Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (February 1940). With a premise that taps adolescent fantasy, Captain Marvel is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a youth who works as a radio news reporter and was chosen to be a champion of good by the wizard Shazam. Whenever Billy speaks the wizard's name, he is instantly struck by a magic lightning bolt that transforms him into an adult superhero empowered with the abilities of six legendary figures. Several friends and family members, most notably Marvel Family cohorts Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr., can share Billy's power and become "Marvels" themselves. Whiz Comics #2, the first appearance of Captain Marvel, the companys most popular character. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... Whiz Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series, which was published by Fawcett Comics from February 1940 to June 1952. ... Clarence Charles Beck, (July 9, 1910_November 22, 1989), was an American cartoonist. ... Bill Parker was an American comic book writer. ... The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. ... The Justice League, sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short, is a fictional DC Universe superhero team. ... The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. ... Alice, a fictional character based on a real character from the work of Lewis Carroll. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... For the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode, see Super Hero (Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode). ... Whiz Comics #2, the first appearance of Captain Marvel, the companys most popular character. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... Clarence Charles Beck, (July 9, 1910_November 22, 1989), was an American cartoonist. ... Bill Parker was an American comic book writer. ... Whiz Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series, which was published by Fawcett Comics from February 1940 to June 1952. ... Alter Ego has multiple meanings: Alter Ego is a game for the Commodore 64 computer. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The Enchanted Garden of Messer Ansaldo by Marie Spartali Stillman: a magician makes his garden bear fruit and flowers in winter A magician, or wizard or sorcerer or several other possible names (see Names and terminology), is someone who uses or practices magic. ... Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. ... The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. ... Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a superhero derived from the DC Comics (formerly Fawcett Comics) character Captain Marvel. ... CM3 redirects here. ...

Hailed as "The World's Mightiest Mortal" in his adventures, Captain Marvel was nicknamed "The Big Red Cheese" by archvillain Doctor Sivana, an epithet later adopted by Captain Marvel's fans. Based on sales, Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero of the 1940s, as his Captain Marvel Adventures comic book series sold more copies than Superman and other competing superhero books during the mid-1940s.^[1][2] Captain Marvel was also the first superhero to be adapted to film in 1941 (The Adventures of Captain Marvel). Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a fictional comic book supervillain. ... Superman began as a feature in Action Comics #1 in June 1938. ... The year 1941 in film involved some significant events. ... The Adventures of Captain Marvel is an acclaimed film serial directed by John English and William Witney for Republic Pictures in 1941. ...

Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel-related comics in 1953, due in part to a copyright infringement suit from DC Comics alleging that Captain Marvel was an illegal infringement of Superman. In 1972, DC licensed the Marvel Family characters and returned them to publication, acquiring all rights to the characters by 1991.^[3] DC has since integrated Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family into their DC Universe, and have attempted to revive the property several times. However, Captain Marvel has not regained widespread appeal with new generations, although a 1970s Shazam! live-action television series featuring the character was popular. Holdings Fawcett Publications Captain Marvel comic strips proven to have plagiarized those of National Comics Superman character. ... Cover to the History of the DC Universe trade paperback. ... Jackson Bostwick as Captain Marvel in the Shazam! television show. ...

Because Marvel Comics trademarked their Captain Marvel comic book during the interim between the original Captain Marvel's Fawcett years and DC years, DC Comics is unable to promote and market their Captain Marvel/Marvel Family properties under that name. Since 1972, DC has instead used the trademark Shazam! as the title of their comic books and thus the name under which they market and promote the character. Consequently, Captain Marvel himself is sometimes erroneously referred to as "Shazam." Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... Captain Marvel is the name of several unique fictional Marvel Comics superheros. ...

Publication history

Development and inspirations

Flash Comics ashcan edition featuring Captain Marvel as "Captain Thunder", cover art by C. C. Beck.

After the success of National Comics' new superhero characters Superman and Batman, Fawcett Publications decided in 1939 to start its own comics division. Fawcett recruited writer Bill Parker to create several hero characters for the first title in their line, tentatively titled Flash Comics. Besides penning stories featuring Ibis the Invincible, Spy Smasher, Golden Arrow, Lance O'Casey, Scoop Smith and Dan Dare for the new book, Parker also wrote a story about a team of six superheroes, each possessing a special power granted to them by a mythological figure. Fawcett Comics' executive director Ralph Daigh decided it would be best to combine the team of six into one hero who would embody all six powers. Parker responded by creating a character he called "Captain Thunder."^[4] Staff artist Clarence Charles "C. C." Beck was recruited to design and illustrate Parker's story, rendering it in a direct, somewhat cartoony style that became his trademark. Image File history File links Captain Marvel in Flash Comics as Captain Thunder This image is the cover of an individual issue of a comic book. ... Image File history File links Captain Marvel in Flash Comics as Captain Thunder This image is the cover of an individual issue of a comic book. ... Captain Thunder, soon to be Captain Marvel, on the cover of the ashcan copy of Flash Comics #1. ... Clarence Charles Beck, (July 9, 1910_November 22, 1989), was an American cartoonist. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... Superman is a fictional character and comic book superhero , originally created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian artist Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton Captain Billy Fawcett (1883-1940). ... Ibis the Invincible is a fictional character, a comic book superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics in the 1940s and then by DC Comics beginning in the 1970s. ... Spy Smasher (real name Alan Armstrong) is a DC Comics superhero, formerly owned by Fawcett Comics. ... Golden Arrow is a fictional character who had his own strip in Fawcett Comics Whiz Comics comic book series, from 1940 to 1953. ... Lance OCasey is a fictional character who had his own strip in Fawcett Comics Whiz Comics. ... Scoop Smith is a fictional character who had his own strip in Fawcett Comics Whiz Comics. ... Dan Dare is a fictional character who had his own strip in Fawcett Comics Whiz Comics. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations with varied meanings that evolved from its original meaning. ...

The first issue of the comic book, printed as both Flash Comics #1 and Thrill Comics #1, had a low-print run in the fall of 1939 as an ashcan copy created for advertising purposes. Shortly after its printing, however, Fawcett found it could not trademark "Captain Thunder," "Flash Comics," or "Thrill Comics," because all three names were already in use. Consequently, the book was renamed Whiz Comics, and Fawcett artist Pete Costanza suggested changing Captain Thunder's name to "Captain Marvelous," which the editors shortened to "Captain Marvel." The word balloons in the story were re-lettered to label the hero of the main story as "Captain Marvel." Whiz Comics #2, dated February 1940, was published in late 1939. Since it was the first of that title to actually be published, the issue is sometimes referred to as Whiz Comics #1, despite the issue number printed on it. Captain Thunder, soon to be Captain Marvel, on the cover of the ashcan copy of Flash Comics #1. ... Pete Costanza (1913–1984) was an American comic book artist and illustrator. ... The three most common speech ballons (top to bottom: speech, thought, scream). ...

Inspirations for Captain Marvel came from a number of sources. His visual appearance was modeled after that of Fred MacMurray, a popular American actor of the period. C. C. Beck's later versions of the character would resemble other American actors, including Cary Grant and Jack Oakie. Fawcett Publications' founder, Wilford H. Fawcett, was nicknamed "Captain Billy," which inspired the name "Billy Batson" and Marvel's title as well. Fawcett's earliest magazine was titled Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, which inspired the title Whiz Comics. In addition, Fawcett adapted several of the elements that had made Superman, the first popular comic book superhero, popular (super strength and speed, science-fiction stories, a mild mannered reporter alter ego), and incorporated them into Captain Marvel. Fawcett's circulation director Roscoe Kent Fawcett recalled telling the staff, "give me a Superman, only have his other identity be a 10 or 12-year-old boy rather than a man."^[5] Fred MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an actor who appeared in over one hundred movies and a highly successful television series during a career that lasted from the 1930s to the 1970s. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... This article is about the British actor. ... Jack Oakie (November 12, 1903 – January 23, 1978) is an actor. ... Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton Captain Billy Fawcett (1883-1940). ...

Whiz Comics #2 (February 1940), the first appearance of Captain Marvel. Cover art by C. C. Beck.

As a result, Captain Marvel was given a twelve-year-old boy named Billy Batson as an alter ego. In the origin story printed in Whiz Comics #2, Billy, a homeless newsboy, is lead by a mysterious stranger to a secret subway tunnel. An odd subway car with no visible driver takes them to the lair of the wizard Shazam, who grants Billy the power to become the adult superhero Captain Marvel. In order to transform into Captain Marvel, Billy must speak the wizard's name, an acronym for the six various legendary figures who had agreed to grant aspects of themselves to a willing subject: the wisdom of Solomon; the strength of Hercules; the stamina of Atlas; the power of Zeus; the courage of Achilles; and the speed of Mercury. Speaking the word produces a bolt of magic lightning which transforms Billy into Captain Marvel; speaking the word again reverses the transformation with another bolt of lightning. Whiz Comics #2 This image is a book cover. ... Whiz Comics #2 This image is a book cover. ... Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. ... Look up acronym, initialism, alphabetism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Artists depiction of Solomos court (Ingobertus, c. ... Hercules and the Nemean Lion (detail), silver plate, 6th century BC (Cabinet des Médailles, Paris). ... In Greek mythology, Atlas was one of the primordial Titans. ... The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in Ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th century engraving Zeus (in Greek: nominative: Zeús, genitive: Diós), is... The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821–1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles (also Akhilleus or Achilleus) (Ancient Greek: ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War... A sculpture of the Roman god Mercury by 17th-century Flemish artist Artus Quellinus. ...

Captain Marvel wore a bright red costume, inspired by both military uniforms and ancient Egyptian and Persian costumes as depicted in popular operas, with gold trim and a lightning bolt insignia on the chest. The body suit originally included a buttoned lapel, but was changed to a one-piece skintight suit within a year at the insistence of the editors (the current DC costume of the character has the lapel restored to it). The costume also included a white-collared cape trimmed with gold flower symbols, usually asymmetrically thrown over the left shoulder and held around his neck by a gold cord. The cape came from the ceremonial cape worn by the British nobility, photographs of which appeared in newspapers in the 1930s. Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... The word lapel can mean:- In standard office-type jackets, each of the two triangular pieces of cloth which are folded back below the throat, leaving a triangular opening between. ... For other uses, see Cape (disambiguation). ... The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom. ...

In addition to introducing the main character and his alter ego, Captain Marvel's first adventure in Whiz Comics #2 also introduced his archenemy, the evil Doctor Sivana, and found Billy Batson talking his way into a job as an on-air radio reporter. Captain Marvel was an instant success, with Whiz Comics #2 selling over 500,000 copies.^[6] By 1941, he had his own solo series, Captain Marvel Adventures, while continuing to appear in Whiz Comics as well. He also made periodic appearances in other Fawcett books, including Master Comics. Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a fictional comic book supervillain. ...

Fawcett years: the Marvel Family, allies, and enemies

Detail from The Marvel Family #2 (June 1946), cover art by C. C. Beck. From left to right: Captain Marvel; Lt. "Fat" Marvel; Captain Marvel, Jr.; Lt. "Tall" Marvel; Lt. "Hillbilly" Marvel; and Mary Marvel. Uncle Marvel can be seen seated at the piano in the background.

Through his adventures, Captain Marvel soon gained a host of enemies. His most frequent foe was Doctor Sivana, a mad scientist who was determined to rule the world, yet was thwarted by Captain Marvel at every turn. Marvel's other villains included Adolf Hitler's champion Captain Nazi, an older Egyptian renegade Marvel called Black Adam, an evil magic-powered brute named Ibac, and an artificially intelligent nuclear-powered robot called Mister Atom. The most notorious Captain Marvel villains, however, were the nefarious Mister Mind and his Monster Society of Evil, which recruited several of Marvel's previous adversaries. The "Monster Society of Evil" story arc ran as a twenty-four chapter serial in Captain Marvel Adventures #22–46 (March 1943 – May 1945), with Mister Mind eventually revealed to be a highly intelligent yet tiny worm from another planet. Image File history File links Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family, from the cover of The Marvel Family #2 This image is the cover of an individual issue of a comic book. ... Image File history File links Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family, from the cover of The Marvel Family #2 This image is the cover of an individual issue of a comic book. ... CM3 redirects here. ... Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a superhero derived from the DC Comics (formerly Fawcett Comics) character Captain Marvel. ... The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. ... Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a fictional comic book supervillain. ... Caucasian, male, aging, crooked teeth, messy hair, lab coat, spectacles/goggles, dramatic posing, beaker with strange colored liquid — one popular stereotype of a mad scientist. ... Hitler redirects here. ... Captain Nazi is a Fawcett Comics and DC Comics supervillain, a rival of Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr. ... Black Adam is a fictional comic book character whose morally ambiguous nature has his character fall between the lines of heroism and villainy; as a result, he has associated himself with both superheroes and supervillains in the past. ... Although rarely called by its name, IBAC is the method of placing digital TV stations on channels in the existing analog TV bands. ... Nuclear energy is energy released from the atomic nucleus. ... For other uses, see robot (disambiguation). ... Mister Atom is a fictional comic book supervillian, a radioactive robot who is regularly seen as an enemy of Captain Marvel. ... Prominent members of the Monster Society Of Evil. ... For other uses, see Worm (disambiguation). ...

In the early 1940s, Captain Marvel also gained allies in the Marvel Family, a collective of superheroes with powers and/or costumes similar to Captain Marvel's. (By comparison, Superman spin-off character Superboy first appeared in 1944, while Supergirl first appeared in 1959). Whiz Comics #21 (September 1941) marked the debut of the Lieutenant Marvels, the alter egos of three other boys (all also named Billy Batson) who found that, by saying "Shazam!" in unison, they too could become Marvels. In Whiz Comics #25 (December 1941), a friend named Freddy Freeman, mortally wounded by an attack from Captain Nazi, was given the power to become teenage boy superhero Captain Marvel, Jr. A year later in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (December 1942), Billy and Freddy met Billy's long-lost twin sister Mary Bromfield, who discovered she could, by saying the magic word "Shazam," become teenage superheroine Mary Marvel. Superboy is the name of several fictional characters in the DC Universe, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. ... For other uses, see Supergirl (disambiguation). ... The Lieutenant Marvels were a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. ... For other uses, see Twin (disambiguation). ...

Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr. were featured as a team in a new comic series entitled The Marvel Family. This was published alongside the other Captain Marvel-related titles, which now included Wow Comics featuring Mary, Master Comics featuring Junior, and both Mary Marvel Comics and Captain Marvel, Jr. Comics. Non-super-powered Marvels such as the "lovable con artist" Uncle Marvel and his niece, Freckles Marvel, also sometimes joined the other Marvels on their adventures. A funny animal character, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, was created in 1942 and later given a spin-off series of his own. Grifter redirects here. ... The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. ... Bugs Bunny, a typical funny animal character Funny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals. ... Hoppy the Marvel Bunny is a fictional comic book superhero and funny animal originally published by Fawcett Comics as a spin-off of Captain Marvel. ...

The members of the Marvel Family often teamed up with the other Fawcett superheroes, who included Ibis the Invincible, Bulletman and Bulletgirl, Spy Smasher, Minute-Man, and Mr. Scarlet and Pinky. Among the many artists and writers who worked on the Marvel Family stories alongside C. C. Beck and main writer Otto Binder were Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Mac Raboy, Pete Costanza, Kurt Schaffenberger, and Marc Swayze. Bulletman was a Fawcett Comics superhero created by Bill Parker and Jon Smalle for Nickel Comics #1 in May, 1940. ... The word Minuteman usually has one of the following meanings, depending on context: the Minutemen of the American Revolutionary War (the origin of the term) the LGM-30 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile the Minuteman pocket calculator by Commodore Business Machines the Minuteman Project (volunteer American citizens patrolling the US/Mexican... Mr. ... Otto Oscar Binder (August 26, 1911 - October 14, 1974) was an American science fiction and non-fiction UFO author and comic book writer. ... Joe Simon (born 1915) was a comic book author and cartoonist who created or co-created many memorable characters in the Golden Age. ... Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching... Emmanuel Mac Raboy (April 19, 1914 - December 1967) was an American cartoonist whose comic books and strips remain collectibles nearly 40 years after his death. ... Kurt Schaffenberger (December 15, 1920-January 24, 2002) was an American comic book artist. ... Marc Swayze was an American comic book artist. ...

Copyright infringement lawsuit and cancellation

See also: National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications

Through much of the Golden age of comic books, Captain Marvel proved to be the most popular superhero character of the medium with his comics outselling all others, including those featuring Superman. In fact, Captain Marvel Adventures sold fourteen million copies in 1944,^[7] and was at one point being published weekly with a circulation of 1.3 million copies an issue (proclaimed on the cover of issue #19 as being the "Largest Circulation of Any Comic Magazine").^[6] Part of the reason for this popularity included the inherent wish-fulfillment appeal of the character to children, as well as the humorous and surreal quality of the stories. Billy Batson typically narrated each Captain Marvel story, speaking directly to his reading audience from his WHIZ radio microphone, relating each story from the perspective of a young boy. Holdings Fawcett Publications Captain Marvel comic strips proven to have plagiarized those of National Comics Superman character. ... Superman, catalyst of the Golden Age: Superman #14 (Feb. ... Look up Humour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Max Ernst. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Due to the similarities between Captain Marvel and Superman, National Comics Publications (today known as DC Comics) sued Fawcett Comics for copyright infringement of intellectual property in 1941. After seven years of litigation, the National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications case went to trials court in 1948. Although the judge presiding over the case decided that Captain Marvel was an infringement, DC was found to be negligent in copyrighting several of their Superman daily newspaper strips, and it was decided that National had abandoned the Superman copyright.^[8] As a result, the initial verdict, delivered in 1951, was decided in Fawcett's favor. The Cathach of St. ... For the 2006 film, see Intellectual Property (film). ... Holdings Fawcett Publications Captain Marvel comic strips proven to have plagiarized those of National Comics Superman character. ... The daily Superman newspaper comic strip began in January 6, 1939, and a separate Sunday strip was added on November 5, 1939. ...

National appealed this decision, and Judge Learned Hand declared in 1952 that National's Superman copyright was in fact valid. Judge Hand did not find that the character of Captain Marvel itself was an infringement, but rather that specific stories or super feats could be infringements, and that the truth of this would have to be determined in a re-trial of the case. The judge therefore sent the matter back to the lower court for final determination.^[8] Billings Learned Hand (January 27, 1872 – August 18, 1961) — usually called simply Learned Hand — was a famed American judge and an avid supporter of free speech, though he is most remembered for applying economic reasoning to American tort law. ...

Instead of retrying the case, however, Fawcett decided to settle with National out of court. The National lawsuit was not the only problem Fawcett faced in regards to Captain Marvel. While Captain Marvel Adventures had been the top-selling comic series during World War II, it suffered declining sales every year after 1945 and by 1949 it was selling only half its wartime rate.^[9] Fawcett tried to revive the popularity of its assorted Captain Marvel series in the early 1950s by introducing elements of the horror comics trend that gained popularity at the time.^[10] Feeling that a decline in the popularity of superhero comics meant that it was no longer worth continuing the fight,^[11] Fawcett agreed to never again publish a comic book featuring any of the Captain Marvel-related characters, and to pay National $400,000 in damages.^[12] Fawcett shut down its comics division in the autumn of 1953 and laid off its comic-creating staff. Whiz Comics had ended with issue #146 in June 1952, Captain Marvel Adventures was cancelled with #150 (November 1953), and The Marvel Family ended its run with #89 (January 1954).

Marvelman (and Miracleman)

In the 1950s, a small British publisher, L. Miller and Son, published a number of black and white reprints of American comic books, including the Captain Marvel series. With the outcome of the National v. Fawcett lawsuit, L. Miller and Son found their supply of Captain Marvel material abruptly cut off. They requested the help of a British comic writer, Mick Anglo, who created a thinly disguised version of the superhero called Marvelman. Captain Marvel, Jr. was adapted to create Young Marvelman, while Mary Marvel had her gender changed to create the male Kid Marvelman. The magic word "Shazam!" was replaced with "Kimota", "Atomic" backwards. The new characters took over the numbering of the original Captain Marvel's United Kingdom series with issue number 25. L. Miller & Son, Ltd. ... Mick Anglo was an British comic book writer. ... Miracleman (originally Marvelman) was a British-authored superhero comic, first published on February 3, 1954. ...

Marvelman ceased publication in 1963, but was revived in 1982 by writer Alan Moore in the pages of Warrior Magazine. Moore's black and white serialized adventures were reprinted in color by Eclipse Comics under the new title Miracleman beginning in 1985, and continued publication in the United States after Warrior's demise. Within the metatextual storyline of the comic series itself, it was noted that Marvelman's creation was based upon Captain Marvel comics, by both Alan Moore and later Marvelman/Miracleman writer Neil Gaiman. Alan Moore (born November 18, 1953, in Northampton) is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. ... Miracleman, originally known as Marvelman in his native United Kingdom, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero created in 1954 by writer-artist Mick Anglo for publisher L. Miller & Son. ... Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ...

DC Comics' Shazam! revival

Shazam! #1 (February 1973) was Captain Marvel's first appearance in a DC Comics publication. Art by C. C. Beck, Nick Cardy, and Murphy Anderson.

When superhero comics became popular again in the mid-1960s (in what is now called the Silver Age of comics), Fawcett was unable to revive Captain Marvel because in order to settle the lawsuit it had agreed never to publish the character again. Eventually, they licensed the characters to DC Comics in 1972, and DC began planning a revival. Because Marvel Comics had by this time established its own claim to the use of Captain Marvel as a comic book title, DC published their book under the name Shazam! Since then, that title has become so linked to Captain Marvel that many people have taken to identifying the character as "Shazam" instead of his actual name. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (650x977, 394 KB)Shazam! #1 (1973) This image is the cover of an individual issue of a comic book. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (650x977, 394 KB)Shazam! #1 (1973) This image is the cover of an individual issue of a comic book. ... Clarence Charles Beck, (July 9, 1910_November 22, 1989), was an American cartoonist. ... Nick Cardy (born Nicholas Viscardi, circa 1921), a. ... Murphy Anderson (born 1926) is an American comic book penciller and inker who has worked for companies such as DC Comics for over 50 years, starting in the 1930s-40s Golden Age of Comic Books. ... Showcase #4 (Oct. ...

The Shazam! comic series began with issue #1, dated February 1973. It contained both new stories and reprints from the 1940s and 1950s. The first story attempted to explain the Marvel Family's absence by stating that they, the Sivanas, and most of their supporting cast had been accidentally trapped in suspended animation for twenty years until finally breaking free. Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. ...

Dennis O'Neil was the primary writer of the book; his role was later taken over by writers Elliott S! Maggin and E. Nelson Bridwell. C. C. Beck drew stories for the first ten issues of the book before quitting due to creative differences; Bob Oksner, Fawcett alumnus Kurt Schaffenberger, and Don Newton were among the later artists of the title. Dennis Denny ONeil is a comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of books until his retirement. ... Bob Oksner was an American comic book artist employed by DC Comics and other companies. ... Kurt Schaffenberger (December 15, 1920-January 24, 2002) was an American comic book artist. ... Don Newton (born November 12, 1934 in St. ...

With DC's Multiverse concept in effect during this time, it was stated that the revived Marvel Family and related characters lived within the DC Universe on the parallel world of "Earth-S". While the series began with a great deal of fanfare, the book had a lackluster reception. The creators themselves had misgivings; Beck said, "As an illustrator I could, in the old days, make a good story better by bringing it to life with drawings. But I couldn't bring the new [Captain Marvel] stories to life no matter how hard I tried."^[13] Shazam! was canceled with issue #35 (June 1978) and relegated to a back-up position in World's Finest Comics (from #248 in December 1978–January 1979 to #282 in August 1982) and Adventure Comics (from #491 in September 1982 to #498 in April 1983). With their 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC fully integrated the characters into the DC Universe. The Earths of the Multiverse and the different variations of the Flash inhabiting each one. ... Worlds Finest Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. ... Adventure Comics #296 Adventure Comics is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983. ... The limited series is a term referring to a comic book series with a set finite number of issues. ... Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-issue comic book limited series (identified as a 12-part maxi-series) and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 in order to simplify their fifty-year-old continuity. ...

Captain Marvel in the late 1980s

The first post-Crisis appearance of Captain Marvel was in the 1986 Legends miniseries. In 1987, Captain Marvel appeared as a member of the Justice League in Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis' relaunch of that title. That same year, he was also given his own miniseries titled Shazam! The New Beginning. With this four-issue miniseries, writers Roy and Dann Thomas and artist Tom Mandrake attempted to re-launch the Captain Marvel mythos and bring the wizard Shazam, Dr. Sivana, Uncle Dudley and Black Adam into the modern DC Universe with an altered origin story. Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-issue comic book limited series (identified as a 12-part maxi-series) and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 in order to simplify their fifty-year-old continuity. ... Legends was a six issue comic book limited series published in 1986-1987 by DC Comics, which had plot threads running through several other DC comic titles, crossing over into them (each individual crossover/tie-in had a Legends Chapter # header on the cover). ... The Justice League, sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short, is a fictional DC Universe superhero team. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... John Marc DeMatteis (born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books. ... Roy Thomas (born November 22, 1940, Missouri, United States) is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lees first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. ...

The most notable change that Thomas, Giffen, and DeMatteis introduced into the Captain Marvel mythos was that the personality of young Billy Batson is retained when he transforms into the Captain. The Golden Age comics, on the other hand, tended to treat Captain Marvel and Billy as two separate personalities. This change would remain for most future uses of the character, as justification for his sunny, Golden-Age personality in the darker modern-day comic book world.

The Power of Shazam!

Jerry Ordway's The Power of Shazam! began DC's third major relauch of the Shazam! property. Art by Jerry Ordway.

Main article: The Power of Shazam!

DC finally purchased the rights to all of the Fawcett Comics characters in 1991.^[3] In 1994, due to the unpopular revision of the character from the Shazam! The New Beginning miniseries, Captain Marvel was retconned again and given a revised origin in The Power of Shazam!, a painted graphic novel written and illustrated by Jerry Ordway. This story became Captain Marvel's official DC Universe origin story (with his appearances in Legends and Justice League still counting as part of this continuity). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1050x812, 530 KB)The cover to The Power of Shazam graphic novel reprint. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1050x812, 530 KB)The cover to The Power of Shazam graphic novel reprint. ... The covers of both the hardcover and the softcover versions of the Power of Shazam! graphic novel by Ordway. ... The covers of both the hardcover and the softcover versions of the Power of Shazam! graphic novel by Jerry Ordway. ... The covers of both the hardcover and the softcover versions of the Power of Shazam! graphic novel by Jerry Ordway. ... Trade paperback of Will Eisners A Contract with God (1978), often mistakenly cited as the first graphic novel. ... The covers of both the hardcover and the softcover versions of the Power of Shazam! graphic novel by Ordway. ... Legends was a six issue comic book limited series published in 1986-1987 by DC Comics, which had plot threads running through several other DC comic titles, crossing over into them (each individual crossover/tie-in had a Legends Chapter # header on the cover). ...

Ordway's story more closely followed Captain Marvel's Fawcett origins, with only slight additions and changes. For example, in this version of the origin, it is Black Adam (in his non-powered form of Theo Adam) who killed Billy Batson's parents. The graphic novel was a critically acclaimed success, leading to a Power of Shazam! ongoing series which ran from 1995 to 1999. That series reintroduced the Marvel Family, and many of their allies and enemies, into the modern-day DC Universe.

During the publication of the series, Captain Marvel also appeared in Mark Waid and Alex Ross's critically acclaimed miniseries Kingdom Come. Set thirty years in the future, Kingdom Come features a brainwashed Captain Marvel playing a major role in the story as a mind-controlled pawn of an elderly Lex Luthor. In 2000, Captain Marvel starred in an oversized special graphic novel, Shazam! Power of Hope, written by Paul Dini and painted by Alex Ross. Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. ... Nelson Alexander Alex Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book painter, illustrator and plotter, acclaimed for the photorealism of his work. ... Kingdom Come was a four-issue comic book limited series published in 1996 by DC Comics. ... Paul Dini is an American television producer of animated cartoons. ... Nelson Alexander Alex Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book painter, illustrator and plotter, acclaimed for the photorealism of his work. ...

Later appearances

Portion of a panel from The Trials of Shazam #2 (November 2006) featuring Marvel. Art by Howard Porter.

Since the cancellation of the Power of Shazam! title in 1999, the Marvel Family have made sporadic appearances in a number of other DC comic books. Black Adam became a main character in Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer's JSA series which depicted the latest adventures of the Justice Society of America. Captain Marvel also appeared regularly in JSA in 2003 and 2004. Image File history File links Marvel_White_Costume2. ... Image File history File links Marvel_White_Costume2. ... The cover to The Flash #225, artwork by Howard Porter and John Livesay. ... Geoff Johns (born 25 January 1973 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. ... David S. Goyer is a comic book writer, screenwriter, and film director. ... The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. ...

The Marvel Family played an integral part in DC's 2005/2006 Infinite Crisis crossover, which was used by DC editorial to retool the Shazam! franchise. In the Day of Vengeance limited series, which preceeded the Infinite Crisis event, the wizard Shazam is killed by the Spectre, and Captain Marvel assumes the wizard's place in the Rock of Eternity. The Marvel Family made a handful of guest appearances in the year-long weekly maxi-series 52, which featured Black Adam as one of its main characters. The Marvel Family also appeared frequently in the 12-issue bimonthly painted limited series Justice by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithwaite, published from 2005 to 2007. Currently, Mary Marvel is a featured character in DC's sequel to 52, a weekly series entitled Countdown. Infinite Crisis was a seven-issue limited series of comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in October of 2005. ... Day of Vengeance #1; cover by Walter Simonson. ... The Spectre is a fictional cosmic entity and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. ... The limited series is a term referring to a comic book series with a set finite number of issues. ... 52 is the title of a comic book limited series published by DC Comics, which debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. ... The limited series is a term referring to a comic book series with a set finite number of issues. ... Justice is a 12-issue limited series comic book published bi-monthly by DC Comics from August 2005 through June 2007. ... Nelson Alexander Alex Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book painter, illustrator and plotter, acclaimed for the photorealism of his work. ... Earth X Hard Cover TPB (2005), cover by Alex Ross Jim Krueger is a comics writer. ... Countdown is the title of a comic book limited series published by DC Comics, which debuted on May 09, 2007, directly following the conclusion of the 52-issue 52. ...

A four-issue Captain Marvel/Superman limited series, Superman/Shazam: First Thunder, was published between September 2005 and March 2006. The miniseries, written by Judd Winick with art by Josh Middleton, depicted the first meeting between the two heroes. The Trials of Shazam!, a 12-issue limited series also written by Winick and illustrated by Howard Porter, began publication in August 2006. The series is reimagining the Shazam mythos, the characters and their place in the DC Universe. Trials of Shazam! features Captain Marvel, now with a white costume and long white hair, taking over the role of the wizard Shazam under the name Marvel, while Freddy Freeman attempts to prove himself worthy to the individual gods so that he can become their new champion and herald under the name Shazam. Judd Winick at Midtown Comics East in New York City, June 24, 2004. ... Joshua Middleton is a comic book artist currently signed exclusive to DC Comics. ... The cover to The Flash #225, artwork by Howard Porter and John Livesay. ...

A second Captain Marvel limited series, Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil, written and illustrated by Jeff Smith (creator of Bone), was published in four 48-page installments between February and July 2007. Smith's Shazam! mini-series, in the works since 2003, is a more traditional take on the character, which updates and re-imagines Captain Marvel's origin. According to Smith, the story is in continuity and takes the place of the character's previously established origins as depicted in the The Power of Shazam! graphic novel.^[14] However, this has not been confirmed by any secondary sources. A new Captain Marvel comic book title in DC's youth-oriented Johnny DC line, Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!, is set to debut in early 2008. It will be written ad drawn by Mike Kunkel.^[15] The Monster Society of Evil is a fictional team of supervillains published first by Fawcett Comics, then by DC Comics. ... Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone. ... Bone is an independently published comic book series, originally serialized in 55 irregularly-released issues from 1991 to 2004, notable as one of the longest-running self-published comic book series by a single writer/artist. ... Johnny DC was a character that appeared in various Silver Age DC Comics advertisments, and was used to promote DCs line of comics. ...

Powers and abilities

When Billy Batson says the magic word "Shazam" and is transformed into Captain Marvel, he is granted the following powers:

Clairvoyance, from 17th century French Clair meaning clear and voyant meaning seeing, is a term used to describe the transference of information about an object, location or physical event through means other than the 5 traditional senses (See Psi). ... Cover to Hercules Unbound #1, by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. ...

Supporting cast

Main articles: Marvel Family and Enemies of Captain Marvel (DC Comics)

Detail from Marvel Family #1 (December 1945), cover art by C. C. Beck. Left to right: Captain Marvel; Captain Marvel Jr.; Mary Marvel; Uncle Marvel; and the wizard Shazam.

Captain Marvel often fights evil as a member of a superhero team known as the Marvel Family, made up of himself and several other heroes: The wizard Shazam who empowers the team, Captain Marvel's sister Mary Marvel and Marvel's protégé Captain Marvel, Jr. Before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Marvel Family also included part-time members such as Mary's non-powered friend "Uncle" Dudley aka Uncle Marvel, Dudley's non-powered niece Freckles Marvel, a team of proteges (all of whose alter egos are named "Billy Batson") known as the Lieutenant Marvels, and the funny-animal pink rabbit version of Captain Marvel, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny. The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. ... Prominent members of the Monster Society of Evil, which at various times included many of Captain Marvel and the Marvel Familys enemies. ... Image File history File links Marvel Family #1 This image is the cover of an individual issue of a comic book. ... Image File history File links Marvel Family #1 This image is the cover of an individual issue of a comic book. ... Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. ...

Through his adventures, Captain Marvel gained an extensive rogues gallery, the most notable of whom include the evil mad scientist Doctor Sivana (and, pre-Crisis, the Sivana Family), Shazam's corrupted previous champion Black Adam, Adolph Hitler's champion Captain Nazi, and the mind-controlling worm Mister Mind and his Monster Society of Evil. Other Marvel Family foes include the evil robot Mister Atom, the "World's Mightiest Immortal" Oggar, and Ibac and Sabbac, demon-powered supervillains who transform by magic as Captain Marvel does. Sabbac is the name of two comic book supervillains appearing in Fawcett Comics and/or DC Comics. ...

The Marvel Family's non-powered allies include Dr. Sivana's good-natured adult offspring Beautia and Magnificus Sivana, Mister "Tawky" Tawny the talking tiger, WHIZ radio president and Billy's employer Sterling Morris, Billy's girlfriend Cissie Sommerly, Billy's school principal Miss Wormwood, and Mary's adoptive parents Nick and Nora Bromfield.

Other media

DVD front cover for The Adventures of Captain Marvel film serial, starring Tom Tyler in the title role.

• The first filmed adaptation of Captain Marvel was produced in 1941. The Adventures of Captain Marvel, starring Tom Tyler in the title role and Frank Coglan, Jr. as Billy Batson, was a twelve-part film serial produced by Republic Pictures in 1941. Often ranked among the finest examples of the form, its release made Captain Marvel the first superhero to be depicted in film. Whitey Murphy, a supporting character in the serial, found his way into Fawcett's Captain Marvel stories, and elements of the serial's plot were later worked into DC's The Power of Shazam continuity.

• Over thirty years later, Filmation produced Shazam!, a live-action television show which ran from 1974 to 1977 on CBS. From 1975 until the end of its run, it aired as one-half of The Shazam!/Isis Hour, with Filmation's own The Secrets of Isis airing as a compainion program. The Shazam! TV show was a more indirect approach to the character; it told of Billy Batson/Captain Marvel making road trips, instead of flying across the USA to combat evil. Shazam! starred Michael Gray as Billy Batson, with both Jackson Bostwick (season one) and John Davey (seasons two and three) as Captain Marvel. An adapted version of Isis, the heroine of The Secrets of Isis, was introduced into DC Comics in 2006 as Black Adam's wife in the weekly comic book series 52.

• Shortly after the Shazam! show ended its network run, Captain Marvel, played by Garrett Craig, appeared as a character in a pair of low-budgeted live action comedy specials, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions under the name Legends of the Superheroes in 1978. The specials also featured Howard Morris as Doctor Sivana, and Ruth Buzzi as Aunt Minerva, marking the first appearance of those characters in film or television.

• Filmation revisited the character a few years later for an animated Shazam! cartoon, which ran on NBC from 1981 to 1982 as part of the Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam!. The rest of the Marvel Family joined Captain Marvel on his adventures in this series, which were more similar to his comic-book adventures than the 1970s TV show. Dr. Sivana, Mr. Mind, Black Adam, and other familiar Captain Marvel foes appeared as enemies.

• Billy Batson has a non-speaking cameo in the episode "Obsession" from the Kids' WB's Superman: The Animated Series. Actors portraying Captain Marvel make "cameo" appearances in both a dream-sequence from an episode of The Drew Carey Show, and in the Beastie Boys' music video for "Alive".

• In 2005, Captain Marvel guest starred in the June 11, 2005 episode of Cartoon Network animated series Justice League Unlimited. The episode, entitled "Clash", featured Jerry O'Connell as the voice of Captain Marvel, with Shane Haboucha as Billy Batson. A climactic fight sequence between Captain Marvel and Superman pays homage to Superman/Captain Marvel battle from Mark Waid and Alex Ross' Kingdom Come mini-series.

• New Line Cinema is developing a Shazam! live-action feature film, with Peter Segal (The Longest Yard, 50 First Dates) as director and Michael Uslan as producer, formerly based on a screenplay by William Goldman & Bryan Goluboff. The script is currently being written by John August.^[17]

• In the Amalgam Comics universe, Captain Marvel was merged with his Marvel Comics counterpart to create Captain Marvel.

DVD front cover for the film serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. ... DVD front cover for the film serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. ... The Adventures of Captain Marvel is an acclaimed film serial directed by John English and William Witney for Republic Pictures in 1941. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... The Adventures of Captain Marvel, starring Tom Tyler in his most famous role. ... The Adventures of Captain Marvel, starring Tom Tyler in his most famous role. ... “Moving picture” redirects here. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Republic Pictures Corporation (aka Republic Entertainment) is an independent film, television, and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, best known for its specialization in quality B pictures, westerns and movie serials. ... Jackson Bostwick as Captain Marvel in the Shazam! television show. ... A television program (US), television programme (UK) or simply television show is a segment of programming in television broadcasting. ... CBS Broadcasting, Inc. ... Isis is a DC Comics superhero, the main character of The Secrets of Isis, a live-action American Saturday Morning television program that served as the second half of The Shazam!/Isis Hour. ... Jackson Bostwick is an actor best known for playing Captain Marvel in the first season of the Shazam! TV series of the mid-1970s. ... Isis is the name for a DC Comics superhero as well as a separate goddess also living in the DC Universe. ... 52 is the title of a comic book limited series published by DC Comics, which debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. ... Barbara Joyce as the Huntress from Legends of the Superheroes. ... Howard Morris (September 4, 1919 – May 21, 2005) was an American comic actor and director. ... Ruth Buzzi (July 24, 1936—) is an American actress and comedienne of theatre, film, and television. ... The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... The Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam! was a NBC Saturday morning cartoon produced by Filmation Studios in 1981. ... Kids WB is the Saturday morning cartoon block of The CW Television Networks weekend programming. ... Superman: The Animated Series is the unofficial title given to Warner Bros. ... The Drew Carey Show was a long-running American sitcom (set in Cleveland, Ohio) that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004 and was known for its everyman characters and themes. ... Beastie Boys is a hip hop musical group from New York City, consisting of Michael Mike D Diamond, Adam MCA Yauch and Adam Ad-Rock Horovitz. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For Cartoon Network outside of the United States, see Cartoon Network around the world. ... Justice League Unlimited (or JLU) was the name of an American animated television series that was produced by and aired on Cartoon Network. ... For the politician, see Jerry J. OConnell Michael Jeremiah Jerry OConnell (born February 17, 1974), is an American television and film actor. ... Shane Haboucha in the video clip for Stacys Mom. ... Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. ... Nelson Alexander Alex Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book painter, illustrator and plotter, acclaimed for the photorealism of his work. ... Kingdom Come is an informal phrase meaning the next world or the end of time, derived from Thy kingdom come in the Christian Lords Prayer; e. ... New Line Cinema, founded in 1967, is one of the major American film studios. ... Peter Segal is a film director born in 1962. ... The Longest Yard is a remake of the 1974 film of the same name. ... 50 First Dates is a 2004 romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and directed by Peter Segal. ... Michael Uslan is the originator of the Batman movies and was the first professor to teach Comic Book Folklore at an accredited university. ... John August (born August 4, 1970 in Boulder, Colorado) is an American screenwriter and film director. ... Amalgam Comics was a metafictional American comic book publisher, and part of a collaboration between Marvel Comics and DC Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters to create new ones (e. ... This article is about the Marvel Comics character. ... Captain Marvel is a fictional character and an Amalgam Comics superhero, whose true debut was in JLX #1, though his Amalgam Universe debut is Whiz Marvels #1. ...

Cultural impact

Captain Marvel vs. Superman in fiction

Superman and Captain Marvel face off in the 1996 DC limited series Kingdom Come. Art by Alex Ross.

Captain Marvel's adventures have contributed a number of elements to both comic book culture and pop culture in general. The most notable of these is the regular use of Superman and Captain Marvel as adversaries in Modern Age comic book stories. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 392 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (398 × 609 pixel, file size: 46 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The battle is joined between Superman and Captain Marvel in Kingdom Come. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 392 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (398 × 609 pixel, file size: 46 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The battle is joined between Superman and Captain Marvel in Kingdom Come. ... Kingdom Come was a four-issue comic book limited series published in 1996 by DC Comics. ... Nelson Alexander Alex Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book painter, illustrator and plotter, acclaimed for the photorealism of his work. ... Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... Wolverine, a member of the X-Men, a popular franchise in the Modern Age, and an anti-hero, a popular character type The Modern Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the period in the history of mainstream American comic books generally considered to last from the mid...

The fictional Superman/Captain Marvel rivalry was parodied in "Superduperman," a satirical comic book story by Harvey Kurtzman and Wally Wood in the fourth issue of Mad (April-May, 1953). In the parody, inspired by the Fawcett/DC legal battles,^[18] Superduperman, endowed with muscles on muscles, does battle with Captain Marbles, a Captain Marvel caricature. Marbles' magic word is "SHAZOOM", which stands for Strength, Health, Aptitude, Zeal, Ox—power of, Ox—power of another and Money. In contrast to Captain Marvel's perceived innocence and goodness, Marbles was greedy and money-grubbing. Harvey Kurtzman (October 3, 1924 - February 21, 1993) was a U.S. cartoonist and magazine editor. ... Wallace Wally Wood (born June 17, 1927, Menahga, Minnesota, United States; died November 2, 1981), was an American writer-artist best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad. ... Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. ...

While publishing its Shazam! revival in the 1970s, DC Comics published a Superman story featuring a battle between the Man of Steel and a thinly disguised version of Captain Marvel called Captain Thunder, a reference to the character's original name.^[19] Later, they followed Mad's cue and often pitted Captain Marvel and Superman against each other for any number of reasons, but usually as an inside joke to the characters' long battles in court. Notable Superman/Captain Marvel battles in DC Comics include All-New Collectors' Edition #C-58 (1979), All-Star Squadron #37 (1984), and Superman #102 (1995). The Superman/Captain Marvel battle depicted in Kingdom Come #4 (1996) served as the climax of that miniseries. The "Clash" episode of the DC-based animated TV series Justice League Unlimited, which included Captain Marvel as a guest character, featured a Superman/Captain Marvel fight as its centerpiece. The All-Star Squadron was an American comic book (1981-1987) created by Roy Thomas and published by DC Comics about the adventures of a large team of superheroes which comprised of most of the feature characters owned by the company that appeared in the Golden Age of Comic Books... Justice League Unlimited (or JLU) was the name of an American animated television series that was produced by and aired on Cartoon Network. ...

Influences upon future comic book characters

Captain Marvel was the first major comic book hero to have a young alter ego. Although kid superheroes had generally been neglected before Marvel's introduction, kid sidekicks soon became commonplace shortly after Marvel's success: Robin was paired with Batman in May 1940, and Captain America was introduced with sidekick Bucky in March 1941. The idea of a young boy who transformed into a superhero proved popular enough to inspire a number of superheroes who undergo similar transformations, including Marvel Comics' Darkhawk, Malibu Comics' Prime, and animated/action figure superheroes such as Hanna-Barbera's Mighty Mightor and Young Samson, Mattel/Filmation's He-Man, and Warner Bros. Television's Freakazoid. Other heroes, including Marvel Comics' Thor and (for a time) Marvel's version of Captain Marvel, undergo similarly magical transformations from a weak human form to a god-empowered form. Robin is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... Captain America is a fictional comic book superhero published by Marvel Comics. ... Bucky is the name of several fictional masked heroes in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Darkhawk is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Malibu Comics was a comic book publisher in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. ... Prime is a superhero created by Bob Jacob, Gerard Jones and Len Strazewski, he debuted in Prime #1 under Malibus Ultraverse imprint and was one of its flagship characters next to Mantra and Hardcase. ... Zarbon action figure of from Dragon Ball Z made by Bandai An action figure is a posable plastic figurine of a character, often from a movie, video game, or television program. ... Cartoon Network Studios, formerly known as Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ... Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor was a science fiction animated series created by Alex Toth for Hanna-Barbera Productions, which ran on CBS from 1967 to 1969. ... Young Samson can slam his magic braclets together. ... Mattel Inc. ... The first Filmation logo. ... He-Man as seen in a DC comic from December, 1982, one of his earliest appearances and preceding the debut of his animated series. ... Warner Bros. ... Steven Spielberg presents Freakazoid! is an American animated television series, produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. ... Thor (often called The Mighty Thor) is a superhero appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

The Image Comics character Mighty Man, created by Erik Larsen and appearing primarily in Larsen's series The Savage Dragon, is an obvious homage to Captain Marvel. Similarities run deep, from MM's initial secret identity being a young boy with an alliterative name ("Bobby Berman") to his greatest foe being a mad scientist named "Dr. Nirvana". Image Comics is an American comic book publisher. ... For the fictional character in the CrossGen Sigilverse, see Mighty Man (CrossGen). ... Cover to The Savage Dragon (original miniseries) #1. ... The Savage Dragon, often called simply “the Dragon,” is an Image Comics superhero. ... Alliteration is a literary device in which the same sound appears at the beginning of two or more consecutive words. ...

Captain Marvel in popular culture

In pop culture, Billy Batson/Captain Marvel's magic word, "Shazam!", became a popular exclamation from the 1940s on, often used in place of an expletive. The most notable user of the word "Shazam!" in this form was Gomer Pyle, a character from the 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. Foxxy Cleopatra from the 2002 film Austin Powers in Goldmember is also fond of the word. In another 2002 movie, Spider-Man, the character Peter Parker shouts, "Shazam!" while trying to control his powers. For biological and other meanings see ejaculation. ... The word expletive is currently used in three senses: syntactic expletives, expletive attributives, and bad language. The word expletive comes from the Latin verb explere, meaning to fill, via expletivus, filling out. It was introduced into English in the seventeenth century to refer to various kinds of padding — the padding... Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show Gomer Pyle was the simple-minded gas station attendant and later auto mechanic in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, played by Jim Nabors. ... This article is about a genre of comedy. ... The Andy Griffith Show is an American television series that aired on CBS from October 3rd, 1960 to April 1st, 1968. ... Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 comedy film. ... Austin Powers in Goldmember, released in 2002, is the third film of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. ... Spider-Man is a 2002 superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. ...

Even more than ten years after the character first disappeared, the superhero was still used for allusions and jokes, in films such as West Side Story, TV shows such as The Monkees, M*A*S*H, and American Dad!, and songs such as "Shazam" (1960) by Duane Eddy. Elvis Presley was a fan of Captain Marvel, Jr. comic books as a child, and later styled his hair to look like Freddy Freeman's and based his stage jumpsuits and TCB lightning logo on Captain Marvel Junior's costume and lightning-bolt insignia. The Academy of Comic Book Arts named its Shazam Award in honor of the character's mythos. The Beatles mentioned Captain Marvel in their song "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" (1968). West Side Story is a 1961 film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. ... The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. ... M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1968 novel M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker (penname for H. Richard Hornberger) and its sequels, but primarily by the 1970 film MASH, and influenced by the... American Dad! is a satirical American animated television series produced by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions for 20th Century Fox. ... Duane Eddy (born April 26, 1938), is a Grammy winning guitarist. ... Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ... The Memphis Mafia was the nickname for a group of friends, associates, employees and yes-men whose main function was to be around Elvis Presley from 1956 until he died. ... The Academy of Comic Book Arts is an American professional organization of the 1970s that was designed to be the comic book industry analog of such groups as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ... The Shazam Awards or Academey of Comic Book Arts Awards was given between 1970 and 1975. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill is a Beatles song from double-disc album The Beatles (also known as The White Album). This song mocks the actions of a young American named Richard A. Cooke III, who was visiting his mother, Nancy Cooke de Herrera, at the ashram of the...

Compilations and reprints

• The Monster Society of Evil - Deluxe Limited Collector's Edition (1989). Compiled and designed by Mike Higgs. Reprints the entire The Monster Society of Evil story arc that ran for two years from Captain Marvel Adventures #22-46 (from 1943-1945) where Captain Marvel meets Mister Mind and his Monster Society of Evil. This oversized, slipcased hardcover book was strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies. Published by American Nostalgia Library, an imprint of Hawk Books Limited. (ISBN 0-948248-07-6)
• The Shazam! Archives, Volumes 1–4 (1992, 1998, 2002, 2005). Reprints Captain Marvel's adventures from his earliest Fawcett appearances in titles such as Whiz Comics, Master Comics, and Captain Marvel Adventures from 1940 to 1942. Stories by Bill Parker, Ed Herron, and others; art by C. C. Beck, Pete Costanza, Mac Raboy, Joe Simon, Jack Kirby, George Tuska, and others. (ISBN 1-56389-053-4, vol. 1; ISBN 1-56389-521-8, vol. 2; ISBN 1-56389-832-2, vol. 3; ISBN 1-4012-0160-1, vol. 4)
• The Shazam! Family Archives Volume 1 (2006). An 80-page collection reprinting several Golden Age Marvel Family adventures from Captain Marvel Adventures, Captain Marvel, Jr., and The Marvel Family, includign the first apeparances of Mary Marvel and Black Adam. Stories by Otto Binder; art by C. C. Beck, Pete Costanza, Mac Rayboy, Marc Swayze, Bud Thompson, and Jack Binder.
• Showcase Presents: Shazam! Vol. 1 (2006). A five hundred page trade paperback featuring black-and-white reprints of stories from the 1970s Shazam! ongoing series. Written by Dennis O'Neill, E. Nelson Bridwell and Elliott Maggin; Art by C.C. Beck, Kurt Schaffenberger, Dave Cockrum, Dick Giordano and others. (ISBN 1-4012-1089-9)

Master Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series, which was published by Fawcett Comics from March 1940 to April 1953. ... Clarence Charles Beck, (July 9, 1910_November 22, 1989), was an American cartoonist. ... Emmanuel Mac Raboy (April 19, 1914 - December 1967) was an American cartoonist whose comic books and strips remain collectibles nearly 40 years after his death. ... Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching... George Tuska (born April 26, 1916, Hartford, Connecticut) a. ... Clarence Charles Beck, (July 9, 1910_November 22, 1989), was an American cartoonist. ... Bill Parker was an American comic book writer. ... The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. ... Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a superhero derived from the DC Comics (formerly Fawcett Comics) character Captain Marvel. ... CM3 redirects here. ... Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. ... The Lieutenant Marvels were a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. ... Hoppy the Marvel Bunny is a fictional comic book superhero and funny animal originally published by Fawcett Comics as a spin-off of Captain Marvel. ... Thunder is the name of three superheroes in the DC Comics Universe. ... The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. ... Black Adam is a fictional comic book character whose morally ambiguous nature has his character fall between the lines of heroism and villainy; as a result, he has associated himself with both superheroes and supervillains in the past. ... Isis is the name for a DC Comics superhero as well as a separate goddess also living in the DC Universe. ... Osiris is the name of three fictional characters in DC Comics. ... Sobek is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics series 52. ... Prominent members of the Monster Society of Evil, which at various times included many of Captain Marvel and the Marvel Familys enemies. ... Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a fictional comic book supervillain. ... Black Adam is a fictional comic book character whose morally ambiguous nature has his character fall between the lines of heroism and villainy; as a result, he has associated himself with both superheroes and supervillains in the past. ... Mister Mind is a fictional supervillain created by Fawcett Comics, now owned and published by DC Comics. ... Captain Nazi is a Fawcett Comics and DC Comics supervillain, a rival of Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr. ... Although rarely called by its name, IBAC is the method of placing digital TV stations on channels in the existing analog TV bands. ... Mister Atom is a fictional comic book supervillian, a radioactive robot who is regularly seen as an enemy of Captain Marvel. ... Sabbac is the name of two comic book supervillains appearing in Fawcett Comics and/or DC Comics. ... Blaze and Satanus are demonic supervillain siblings in the DC Comics Universe. ... Whiz Comics #2, the first appearance of Captain Marvel, the companys most popular character. ... Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton Captain Billy Fawcett (1883-1940). ... Whiz Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series, which was published by Fawcett Comics from February 1940 to June 1952. ... Master Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series, which was published by Fawcett Comics from March 1940 to April 1953. ... Wow Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series, which was published by Fawcett Comics from winter 1940 to March 1952. ... The covers of both the hardcover and the softcover versions of the Power of Shazam! graphic novel by Jerry Ordway. ... Fawcett City is a fictional city, and the home of DC Comics Captain Marvel. ... The Adventures of Captain Marvel is an acclaimed film serial directed by John English and William Witney for Republic Pictures in 1941. ... Jackson Bostwick as Captain Marvel in the Shazam! television show. ... The Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam! was a NBC Saturday morning cartoon produced by Filmation Studios in 1981. ... Isis is a DC Comics superhero, the main character of The Secrets of Isis, a live-action American Saturday Morning television program that served as the second half of The Shazam!/Isis Hour. ... Holdings Fawcett Publications Captain Marvel comic strips proven to have plagiarized those of National Comics Superman character. ...

Notes

Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Beck, C. C. and Parker, Bill (February 1940, reprinted March 2000). "Capt. Marvel" Whiz Comics #2. New York: Fawcett Publications (reprint by DC Comics).
• Beck, C. C. and O'Neil, Denny. (February 1973). "In the Beginning" Shazam! #1. New York: National Periodical Publications.
• Benton, Mike. (1989). The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History. Dallas: Taylor. ISBN 0-87833-659-1
• Grogan, Walt. The Marvel Family Web. Retrieved 16 June 2005.
• Markstei, Donald D. (2000–2004). "Captain Marvel". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 16 June 2005.
• Ordway, Jerry (1994). The Power of Shazam! New York: DC Comics. ISBN 1-56389-153-0.
• Thomas, Roy and Mandrake, Tom. Shazam! The New Beginning #1–4. New York: DC Comics.
• Wright, Bradford W. (2001). Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins. ISBN 0-8018-7450-5

is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Trials of Shazam

• http://supermanica.info/wiki/index.php/Captain_Marvel_of_Earth-S Supermanica website entry on Captain Marvel
• http://supermanica.info/wiki/index.php/Captain_Thunder Supermanica website entry on Captain Thunder
• Captain Marvel Culture A history of the many Captain Marvels
• Captain Marvel at the DC Animated Universe Wiki