Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero of the 1940s, with his
Captain Marvel Adventures series selling more copies than Superman and
other competing superhero books. He was also the first superhero to be
adapted into film in 1941 (The Adventures of Captain Marvel). Because
of a decline in the popularity of superheroes and a copyright
infringement suit from DC Comics alleging similarities between Captain
Marvel and Superman, Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel and
Marvel Family comics in 1953. They later licensed the Marvel Family
characters to DC in 1972 and ceded the rights to them outright in
1980. Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family have been integrated into
the "DC Universe", and DC has attempted a few revivals. However,
Captain Marvel has not found widespread appeal with new generations,
although a 1970s Shazam! live action television series featuring the
character was very popular. Due to the fact that Marvel Comics
trademarked their Captain Marvel comic book during the interim between
the original Captain Marvel's Fawcett years and DC years, DC Comics
has to promote and market their Captain Marvel/Marvel Family
properties under the title Shazam!.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Marvel_%28DC_Comics%29
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
American Civil War: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's March to
the Sea ended with the capture of Savannah, Georgia.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman%27s_March_to_the_Sea)
1885:
Ito Hirobumi, a samurai from Choshu, became the first Prime Minister
of Japan.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ito_Hirobumi)
1989:
Romanian Revolution: After a week of bloody demonstrations, Ion
Iliescu took over as President of Romania, ending the Communist
dictatorship of Nicolae CeauÅŸescu .
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_Iliescu)
2001:
Burhanuddin Rabbani of the Northern Alliance handed over power in
Afghanistan to the interim government headed by Hamid Karzai
(pictured).
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Karzai)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"My own experience and development deepen every day my conviction that
our moral progress may be measured by the degree in which we
sympathize with individual suffering and individual joy." -- George
Eliot
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Eliot)