This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material.
The Marvel Family #36 is an issue of the series The Marvel Family (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1949.
Synopsis for The Marvel Family: "The Marvel Family Battles The Invaders from Infinity"
On Pluto, a guard points to his ally Zobar that there is something coming from the 9th Quadrant of Space. They note it seems to look a cluster of flaming meteors in generally spherical shape that are of a similar size. They send this description their HQ on Neptune as the Fireballs approach, dragging it towards their metal tower by some magnetic force, only to grab one of the men with their apparently adhesive bodies, killing him, while Zobar starts trying to send a distress signal from Pluto Tower to Neptune that isn't answered… The Fireballs leave for another planet...
Back on Earth, Mary Batson meets Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman at Station WHIZ to discuss a message from the UN for the Marvel Family. They call SHAZAM and CAPTAIN MARVEL to become the Marvel Family and fly off to meet the Security Council. A man resembling Pres. Truman therein tells him that they got news from the Planet Neptune about “Flaming Meteors” invading the solar system that seem to be intelligent in nature! Thus, Pres. Truman sends them off to save Neptune before they have to announce that its been destroyed. They soon fly off to Neptune and find that the surface seems like it's covered in molehill structures, finding that their underground society has been entirely destroyed calling out with their superior strength and hearing nothing back. Confused and horrified, the Marvel Family continues to look as the Flaming Meteors confirm that there isn't anyone else alive on Neptune, then speak about how to crush out all resistance in this part of space by destroying all forms of matter so they can live in an infinite void of space. The Marvel Family soon finds Uranus and Saturn are just as barren as Neptune, but Jupiter still has a rich world of incredibly tall buildings and rocket ships. They assume from the architecture that they'll be gigantic, but soon find that these “Jupiterians” are wide, squat creatures that seem less than knee height and Mary Marvel offers that their high gravity means they only grow wider instead of taller while Captain Marvel learns the entire language of the Jupiterians. They are soon led to their leader, who reveals that these aren't meteors but more like “Living Fireballs” who are entirely alien to the solar system and that they are definitely intelligent, but also want to destroy all forms of life in the known universe. When asked, he admits they can't exactly say where they “came from.” Captain Marvel does some big math and figure out that the Living Fireballs come from outside the boundaries of known space altogether, possibly even beyond what is known as “the Universe.”
The Living Fireballs soon begin attacking Jupiter, so they ship out three fleets of spaceships, which can do nothing with their rays or their repulsors. Captain Marvel flies in to swing one of the rocket ships into the Fireballs to chase them off while Captain Marvel, Junior helps fly one away from pursuing Fireballs and Mary Marvel warns for some others to retreat. The Fireballs regroup again, but the Marvel Family prioritize evacuating the Planet Jupiter rather than seeing if they can fight them, considering advanced Jupiterian artillery can't. The Jupiterians are stunned to have to leave immediately to another planet with Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel helping a singular person each while Captain Marvel, Jr. saves an entire cache of Jupiterian culture and history. The Jupiterians evacuate the whole planet as Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel look at the tragedy of relocation during war…
Moments later, they fight their way back through the Asteroid Belt to get to the Inner Planets, finding there's already a distress signal from Mars. The Jupiterian leader is wary, knowing that the Martians are warlike and tricky, but Captain Marvel isn't willing to take the risk and leave them to die and the Marvel Family fly down to meet them. Soon, we find the Martian Leader takes the knee before the Living Fireballs, swearing to assist their plans to destroy all life, sending word to his trusted lieutenants to serve him, firing at the Marvel Family to little effect. Mary Marvel tries to insist that they're not with the Living Fireballs, only for the Martian Leader to openly slap her for insulting their “glorious allies,” making her realize that they've been betrayed and that Martians only understand and respect power! The Marvel Family begin to punch them out in swaths until the Leader begins surrendering in every Earth language he knows and offers all the information he has about the Living Fireballs in exchange for his life. Soon, they head to Earth to stop the Living Fireballs, getting into a tremendous flying battle with them 50,000' above the surface of the Earth. Mary Marvel tries to fight one off by diving into water while it's holding her, but finds that water doesn't actually stop them and is soon swallowed alive by the creatures, much like Captain Marvel, Junior is (off-panel.) Captain Marvel, swarmed by the Living Fireballs, punches as hard as he can until he soon too disappears into the folds of fire…
We find the Marvel Family are still alive, but trapped in them, but figure that they're not ordinary life-forms, but they're invulnerable enough that they can each actually escape them, but not significantly stop each other. They retreat to Mt. Everest to think this over and try to calculate how to understand what scientifically defines what is finite and universal and what is from “infinity,” managing to create a “basic finite structure” that an infinite creature couldn't escape. The Living Fireballs soon start destroying large civilian areas until the Marvel Family fly in to trick them into chasing them into their newly built prison, which resembles a large red building with a single white closing door. They find that these “infinite” creatures cannot escape a finite prison like this, then begin to route Martian forces that were still allied with the Fireballs. A Martian begins ordering the UN to surrender to full planetary slavery, working with the Living Fireballs to destroy all life and turning over heads of state to be liquidated until Captain Marvel punches him off the lectern and Mary Marvel helps deport the Martian POWs to the Jupiterian ships, due to be dropped off on Mars upon their return. The Jupiterians thank them for their great aid and promise that they will reward the Earth as their closest galactic allies. Mary Marvel asks what to do with the Living Fireballs, only for Captain Marvel to reveal that they've burned themselves out! Captain Marvel points out that coming from boundless infinite space, the very state of imprisonment was fatal to them, since they'd already declared war on all life for the sake of having more space for themselves. The Marvel Family leave, almost unable to conceive that such a thing could be over like a bad dream…-
Appearing in The Marvel Family: "The Marvel Family Battles The Invaders from Infinity"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Living Fireballs (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Zobar of Pluto (Dies)
Locations:
Items:
- The Basic Finite Structure Prison
Vehicles:
- Jupiterian Rocket Ships
Trivia
- This issue reveals that sentient life on Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto have all been wiped out by the Living Fireballs.
See Also