Captain Marvel Adventures
From 1941 to 1953, Fawcett Publications unleashed Captain Marvel Adventures, a 147-issue run that defined the Golden Age of comics with its joyful, whimsical brand of superheroics. Anchored by the prolific scripting of Otto Binder and the iconic, clean-lined art of C. C. Beck, the series followed young Billy Batson as he transformed into the World's Mightiest Mortal, battling bizarre foes alongside a cast that included the pint-sized Captain Tootsie and the hardboiled detective Sam Spade. This was the title that made Captain Marvel the best-selling superhero of the 1940s, outselling even Superman, before a landmark legal battle with DC Comics ultimately led to Fawcett's shutdown. Its blend of humor, imagination, and earnest heroism remains a cornerstone of the genre's early legacy.