Dressed in a black coat and hat, a mysterious shadowy figures beckons Billy Batson to follow him into the subway. Once there, they take a magic train to a cave where Batson meets an old man sitting on a marble throne. He is the ancient wizard Shazam, and has been using his powers for 3,000 years to fight the forces of evil. He chooses Billy to be the successor of his power. By saying Shazam’s name, Batson becomes Captain Marvel. With the deed done, Shazam sits back in his throne and is killed by a giant granite block falling on him. The wizard later appeared to Captain Marvel in times of crisis, or to give advice as a ghost. Shazam had 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. In addition, the wizard was near immortal, a master of magic, and, after his “death,” gained a spirit form. He also has a “Historama”, in which he could see past, present, and future events. Notes: DC Comics owns the trademark for the name Shazam, so in order to use it, it must be in the interior of the story, the same way DC does to avoid Marvel’s trademark on the name, Captain Marvel.
Appearance List Flash Comics [ashcan] 1 (January 1940), Thrill Comics [ashcan] 1 (January 1940), Whiz Comics 2, 25, 89, 105, Captain Marvel 93, Captain Marvel Adventures 47 (cover), 80, 85, 93, 100, 121, The Marvel Family 1, 10, Mary Marvel 1, 25, 28, Captain Marvel Story Book 3, 4, Captain Marvel Jr. 63, 71, Master Comics 61 (L. Miller & Son, 1950 series), Captain Marvel [Captain Marvel Adventures] (L. Miller & Son, 1953 series, v1 1)
Sample Read ○
Description Dressed in a black coat and hat, a mysterious shadowy figures beckons Billy Batson to follow him into the subway. Once there, they take a magic train to a cave where Batson meets an old man sitting on a marble throne. He is the ancient wizard Shazam, and has been using his powers for 3,000 years to fight the forces of evil. He chooses Billy to be the successor of his power. By saying Shazam’s name, Batson becomes Captain Marvel. With the deed done, Shazam sits back in his throne and is killed by a giant granite block falling on him. The wizard later appeared to Captain Marvel in times of crisis, or to give advice as a ghost. Shazam had 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. In addition, the wizard was near immortal, a master of magic, and, after his “death,” gained a spirit form. He also has a “Historama”, in which he could see past, present, and future events. Notes: DC Comics owns the trademark for the name Shazam, so in order to use it, it must be in the interior of the story, the same way DC does to avoid Marvel’s trademark on the name, Captain Marvel.
