Geoff Johns, who’s pretty much setup most of the mechanics for a good number of modern DC flagships, is perhaps a fitting choice to take up the baton once held by the likes of Otto Binder. How do you recenter this once great icon and help him reclaim his status at the top of the hero pantheon? It’s a challenge many have taken on before and it is a tough nut to crack. So the prospect of a proper revamp in 2018 and a regular ongoing title for the character is really intriguing, especially with a massive film adaptation on the way. Listen to the latest episode of our weekly comics podcast! And he certainly brought that same sense of wonder and possibility to the Superman franchise, unveiling iconic element of mythology after another. Which is why when Fawcett closed, DC made sure to hire Otto Binder to work on Superman. Billy Batson was no typical superhero, he resided in the wild realm of suited up and intelligent talking tigers and evil space-worms. Superman’s science-fiction met its match in Captain Marvel’s wondrous fantasy and magical possibility. Whether it be superhero families, supervillain teams, super pets, odds are, if you can name it, Captain Marvel did it first. Beck really laid the foundations and created something fresh and few could have ever guessed the influential power of the work. Many of the popular mechanics, some of which would go onto define a lot of the silver age, emerged first in Captain Marvel comics. It’s fascinating to look at that history, once you consider how much of a big deal the character once was. Once the supreme champion of comicdom, surpassing Superman himself, the character’s seen a reduction in popularity over the years.

Originating in the Golden Age of comics as Captain Marvel, the character’s had a tricky history up until this point.

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