Unfortunately for Fawcett, when DC Comics, the publisher of Superman, saw Captain Marvel, it saw copyright infringement (skin-tight costume with cape, invulnerability, super strength, and the ability to fly) and sued to get Fawcett to cease and desist. For any child reading superhero comics, it was a dream come beautifully, simply, true. Young readers would identify with Billy, who was a protagonist in the Captain Marvel stories: a smart, inquisitive and precocious orphan (who, as an adult, works as a radio reporter), he gets himself into trouble by investigating mysteries, and then summons a grown-up version of himself who gets him out of trouble. The most inspired aspect of the Captain Marvel creation was his being the alter ego of the youth Billy Batson. By the time they resorted to Whiz Comics in February 1940, Captain Thunder had been re-christened Captain Marvel. That title, unhappily, was too close to another rival publisher’s Thrilling Comics. Beck, the character was named Captain Thunder, and he commanded a team of heroes, each possessing one of the attributes later combined in “shazam.” The team notion, however, was soon abandoned, probably because of its inherent cumbersomeness, and by the end of the year, Captain Thunder embodied all the traits of his erstwhile lieutenants.Ĭaptain Thunder was to debut in Flash Comics, but another publisher, All-American Comics, had just launched a comic book with that title, so the Fawcett editors tried again with Thrill Comics. ![]() ![]() “Shazam” is also a magic word, which, when pronounced by a teenager named Billy Batson, turns Billy into a super-powered adult named Captain Marvel, who can fly and lift ocean liners out of the sea, and whose body is invulnerable.īut at first-in the initial stages of his conception-the character was quite different.Īs concocted in 1939 by Bill Parker, then editor of publisher Fawcett’s Mechanix Illustrated, and artist C.C. “Shazam” is an acronym, the letters of which stand for a roster of heroes who represent various heroic traits-Solomon, wisdom Hercules, strength Atlas, stamina Zeus, power Achilles, courage and Mercury, speed. The Shazam movie prompted a shameless flurry of publishing activity as DC Comics set out to make a quick buck from an old comic book, the one that introduced us to the word “shazam.” The character we now know as Shazam is Billy Batson, a young boy who transforms into the World’s Mightiest Mortal when he speaks the magic word “Shazam!” However, when Billy debuted in 1939, he was published by a company called Fawcett Comics, and saying the word “Shazam!” turned him into the superhero Captain Marvel.Features The Shame of Shazam: Its Present Debacle and Abuse If you’re looking to read some Shazam comics before seeing the movie, I’ve rounded up a few recommendations for you.īut first, a quick explanation of the character’s name. The first Shazam!, which was released in 2019 and starred Zachary Levi as the titular hero, was one of DC’s better received movies, even if the character’s comic book origins are a little confusing. ![]() Shazam! Fury of the Gods hits theaters on March 17. Follow her on Twitter at All posts by Jessica Plummer ![]() She loves running, knitting, and thinking about superheroes, and knows an unnecessary amount of things about Donald Duck. Her day job is in books, her side hustle is in books, and she writes books on the side (including a short story in Sword Stone Table from Vintage). Jessica Plummer has lived her whole life in New York City, but she prefers to think of it as Metropolis.
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