HEY KIDS! READ THIS RARE CAPTAIN MARVEL COMIC FOR YOURSELVES HERE!

With World War II winding to an end, Captain Marvel was flying high as America’s most popular superhero in 1944, with comics outselling even those featuring the iconic Superman. That year alone, Captain Marvel Adventures” sold 14 million copies and one point boasted weekly circulation of 1.3 million copies.

And it was during this incredible run that “Captain Marvel in Oklahoma City” was released in April 1944. A search of Oklahoman archives shows no mention of the fictional superhero’s visit to the city. But the comic showcases the city’s most popular landmarks of the era, including Skirvin Tower, Municipal Auditorium (now the Civic Center Music Hall) and the Lincoln Park Zoo (now the Oklahoma City Zoo).

Let the comic fanboys and experts correct us on this matter if needed, but an online search reveals no similar visits to other cities.Was this a special promotion? The storyline begins with a plea for help from “Uncle Louie,” a personality on WKY radio. But if this were the case, why no mention in “The Oklahoman,” whose publisher E.K. Gaylord owned WKY?

What we’re left with is a fun look back at the golden age of comic books and a showcase of the city’s historic landmarks. The end of 1944, by the way, also marked the beginning of the end for Captain Marvel.Legend has it that Fawcett Comics bosses wanted a version of Superman, but with the mild-mannered reporter alter-ego turned into a kid. That  kid, Billy Batson, would tell each Captain Marvel story.

Detective Comics (now known as DC Comics) didn’t like this arrangement one bit and sued Fawcett Comics for copyright infringement in 1941. After years of litigation, the courts initially ruled in Fawcett’s favor in 1951. But the legal battle was far from over, and by 1953, with comic business in decline, Fawcett surrendered and Captain Marvel ended up in a weird legal limbo, here, gone, and here again, but never as popular as he once was.