Although only twelve-years-old, Billy Batson was already a renowned on-air radio reporter for station WHIZ in the early 1940s, a position that took him from one end of the country to the other. It was because of his young age and reporter expertise that brought him to the city of Boston in October 1944, but the true hero of the visit was Batson’s alter-ego Captain Marvel – a comic book superhero who swaps identities with the twelve-year-old boy with the utterance of a single word, “SHAZAM!”
Billy Batson made the trip to Massachusetts during issue forty of Captain Marvel Adventures in a story entitled “Boston’s Mayor for a Day.” It was neither Batson nor Captain Marvel, however, who was to be inaugurated as mayor but another youngster named Bob Wright.
As explained by current mayor Maurice Tobin, “A group of the best students in Boston are going to take over the city’s government for a day.” Since test scores placed Wright at the head of his class, he was the logical choice for the top government position just as Batson was the logical radio personality to cover the unique event.
Upon arriving by train at Boston’s North Station, Billy Batson is escorted by both Mayor Tobin and businessman Dave Adams to city hall for the proceedings. After meeting representatives from the two local radio stations who would assist with Batson’s broadcast, the group retreats upstairs to await the appearance of Bob Wright.
From a window overlooking the city, Batson spots the car containing Wright as well as a fast moving truck on a collision course with it. Exclaiming the magical word “SHAZAM!” the transformed superhero flies out the open window and pushes the out-of-control truck off the road in the nick of time.
Soon-to-be mayor Bob Wright thanks Captain Marvel for saving his life, then heads upstairs to meet with current mayor Maurice Tobin. Captain Marvel stays behind, however, in order to inspect the truck that almost caused so much damage.
“Nobody in it and all identification has been removed,” he observes. “This was more than an accident!” Captain Marvel then finds a purple piece of material amongst the wreckage. “The driver must have torn it when he jumped,” he concludes. “I’ll just have to save this and get back to the inauguration.”
Not fair away from City Hall, a man dressed in a sport coat made of the same material is being chided by a fellow henchman for failing to prevent Bob Wright from reaching his destination. “C’mon, we’ll follow through wid da rest of da plan,” he is told. “It’ll be harder now, but dat kid’s gotta stay otta de mayor’s chair!”
By now Bob Wright is ready to take his oath of office as mayor but is interrupted by a group of men who have just arrived, declaring that there has been a mistake. Introducing themselves as the Boston Better Citizens League, they maintain that Bob Wright has been chosen mayor under false pretenses and that the student in the city with the highest marks is actually Terry Mahoney.
“Soitinly!” Mahoney says in response.
School Principal Ellis Brown is confused by the sudden twist in the proceedings, maintaining that Terry Mahoney had always been at the bottom of the class when it came to grades. Looking over the “evidence” provided by the Boston Better Citizens League, he believes the documents are fake and that the school’s official records would prove as much.
At that point, another prominent citizen – Thomas Fosdick – agrees with Brown’s assertions. “Principal Brown’s right,” he says. “If we made a mistake in the boy for mayor, the records will show it.”
Captain Marvel likewise concurs, but notices that one of the Boston Better Citizens League members is wearing a suit coat made from the same material he recovered at the crash scene, and that the coat also has a piece torn from it. Suddenly suspicious, Captain Marvel decides to head to the school on his own. After a quick fly-over past the Bunker Hill Monument and Faneuil Hall – both key sites of the American Revolution – he arrives at the school and discovers a group of thugs ransacking the records room.
Captain Marvel knocks the pair unconscious and waits for the others to arrive. Principal Ellis Brown is dismayed at what he finds as the school records have been ruined and there is now no way to determine whether Bob Wright or Terry Mahoney should be mayor-for-a-day. Captain Marvel grabs each of the two thugs and begins shaking them, demanding to know who put them up to it.
“He did,” one of them declares. “Bob Wright put us up to it! He knew his marks weren’t the best so he wanted all of the other’s marks destroyed!”
Wright denies it, but the decision is made nonetheless to make Terry Mahoney the boy mayor, to which Mahoney replies, “Soitinly!”
Captain Marvel, however, believes that Bob Wright is innocent and asks Dave Adams to delay the inauguration of Terry Mahoney while he gathers proof. Turning back into Billy Batson and donning a cap from a school locker, he approaches a group of Boston Better Citizens League thugs – including the one with the torn sport coat – as they are about to depart from the school.
“Say mister, wait a second,” Billy Batson calls out. “I’m a friend of Terry Mahoney’s. Dat sure was a nice t’ing you did fer him, mister!” When told that Mahoney never mentioned any friends, Batson replies, “I’m his only pal. He told me everything.”
The group doesn’t believe Batson but invites him along nonetheless. Once they arrive at what Batson assumes is their hangout, one of the thugs knocks him unconscious and places him in a cement mixer. Fortunately Batson regains consciousness just as the mixer begins to spin and quickly exclaims “SHAZAM!” – turning him once again into Captain Marvel.
Crashing out of the cement mixer, Captain Marvel takes the thugs by surprise and quickly subdues them. He then turns his attention to the front office of the Star Cement Company and tells the man-in-charge to come clean or face a similar thrashing.
The man refuses to say anything but errs nonetheless when Captain Marvel asks to see his cigarette case. “Sure, it ain’t mine anyway,” he replies. “It’s the boss’s….” Upon seeing the case up-close, Captain Marvel is gone before the man can finish his sentence as the name engraved on the item is Dave Adams.
Back at City Hall, Adams has been stalling the proceedings just as Captain Marvel had asked. Upon his arrival, Captain Marvel quickly confronts Adams with the incriminating evidence but the businessman denies the allegation. “Hold on, Captain Marvel,” he replies. “I loaned this cigarette case to Thomas Fosdick the other day. He’s had it ever since.”
As everyone looks around the room, they realize that both Fosdick and young Terry Mahoney are missing. Taking flight, Captain Marvel circles Franklin Park before arriving once again at the Star Cement Company. Thomas Fosdick is already there, preparing to burn evidence that could prove his treachery.
Although Captain Marvel is able to retrieve the evidence, Fosdick is far from surrendering. Hopping inside a construction crane, he attacks Captain Marvel but the superhero simply pulls on the cable and topples the crane to the ground, at which point Fosdick agrees to confess his dastardly plan.
As explained at City Hall, Thomas Fosdick planned on using a loophole in Boston law that granted full powers to anyone holding the title of mayor, even if it was only for one day. With Terry Mahoney installed in the position, Fosdick could get him to sign contracts that granted Star Cement paving rights in the city for the next fifty years.
Now that Thomas Fosdick is under arrest, the question still remains regarding the whereabouts of Terry Mahoney. As fate would have it, Bob Wright apprehended himself when he noticed Mahoney running away from city hall – “Funny behavior for somebody just made mayor,” he explains.
In the end, it is Bob Wright who is inaugurated as mayor, a decision that has the full support of Captain Marvel. “You deserve it, Bob,” he says. “I’m sure you’ll make a fine mayor!”
Anthony Letizia