Xmas Comics #1 for Sale - First Appearance of Fat Marvel - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Xmas Comics (Fawcett, 1941 series)
Issue: #1
Publication date: 1941
Key date: 1941-12-00
On-sale date: 1941-11-26
Indicia publisher: Fawcett Publications Inc.
Price: $0.50
Pages: 324

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Fat Marvel - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Tall Marvel - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Hill Marvel - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of "Hill" Billy Batson - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of "Tall" Billy Batson - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of "Fat" Billy Batson - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

Origin story on record for: Fat Marvel, Hill Marvel, Tall Marvel.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	-	cover	1	pencils: Mac Raboy; inks: Mac Raboy	Santa Claus; Captain Marvel; Billy Batson; Spy Smasher [Alan Armstrong]; Bulletman [Jim Barr]; Mr. Scarlet [Brian Butler]; Minute-Man [Jack Weston]
1	The Menace of Muscles McGinnis	comic story	14	pencils: George Tuska; inks: George Tuska	Captain Marvel [Billy Batson]; Sterling Morris; Muscles McGinnis (villain, introduction); Louie (villain, introduction); Mouse (villain, introduction)
2	Einstein -- Master of Space and Time	comic story	2
3	Sivana's Paralyzing Gas	comic story	14	pencils: George Tuska; inks: George Tuska	Captain Marvel [Billy Batson]; Sterling Morris; Beautia Sivana; Dr. Thaddeus Bodog Sivana (villain)
4	Return of the Mogul Diamond	text story	2	script: Carl Formes
5	The Terror of the Goptas	comic story	15	pencils: George Tuska; inks: George Tuska	Captain Marvel [Billy Batson]; Mr. Chandler (introduction, death); Brace Chandler (villain, introduction, death); The Goptas (villains, introduction for all); Krome (villain, introduction)
6	-	comic story	1
7	The Beast-Ruler	comic story	16	pencils: George Tuska; inks: George Tuska	Captain Marvel [Billy Batson]; The Beast-Ruler (first appearance; villain; death?) Dr. Sivana [Thaddeus Sivana] (villain)
8	The Backstage Killer	comic story	15	pencils: Charles Sultan; inks: Charles Sultan	Bulletman [Jim Barr]; Bulletgirl [Susan Kent]; The Hunchback [Dennis Mills, not the hero from Wow Comics] (villain, introduction)
9	Chubby	comic story	2	script: Tom McNamara; pencils: Tom McNamara; inks: Tom McNamara; letters: Tom McNamara	Chubby
10	The Case of the Limping Mummy	comic story	16	pencils: Charles Sultan; inks: Charles Sultan	Bulletman [Jim Barr]; Bulletgirl [Susan Kent]; The Limping Mummy [Jason Hilder] (villain, introduction)
11	Time Hangs Heavy	text story	2	script: Carl Formes
12	Man Without a Face	comic story	14	pencils: Charles Sultan; inks: Charles Sultan	Bulletman [Jim Barr]; Bulletgirl [Susan Kent]; The Man Without a Face [James "Scar" Malone] (villain, introduction, death)
13	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	1		Captain Marvel; Bulletman; Bulletgirl; Spy Smasher; Golden Arrow; Lance O'Casey; Ibis the Invincible; The Devil's Dagger; El Carim; Minute-Man ; Captain Venture; Buck Jones; Zoro
14	Brute Morgan's Protection Racket	comic story	14	pencils: Charles Sultan; inks: Charles Sultan	Bulletman [Jim Barr]; Bulletgirl [Susan Kent]; Brute Morgan (villain, introduction, death)
15	The Vengeful Four	comic story	11	pencils: C. C. Beck; inks: C. C. Beck	"Fat" Billy Batson First, "Hill" Billy Batson First, "Tall" Billy Batson First, Billy Batson, Captain Marvel, Fat Marvel First, Hill Marvel First, Dr. Sivana, Tall Marvel First
16	The Railroad Wreckers	comic story	9	pencils: Alex Blum; inks: Alex Blum
17	Crew of Criminals	comic story	8	pencils: Clem Weisbecker; inks: Clem Weisbecker
18	Strange But True	comic story	1		Salmon; Julius Caesar; Can Fish Hear; The Chameleon
19	Blitzing the Blitzys	comic story	9	script: Otto Binder; pencils: Charles Sultan; inks: Charles Sultan; colors: Otto Binder	Spy Smasher [Alan Armstrong]; Otto Bund (villain, introduction); Blitzys (villain)
20	Death to the Traitor	text story	2	script: LaRac Semrof
21	The Vital Defense Plans	comic story	8	pencils: Ken Battefield; inks: Ken Battefield
22	Dr. Voodoo's Revenge	comic story	6	pencils: Mac Raboy; inks: Mac Raboy	Doctor Voodoo; Anita (guest star); Nero (guest star)
23	The Coming of Half-Man	comic story	9	pencils: Pete Costanza; inks: Pete Costanza	Ibis; Half-Man (villain, introduction, origin)
24	Whiz Magic by Ibis	illustration	1
25	The Mummy Ray	comic story	7	script: Otto Binder; pencils: Jack Binder; inks: Jack Binder	Mr. Scarlet [Brian Butler] (special prosecutor); Miss Wade (his secretary); The Black Thorn (introduction, villain) [Henry Hawley]; Phineas Cox (inventor of the mummy ray)
26	The Black Clown	comic story	9	pencils: Jack Binder; inks: Jack Binder	Mr. Scarlet [Brian Butler] (special prosecutor); Miss Wade (his secretary); The Black Clown (introduction, villain) [Harry Parrish]
27	The Laughing Skull	comic story	10	pencils: Jack Binder; inks: Jack Binder	Mr. Scarlet [Brian Butler] (special prosecutor); Miss Wade (his secretary); The Laughing Skull [John Dodd] (banker, introduction, villain)
28	The Worlds of Time [Part 2]	comic story	10	pencils: Pierce Rice; inks: Pierce Rice	Atom Blake (boy wizard); Stuart Blake (his father); Black Monster (villain, introduction, a robot)
29	The Plot to Kill Jim Dolan	comic story	5	pencils: Jim Wilcox; inks: Jim Wilcox; letters: Zara	Jim Dolan (detective-magazine editor); Sally Alden (his secretary); Orranto (villain, introduction, gang czar); Zara (girl spy)
30	Death Strikes Four	text story	2	script: LaRac Semrof
31	The Nazi Big Bertha	comic story	8	pencils: Ken Battefield; inks: Ken Battefield	Rick O'Shay (American soldier of fortune)
32	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	script: ? (promo copy); various; pencils: various; inks: various
33	Scaletti's Saboteurs	comic story	12		The Hunchback [Allen Lanier]; Betty Brenton (his sweetheart)
34	Return of the Unholy Three	comic story	9	pencils: Charles Sultan; inks: Charles Sultan	Bulletman [Jim Barr]; Bulletgirl [Susan Kent]; Unholy Three [Nosey; Herbert; Brutus]; Dr. Twiddley Fairchild (villain, death)
35	Peril at the Power Plant	comic story	7	pencils: Ken Battefield	Ken Wyman, ace reporter [Devil's Dagger]; Mr. H (villain)
36	-	illustration	1
37	The Dreaded Black Hood	comic story	7	pencils: George Tuska; inks: George Tuska	El Carim; The Black Hood (first appearance, villain)
38	Notice to Dictators	comic story	8	pencils: Charles Sultan; inks: Charles Sultan	Minute Man [Jack Weston]; Adolf Hitler (villain); Capt. Von Gurn (first appearance, villain, death)
39	The Flyin' Fool Returns!	text story	2	script: LaRac Semrof	Larry Dean
40	The Hydro-People	comic story	7	script: Otto Binder; pencils: Rafael Astarita; inks: Rafael Astarita	Captain Venture; King Leon (villain)
41	The Mammoth and the Caveman	comic story	8	pencils: Kin Platt; inks: Kin Platt
42	Famous Blitzkriegs of the Past	illustration	1		Alexander The Great
43	-	comic story	7	pencils: Ralph Carlson; inks: Ralph Carlson	Buck Jones; Silver (horse); Mesquite Mike (deputy); Del Riego (border bandit); Madge Ellerton (rancher's daughter)
44	Zanelli, Duce of Racketeers	comic story	7	pencils: Mac Raboy; inks: Mac Raboy

Where to read it

Collection	Year
The Shazam! Archives #3 ISBN 1-56389-832-2	2003	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

1 of 7#2 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com