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Epic Golden Age Crossover Battle in Master Comics #21, at Auction

Master Comics #21 is the start of one of the Golden Age's most important crossover events with Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr & Bulletman.


The United States declared War on Japan on December 8, 1941 in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and responded in kind to Germany and Italy's subsequent declaration of war on December 11, 1941.  But by the Fall of that year, the media and public sentiment had begun to view America's entry into the war as inevitable, and so had comic books.  The comic book heroes' battles against saboteurs and fifth columnists had steadily turned into more direct action.  In one of the most memorable storylines of the era, Captain Marvel, Bulletman, and Captain Marvel Jr. take part in an epic battle against a character called Captain Nazi, who had been ordered by Hitler to take America's heroes down.  This iconic battle of good vs evil began in  Master Comics #21, then continued in Whiz Comics #25 and Master Comics #22.  There's an affordable copy of the beginning of this historic trilogy with its memorable cover in Master Comics #21 (Fawcett Publications, 1941) CGC GD 2.0 Cream to off-white pages up for auction in the 2023 June 22 – 25 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction #7340 at Heritage Auctions.

Master Comics #21 (Fawcett Publications, 1941)
Master Comics #21 (Fawcett Publications, 1941)

Master Comics #21 hit newsstands around November 5, 1941, a little over a month before the U.S. entered the war.  The story opens with Hitler himself assembling his top advisors to inform them that to follow up his Blitzkrieg strategy, he would take the war to America itself by fighting America's heroes with a superhuman of his own — Captain Nazi.  Bulletman crosses over into the Captain Marvel story in this issue to take on this menace first, but soon Captain Marvel enters the fray himself.

Master Comics was a comic book anthology series from Fawcett Publications that ran from 1940 to 1953. Debuting in a larger-than-standard 10.5" x 14" format, it originally featured the superstrong and invulnerable character Master Man among others, but after settling down to a standard Golden Age comic book size with Master Comics #7, the series came to include the likes of Bulletman, Bulletgirl, and patriotic hero Minute-Man. After the Master Comics #21, Whiz Comics #25 and Master Comics #22 crossover saga, Captain Marvel Jr. then became the series star in Master Comics #23.

A memorable start to one of the Golden Age's most iconic battles, this one has been in demand for decades, but there's a chance at an affordable copy with Master Comics #21 (Fawcett Publications, 1941) CGC GD 2.0 Cream to off-white pages up for auction in the 2023 June 22 – 25 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction #7340 at Heritage Auctions.

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Mark SeifertAbout Mark Seifert

Co-founder and Creative director of Bleeding Cool parent company Avatar Press since 1996. Bleeding Cool Managing Editor, tech and data wrangler, and has been with Bleeding Cool since its 2009 beginnings. Wrote extensively about the comic book industry for Wizard Magazine 1992-1996. At Avatar Press, has helped publish works by Alan Moore, George R.R. Martin, Garth Ennis, and others. Vintage paper collector, advisor to the Overstreet Price Guide Update 1991-1995.
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