Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: captain marvel, Fawcett Publications, golden age
Master Comics #21 is the start of one of the Golden Age’s most important crossover events with Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr & Bulletman.
Article Summary
- Explore the origins of the epic Golden Age crossover in Master Comics #21.
- Witness Captain Marvel and allies battle Captain Nazi cover-dated December 1941.
- Master Comics anthology showcased heroes like Bulletman in pivotal storylines.
The United States declared War on Japan on December 8, 1941 in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and responded in kind to Germany and Italy’s subsequent declaration of war on December 11, 1941. But by the Fall of that year, the media and public sentiment had begun to view America’s entry into the war as inevitable, and so had comic books. The comic book heroes’ battles against saboteurs and fifth columnists had steadily turned into more direct action. In one of the most memorable storylines of the era, Captain Marvel, Bulletman, and Captain Marvel Jr. take part in an epic battle against a character called Captain Nazi, who had been ordered by Hitler to take America’s heroes down. This iconic battle of good vs evil began in Master Comics #21, then continued in Whiz Comics #25 and Master Comics #22. There’s an affordable copy of the beginning of this historic trilogy with its memorable cover in Master Comics #21 (Fawcett Publications, 1941) CGC GD/VG 3.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2024 May 30 Adventures in the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40261 at Heritage Auctions.
Master Comics #21 hit newsstands around November 5, 1941, a little over a month before the U.S. entered the war. The story opens with Hitler himself assembling his top advisors to inform them that to follow up his Blitzkrieg strategy, he would take the war to America itself by fighting America’s heroes with a superhuman of his own — Captain Nazi. Hitler orders Captain Nazi to defeat America’s heroes, including Captain Marvel, Bulletman, Spy Smasher, and Minute-Man. Bulletman crosses over into the Captain Marvel story in this issue to take on this menace first, fighting the Nazi to a standstill, before villain tosses a boy over a cliff, making his escape while Bulletman saves the kid. Captain Nazi then takes on Captain Marvel directly and again is forced to retreat before the battle reaches a conclusion.
Master Comics was a comic book anthology series from Fawcett Publications that ran from 1940 to 1953. Debuting in a larger-than-standard 10.5″ x 14″ format, it originally featured the superstrong and invulnerable character Master Man among others, but after settling down to a standard Golden Age comic book size with Master Comics #7, the series came to include the likes of Bulletman, Bulletgirl, and patriotic hero Minute-Man. After the Master Comics #21, Whiz Comics #25 and Master Comics #22 crossover saga, Captain Marvel Jr. then became the series star in Master Comics #23.
A memorable start to one of the Golden Age’s most iconic battles, this one has been in demand for decades, but there’s a chance at an affordable copy with Master Comics #21 (Fawcett Publications, 1941) CGC GD/VG 3.0 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2024 May 30 Adventures in the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40261 at Heritage Auctions.
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