The Fans of Captain Marvel

About the Book

They were the Fans of Captain Marvel, five teenage boys who, during World War II, bonded under the mantle of a comic book superhero. It was a need for belonging to something and to each other—a unit that could keep them closely knit together when the rest of the world seemed to be falling apart.

Millstock, Massachusetts, is a Connecticut River city of factories. The Low Ward is their neighborhood, a mixture of people with French-Canadian and some Irish ancestry; where growth and education means a close alliance with church, parochial school and family. But families are broken. There’s a war on and most men are away, some barely out of boyhood. David Dulac feels that he and his friends are now the men.

Because of the Army air base across the river, Millstock is also a military town. Whittaker Field houses B-24 bombers and eventually transforms itself into a base for advanced training with the P-47 fighter plane. The sky over Millstock has a continuous array of aircraft overhead while the town also experiences a flow of GIs coming and going.

David Dulac, the protagonist, is nicknamed “Cowboy” because of his affinity for all that is of the American West. He will always maintain that desire to one day become a part of it. His mother, Annette, and his father, Richard, have long been separated from their troubled marriage. Richard is now in the Army infantry while Annette is a defense plant worker where anti-aircraft guns are manufactured. Most of the time David is on his own. He does have a nearby, caring grandmother, Madeline Gregoire; his bachelor uncle, Rosy; and a young aunt, Jeanine, who married into the Gregoire family and remains with her mother-in-law while her husband serves with the Navy Seabees. David’s paternal grandparents¾the Dulacs¾live uptown in a more affluent section, since old J.B. Dulac worked his way up through the ownership of a painting contracting company.

And David has his friends:

Ron Bissette who wants to be considered the Cowboy’s true “sidekick.” He’s not too affected by the war and finds his heroes in the baseball cards he collects.

Peter “Ace” Labonte, called so because he’s the aviation enthusiast, trying to stimulate the same interests in David. Pete, the model builder, wants to be an aeronautical engineer. He also dreams of one day flying with the Air Force. His father owns the neighborhood liquor store and in its basement, the boys maintain their club room. It’s their gathering place, their retreat.

Eddy “Cap” Duprie, the bigger and broader of the fivesome, the one who, in his boyish fashion, originally idolized the concept of Captain Marvel. He brought the boys around to adopting the hero. As a matter of fact, to the gang, Eddy himself comes to symbolize the Captain’s figure.

Claude Racine is the more diminutive figure of the group. More serious and at times cynical, he trails along because Eddy is his closest friend. He’s inclined to believe they’re becoming too mature to continue with this foolish adherence to unity through a comic book character. He obviously lacks some imagination and a sense of humor as found with the others.

Not to be overlooked is young Bobby Marceau. Several years behind the boys, he looks forward to eventually getting to hang in with the big five. Called “The Snipe,” he’s pleasantly tolerated in the background, but destined to surprisingly be someone to eventually be recognized.

David is troubled when his mother seriously contemplates divorce. It is really then that he feels he needs to grow up, and quickly. He wants to become more the man because he feels his mother needs him to. He plans on pushing his way upwards, outlining every determined step. His temper, offset by a sometimes gentle heart, keeps getting in the way. There’s so much to be felt and learned.

He becomes w

About the Author

A former newspaper reporter, feature writer, columnist and editor, Ray Lacharite originally lived and worked in his native state of Massachusetts. His writing endeavors led him to the field of entertainment in Arizona. He continues to reside in Phoenix, where he divides his efforts today between poetry, essays and the writing of the novel. His poetry has appeared in anthologies and he is the author of several magazine articles. The Fans of Captain Marvel was a recipient of an Opus-Magnum Discovery Award.