![]() In 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Shazam family was introduced into main DC Comics continuity. Though the series was heavily advertised by the publisher, the reception from fans was relatively lukewarm. Beck joined writer Denny O’Neil for new tales and the book even held the subtitle “The Original Captain Marvel” for a short period before changing to “The World’s Mightiest Mortal.” The stories retold Billy’s classic origin and retconned the huge gap in continuity by explaining that Sivana had trapped the Marvel Family in suspended animation for 20 years. We speak, of course, of Captain Marvel A.K.A. It wouldn’t be until almost 20 years later that DC would license the Captain Marvel characters, relaunching the book under the title Shazam! This was due to a copyright issue with a Marvel Comics character with the same name who was established in 1967 when the rights for the original were murky at best. Though it would take a decade and a couple of different trials and appeals-as well as a decline in sales-Fawcett eventually agreed to permanently cease publication of Captain Marvel in 1951, closing their comic book doors forever in 1953. ![]() 1941 was also the year that would change Captain Marvel’s history forever, as National Comics (now known as DC) sued Fawcett for copyright infringement, claiming that Captain Marvel was a ripoff of Superman. Sivana is also a cosmic comic bad guy as he got so sick of Earth that he actually moved to Venus before heading back to our world and becoming the first person to realize Billy Batson was actually Captain Marvel, leading to an ongoing battle between the two characters.īilly Batson was so popular that in 1941 he got his own series, Captain Marvel Adventures-he also earned a movie the very same year-which soon became the most popular comic of its time, and one of the best-selling of all time with a reported circulation of 1.3 million copies a month. The villain originally began as a humanitarian who wanted to better the world, but who was driven to evil by giant corporations and violent conservatism. The original issue also introduced one of Billy Batson’s longest running foes: Dr. Whiz Comics #2 even outsold Superman, which led Fawcett to create the Marvel Family, a team of superpowered kids who could also wield the power of SHAZAM. Beck and written by Bill Parker, and sparked what was undoubtedly the most popular comic book series of its day. The Golden Ageīilly began his journey as a young orphan who accidentally discovered the lair of the Wizard SHAZAM when he wandered into an abandoned subway station and a magical subway car in the interestingly titled aforementioned Whiz Comics #2 (we say “interestingly titled” because there was never a Whiz Comics #1). Subscribe to today.And since he’s got a new movie coming out, we figured we’d run you through his backstory. Follow him at /LengelOnTheater and /KerryLengel. Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action, language, and suggestive material.ĭC or Marvel? Talk to the writer about arts and culture at or 60. ‘Shazam!’ 3.5 starsĬast: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer. Yet the unexamined version of the myth is still preeminent - and this is one more way that DC continues to lag behind the Marvel juggernaut. It’s the same ruggedly individualist, might-makes-right ideology of Westerns, something that the best modern comics - from the seminal graphic novel “Watchmen” to the adults-only “Deadpool” franchise - have grappled with in smart, fascinating ways. You can find plenty of think pieces about the deeply conservative (and distinctly American) politics underlying superhero stories. So, what does it mean that these decades-old outsider fantasies have become the dominant genre in Hollywood? Suddenly, Billy can transform into a superhero (played by Zachary Levi) just by saying the magic word - a power he quickly puts to good use by charging starstruck Philadelphians to pose for selfies. One day Billy finds himself teleported into a creepy interdimensional ruin where the ancient wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) is looking for a new “champion” to take on a crew of CGI baddies representing the Seven Deadly Sins. So basically he’s “Annie,” except that his latest guardians are so unfailingly loving and patient that you might want to retch. ![]() have come up with to match the zany rapture of “Guardians of the Galaxy.”Īsher Angel (of the Disney Channel’s “Andi Mack”) stars as 14-year-old Billy Batson, an artful dodger who has a habit of giving foster parents the slip as he searches for his long lost mother. But for cheeky inside jokes and silly slapstick, “Shazam!” is the closest thing DC and partner Warner Bros. Non-comics geeks can be forgiven if they’re unfamiliar with this DC character, introduced in the 1940s as Captain Marvel, a name that had to be retired because, well, Marvel is winning the comic-book movie wars. ![]()
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