In the DC Comics book Shazam Captain Marvel is a superhero on the power level of Superman, but powered by magic. He also has one distinct difference from Superman: He’s actually a young boy named Billy Batson!
Captain Marvel was created in 1939 and first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 from Fawcett Comics. Fawcett would continue to publish Captain Marvel stories in 312 issues of Whiz Comics, Captain Marvel Adventures, and America’s Greatest Comics through 1953. It was then that DC Comics copyright infringement suit, among other things, caused Fawcett to cease publications.
In 1972, DC licensed the entire Marvel family (which contained the wizard Shazam, Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and others) and began publishing their own books of the iconic character on and off for the past 3+ decades.
Captain Marvel was the best selling superhero book of the 1940s, even out-selling Superman, and being the first superhero to be launched in film. Over the years, though, the moniker laid upon him by his arch nemesis, Doctor Sivana, “The Big Red Cheese” would haunt the character as fans saw him as a cornball.
During the recent crises that have plagued the DC Universe, Shazam Captain Marvel and family have made a tremendous comeback, though, and quite an impact on the DC Universe. Black Adam, the not so heroic member of the Marvel Family, played a pivotal role in weekly series 52 and storylines thereafter, while Captain Marvel became the new wizard and ruler of magic after Shazam was killed. This responsibility became much more of a burden for Billy Batson than he anticipated, and the pressure nearly crushed him. And to complicate matters, magical creatures from other realms were released thanks to the rifts in reality, as shown in the recent series The Trials of Shazam.
While some may always view this stalwart of justice as nothing more than a Superman clone, Captain Marvel and his strange extended family have quite a cult following as the better ultimate hero. And as sales showed in the 40s, this may carry some weight. With talks of an upcoming movie, and the characters’ increased use and stability in the current DC Universe this could prove to be true. Soon, instead of quoting lines from Smallville, or donning the red and blue, people may be going around screaming one word at the top of their lungs: SHAZAM!
Follow the exploits of rockers DEMON TWEAK and the racing clan HARD DRIVING HEROES, as they battle the evil trickster Loki at http://www.classic-comic-books.com . Also read articles on your favorite classic comic book heroes written by our resident historian VIRGIL THE STORYTELLER.
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