shazam! characters were too light-hearted and not being taken seriously, The Trials of Shazam! series features a much darker tone than earlier DC Comics Shazam! stories, reflecting more of the darker tones of the original Fawcett Captain Marvel Jr. stories. Freddy Freeman is now a young adult, forced to battle various beings powered by black magic , including
11115-487: The power of Zeus, and Zareb reveals himself to be Zeus in disguise. Freddy says the magic word "Shazam" and gains the full powers of Shazam. Freddy has appeared in several stories set following the Trials series. Freddy, as Captain Marvel Jr., appears as a supporting character in DC's 2008/2009 Final Crisis miniseries event, joining forces with a small band of superheroes (including his enemy Black Adam ) to fight Darkseid and
11232-467: The role of the wizard Shazam as keeper of the Rock of Eternity, under the name Marvel. Freddy Freeman, still using the name Shazam, is one of the characters appearing in the seven-issue Justice League: Cry for Justice miniseries written by James Robinson and illustrated by Mauro Cascioli, started in late 2009. While Freddy appears to be working with the JLA in the first five issues, issue #6 reveals that all
11349-528: The series to gain access to the Watchtower. The real Freddy is found by the Bulleteer and Mr. Scarlet in Fawcett City, tied up with his mouth sewn shut to prevent him from saying his magic word. Afterward, his mouth is unsewn and he transforms into Captain Marvel . Freddy appeared in one panel of Blackest Night #8, fighting off the remaining Black Lanterns with fellow Lanterns and Earth's heroes. Freddy
11466-593: The team the following year. The Junior-featured Outsiders stories featured the team battling Marvel Family villains such as Dr. Sivana , Sabbac , and Chain Lightning . Captain Marvel Jr. also made brief appearances in the 2005–2006 Infinite Crisis miniseries and its 2006–2007 maxiseries sequel, 52 . One of the key supporting characters of 52 was Osiris , Captain Marvel Jr.'s analogue in Black Adam 's Black Marvel Family . Junior vouches for him when he tries joining
11583-507: The time it has been the supervillain Prometheus impersonating him – a clue being that he once says "Shazam" without transforming. The real Freddy appears in the final issue, discovered by the Bulleteer and Mr. Scarlet . According to Captain Marvel Jr.'s current DC origin story, Freddy Freeman was born and raised in a New England fishing village, living with his parents and his foster brother, Timothy Karnes. When Freddy's parents drowned in
11700-423: The traditional "Captain Marvel, Jr." color of blue for his costume. When he first gets his powers, Freddy remarks that he wants to be called "King Shazam," a nod to the character's connection to Elvis Presley . Captain Marvel Jr. possesses the ability to transform his form at will by uttering the name of his friend and benefactor, "Captain Marvel" or "Shazam" depending on continuity. This transformation grants him
11817-410: The villain from the water, as Freddy thinks he is Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel intervenes and rushes both injured bystanders to a hospital. Grandpa Jacob slips into a coma after being thrown into the lake by Nazi, and Freddy is found to have a severely injured spine and a broken leg, which will prevent him from ever walking again. After a second attack from Captain Nazi, the injured Freddy is taken to
11934-451: The villains also bound and gagged Kid Eternity, he managed to remove the gag to summon Zeus who supplied the magic lightning necessary for the Marvel Family to change. Earth-S was merged with Earths One , Two , 4 and X in Crisis on Infinite Earths and Kid Eternity vanished along with the original version of the Marvel Family. In the 1990s, a different and darker version of the character
12051-431: The wizard Shazam by Captain Marvel and his sister Mary Marvel , who both grant the boy the power to become Captain Marvel Jr. However, Jacob dies, and Captain Marvel Jr. goes on a rampage against Captain Nazi until the other Marvels intervene. Nazi and Captain Marvel Jr. would become archenemies, regularly pitted against one another. Junior becomes an integral member of the Marvel Family until he draws Billy's ire by making
12168-549: The wizard Shazam's post on the Rock of Eternity . Upon completion of the Trials, Freddy assumed the superhero name Shazam . Following DC's New 52 reboot in 2011, Freddy Freeman – now a blond instead of the traditional dark-haired youth – appears in current DC Comics publications as one of Billy Batson's foster siblings, and at Billy's whim can share the Shazam powers and become an adult superhero. Freddy Freeman made his live-action debut in
12285-524: The word " Eternity " as well as to use the same word to make himself material or immaterial and invisible. Kid Eternity was further assisted on his duties by the clerk who'd made the error, Mr. Keeper. He is sometimes shown summoning fictional figures, like Jean Valjean or the Three Witches in Macbeth . In Kid Eternity #2 he shows time travel ability. In the first few stories, Kid Eternity would take over
12402-453: Was Eisner's work. Arnold and Eisner had already been discussing a new feature, which would evolve into The Spirit . In "late '39, just before Christmas time, 'Busy' came to me and said that the Sunday newspapers were looking for a way of getting into this comic book boom", Eisner recalled in 1979. In a 2004 interview, he elaborated on that meeting: "Busy" invited me up for lunch one day and introduced me to Henry Martin[, sales manager of
12519-551: Was a long round trip for [acclaimed artist] Lou Fine (who was partially crippled) to make each day," Arnold said in the early 1970s, "I rented a studio for Lou in the Woodstock Tower in Tudor City , a large Manhattan high-rise complex". Quality Comics quickly grew to encompass such top-selling characters as Blackhawk , Doll Man , Plastic Man , Kid Eternity , and Uncle Sam , among others. The name Quality Comics debuted on
12636-408: Was chained. This doorway appears as an actual doorway, with "life and death" written on it, as it is seen from Beast Boy 's perspective and that was all his mind is able to comprehend. He returns and finally defeats Blood, who has been plaguing the Titans for some time using the souls of all the previous Brother Bloods, and is active once again. In the pages of 52 , Osiris mentions that he helped
12753-470: Was created by Ed Herron , C.C. Beck , and Mac Raboy , and first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 in December 1941. In the original Fawcett Comics and DC continuity, Captain Marvel Jr.'s alter-ego was Freddy Freeman, a disabled newsboy saved by Captain Marvel from the villainous Captain Nazi . To save the dying boy's life, Captain Marvel shares his powers with Freddy. By saying the name "Captain Marvel", Freddy
12870-445: Was folded into the Shazam series in World's Finest Comics . There, he was revealed to be Christopher Freeman, brother of Freddy Freeman / Captain Marvel Jr. , and shared some adventures with the Marvel Family . Kid Eternity was rebooted in 1991 by Grant Morrison with a new focus and backstory; the character has appeared sporadically since then. Prior to issue #25, Hit Comics had
12987-529: Was in World War III where he fought and lost to Black Adam. He and Mary break the amulet into four pieces, and scatter it around the world. During Infinite Crisis , an event designed to significantly alter the status of the DC Universe, the wizard Shazam was destroyed by the Spectre who had declared a war on magic, and the Rock of Eternity destroyed, causing Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel to lose their powers
13104-433: Was introduced. This was done with a three-issue miniseries written by Grant Morrison with art by Duncan Fegredo in 1991. This version returned the Kid to his nameless roots and severed ties with the Marvel Family. While it kept most of the original continuity intact, it also made some significant changes to the character's backstory. When DC began their mature-readers Vertigo imprint, they went back to Kid Eternity, with
13221-447: Was killed when a U-boat sank his grandfather's fishing boat during World War II . Due to a supernatural mix-up, however, he was killed 75 years too soon (similar to the plot of the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordan ). To rectify the error, the Kid was brought back to life for another 75 years with the mission of upholding good in the world. He was given the power to summon any good historical or mythological figure or animal by saying
13338-592: Was living in Naples , Florida, at the time of his death in 1974. Captain Marvel Jr. Captain Marvel Jr. , also known as Shazam Jr. ( Frederick Christopher " Freddy " Freeman ), is a superhero appearing in American comic books formerly published by Fawcett Comics and currently published by DC Comics . A member of the Marvel/Shazam Family team of superheroes associated with Captain Marvel/Shazam , he
13455-466: Was part of a three-issue crossover between Whiz Comics and another Fawcett publication, Master Comics , in late 1941. The crossover, printed during the height of World War II , found Bulletman and Captain Marvel at odds with Adolf Hitler 's superpowered champion, Captain Nazi . During a battle with Captain Nazi in Whiz Comics #25, one of Captain Marvel's punches sends the villain careening into
13572-465: Was reintroduced in 1995, with The Power of Shazam! #3. His origin as Captain Marvel Jr. was reworked and represented, with Junior making his first Post- Crisis appearance in heroic form in The Power of Shazam! #7 (Sept. 1995). Beginning with The Power of Shazam! #13, writer Jerry Ordway began focusing the book on Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel, relegating Junior to periodic solo stories. During this period, Junior began appearing in Teen Titans , and
13689-413: Was revised again, thanks to the reality-warping events from 2011's Flashpoint and The New 52 , and reimagined as a police coroner who gains the power to resurrect the dead. Everett M. Arnold Everett M. Arnold (May 20, 1899 – December 1974), also known as Busy Arnold , was an American publisher and an early comic-book entrepreneur whose company Quality Comics published during
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