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) also ranked Captain Marvel as the 50th greatest comic book hero of all time, stating that the character will always be an enduring reminder of a simpler time. UGO Networks ranked him as one of the top heroes of entertainment, saying, "At his best, Shazam has always been compared to Superman with a sense of crazy, goofy fun." After the success of National Comics' new superhero characters Superman and Batman, Fawcett Publications started its own comics division in 1939, recruiting writer Bill Parker to create several hero characters for the first title in their line, tentatively titled "Flash Comics". Besides