Captain Marvel (DC Comics) Comics" #21 (1941) introduced the Lieutenant Marvels: three other boys named "Billy Batson" who could also become adult superheroes. Captain Marvel, Jr., the alter-ego of disabled newsboy Freddy Freeman, debuted in "Whiz Comics" #25 (1941). Mary Marvel, alter-ego of Billy's twin sister Mary Batson, first appeared in "Captain Marvel Adventures" #18 (1942). In contrast to Captain Marvel and the Lieutenants, both Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr. remained kids in superhero form, and were given their own eponymous books in addition to appearing as the lead features in "Master Comics" and "Wow Comics", respectively. Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and
Captain Marvel (DC Comics) "Earth-S". The Fawcett material was still considered canon, with the Marvel Family's 20-year layoff explained in the comic as time spent in suspended animation due to Doctor Sivana. While the series began with a great deal of fanfare, the book had a lackluster reception. The creators themselves had misgivings. Beck said, "As an illustrator, I could, in the old days, make a good story better by bringing it to life with drawings. But I couldn't bring the new [Captain Marvel] stories to life no matter how hard I tried". "Shazam!" was heavily rewritten as of issue #34 (April 1978), and