Villains frequently captured and gagged Billy, but no one did him or his family any serious or irreparable harm. Like his fellow orphans Superman and Batman, he slowly built and discovered his own family of fellow superheroes, but unlike them, he never seemed to miss his parents much. His world was full of fun and wonder, and free from lasting pain. C.C. Becks simple art style, cartoony and open, underscored the difference. His Captain Marvel had the squinty, square-jawed look of Superman, and allegedly a separate personality from Billys. But later stories made it clear that the innocent boy lived inside that manly face. Captain Marvel would break down and cry when things seemed hopeless, then after turning the tables and sock his archenemy in the jaw, grinning and squealing, Oh, boy, what joy! Most often, though, hed exclaim Holy moley! wide-eyed, sometimes breaking into a flop-sweat. But as the 1940s drew to a close, superheroes were starting to wane in popularity. Horror comics were growing in popularity and Captain Marvel's creators were under pressure to look a little more like them. The Captain's adventures got darker, including an atomic-powered robot and at least two adventures within a year that featured giant spiders. There was worse to come.
T Campbell has written quite a few online comics series and selected work for Marvel, Archie and Tokyopop. His longest-running works are Fans, Penny and Aggie-- and his current project with co-writer Phil Kahn, Guilded Age.
