This article is about the wizard character Shazam. For the superhero star of the Shazam! comics in which the wizard appears, see Captain Marvel (DC Comics). A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility and who usually has a colorful name and costume and abilities beyond those of normal human beings. ... For the Marvel Comics character, see Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics). ... For the Marvel Comics character, see Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics). ...

Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. He is an ancient wizard (the origin story in Whiz Comics #2 gives his age as 3,000 years) who gives young Billy Batson the power to transform into super hero Captain Marvel. Because DC Comics has billed Captain Marvel's adventures under the name Shazam! since 1973, the superhero is often mistakingly referred to by his mentor's name. A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Clarence Charles Beck, (July 9, 1910_November 22, 1989), was an American cartoonist. ... Fawcett Comics was one of several successful comics publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. ... Albus Dumbledore, from the Harry Potter series, is a traditional wizard. ... A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility and who usually has a colorful name and costume and abilities beyond those of normal human beings. ... For the Marvel Comics character, see Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics). ... DC Comics is one of the largest companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... For the Marvel Comics character, see Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics). ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ...

History

Creating Captain Marvel

Shazam informs Billy that he has been using his powers for many centuries to fight the forces of evil, but that he is now old and not long for this world. He therefore passes along part of his power to Billy, who shouts his name--"SHAZAM!"--to transform into Captain Marvel. Although Shazam is killed--as prophesized--by a giant granite block falling upon him, Billy/Marvel can summon the ghost of Shazam for guidance by lighting a special wall scone in Shazam's lair, the Rock of Eternity,. More superheroes soon joined Marvel in carrying on the legacy of Shazam, including the Lieutenant Marvels, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel Jr.. Reputed ghost of a monk. ... A lit candle. ... The first appearance of Mary Marvel, from Captain Marvel Adventures #18, December 1942. ... Captain Marvel Jr. ...

Origin

When Billy first meets him, Shazam tells Billy that his name is an acronym for the six gods and mythological figures who empower him with certain attributes: 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. The 1990s comic series The Power of Shazam!, written by Jerry Ordway, further explored Shazam's origins, giving him a backstory in which he was a young sheepherder who becomes Vlarem, one of the world's first super heroes in ancient Canaan over 5,000 years ago. Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial letter or letters of words, such as NATO and XHTML, and are pronounced in a way that is distinct from the full pronunciation of what the letters stand for. ... This article is about deities or gods from a non-monotheistic perspective. ... Solomon or Shlomo (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה; Standard Hebrew: Šəlomo; Tiberian Hebrew: Šəlōmōh, meaning peace) in the Tanakh (Old Testament), is the third king of Israel (including Judah), builder of the temple in Jerusalem, renowned for his great wisdom and wealth and power, but also blamed for falling away from worshipping the... Hercules and Cacus, by Baccio Bandinelli, 1525 - 1534. ... In Greek mythology, Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the nymph Clymene, and brother of Prometheus. ... Statue of Zeus The Greek sculptor Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall Statue of Zeus in about 435 bc. ... For other uses, see Achilles (disambiguation). ... Mercury is a god, also known as the god of trade, profit and commerce. ... Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM... Jerry Ordway is an American writer and artist of comic books best known for his work on DC Comics All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc. ... In a draw in a mountainous region, a shepherd guides a flock of about 20 sheep amidst scrub and olive trees. ... This article is about the land called Canaan. ...

At one point, Vlarem is seduced by a demoness disguised as a beautiful woman, and the two of them conceive two half-demon offspring, Blaze and Satanus, much to the displeasure of the gods. Vlarem later creates the Rock of Eternity from two large rock formations--one from Heaven and one from Hell--to hold the "Three Faces of Evil", a dragon-like demon, captive. In Christian contexts, demons such as Satan are often depicted in a grotesque fashion. ... Blaze and Satanus are demonic supervillain siblings in the DC Comics Universe. ... The heavens are the sky, the celestial sphere, or outer space. ... Medieval illustration of the Mouth of Hell Hell (according to many religious beliefs about the afterlife) is a place of torment and pain. ... Saint George versus the dragon, Gustave Moreau, c. ...

Many centuries later, Vlarem, now going by the name of Shazam, feels the need to pass along his powers to a successor, and gives the pharaoh's son Teth-Adam the power to become the super-powered Mighty-Adam by speaking the word "SHAZAM!" As her mother did, Shazam's daughter Blaze takes on the form of a beautiful woman and seduces Adam, convincing him to kill the pharaoh and take over the kingdom. An angry Shazam draws Mighty-Adam's powers out of him and into a large jeweled scarab, thereby killing Adam. A wicked re-incarnation of Teth-Adam named Theo Adam would steal the scarab many centuries later, and use the power of Shazam to become Black Adam. This article refers to the historical Pharaoh. ... Genera not a complete list Agestrata Augosoma Canthon Chalcosoma Chelorrhina Cheirolasia Cheirotonus Cotinis Dynastes Eudicella Goliathus Megsoma Onthophagus Pachnoda Phanaeus Plusiotis Ranzania Rhomborrhina Stephanorrhina Xylotrupes The scarab is a type of beetle noted for rolling dung into spherical balls and pushing it, as well as its habit of laying its... Black Adam is a DC Comics supervillain, often a rival of Captain Marvel. ...

Eons later, the wizard resurfaces as an aide on the 1940 Malcom Expedition, one of many archaeological expeditions into the tombs and pyramids of ancient Egypt. The sarcophagi of Ibis the Invicible and his mate Princess Taia are uncovered and brought to the United States; Shazam keeps an eye on the sarcophagi and, once they are on display at the Fawcett City Museum, uses ancient spells to resurrect Ibis, who joins Bulletman, Spy Smasher, Minute Man and others to fight evil during the World War II era. In 1955, a thug knocks Shazam across the head with a crowbar and causes him to lose his memory. 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Archaeology or archæology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of cultural and environmental data, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... A sarcophagus is a stone container for a coffin or body. ... A museum is typically a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment. ... 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... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... A crowbar is a tool consisting of a metal bar with a curved side and flattened extremities, often with a small fissure on one point. ...

A clueless Shazam wanders around Fawcett for the next 40 years until C.C. Batson, a young man Shazam had met on the Malcolm Expedition, recognizes the old man, brings him to the museum to restore his memory. Shazam feels that he has truly found his successor in the upstandong Batson, but he and his wife Marilyn are murdered by a possessed Theo Adam. He therefore decides to enlist C.C. Batson's young son, Billy, as the successor to his power.