One Panel #449: Enter the Lieutenants Marvel

From Captain Marvel: "The Vengeful Four" by C.C. Beck, Whiz Comics #21 (September 1941)

Tall Marvel! Fat Marvel! Hillbilly Marvel! They are the Lieu--the Vengeful Four?! They do decide on Lieutenants over the course of the story, which is much more in line with the tone they want to strike. This took me by surprise. There's something Silver Age about the idea of three other boys coincidentally named Billy Batson being able to share the power of the lightning, but C.C. Beck was wayyyyy ahead of the game. A lot of what looks like Silver Age shenanigans is actually from this golden age era of the Marvel Family.

But that they also predate Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr... I guess they were precursors, giving Fawcett the ability to think about who else, out there, could share Shazam's power. I had it all reversed in my head.

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