To summon these powers, he must shout the name of the wizard - " SHAZAM!" - which summons down a bolt of lightning and transforms him into a superhuman adult with a bright red costume with a freakin' sweet cape.īilly Batson goes on to get a job as a radio announcer (yes, a ten-year-old announcer), but as his Superpowered Older Alter Ego, Captain Marvel, fights evil and chaos. There, the wizard gives him the power of six archetypal figures: 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, which when put together spell F-L-Y-I-N-G B-R-I-C-K. Little Billy Batson is a homeless orphan who is led by a mysterious stranger into a deserted train station, where a train with no driver leads him to a wizard's lair. The character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (February, 1940 #1 was only an Ashcan Copy, never intended for distribution). So they called him Captain Marvelous, and then shortened it to Captain Marvel, because it sounds punchier. The hero was to be called Captain Thunder. When this was pitched, it was decided that, while Superhero Speciation was cool, All Your Powers Combined just looks better. Beck to do a story about a team of six heroes who all got powers from various legendary figures. So when National Comics hit paydirt with their costumed super heroes, the initial reaction of Fawcett Publications was "Oh boy! We've got to get some of these!" No one thought costumed heroes would take off like they did. Comics about detectives and daredevil pilots had been inherited from the pulps to great success. Superheroes only go as far back as Superman in 1938. Look - guys in masks only showed up around, say, the mid-Thirties. You have to understand this before you proceed: comics weren't always just superheroes. SHAZAM! (Which used to be his magic word, not his accolade, but is now his official name. Grant Morrison, Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle
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