Captain Marvel (DC Comics)

A Captain Marvel comic from the 1940s

Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam (/ʃəˈzæm/), is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker created the character in 1939. His main villains are Doctor Sivana and Black Adam.

Captain Marvel first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (cover-dated Feb. 1940), published by Fawcett Comics. He is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a boy who, by speaking the magic word "SHAZAM" (acronym of six "immortal elders": Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury), can transform himself into a costumed adult with the powers of superhuman strength, speed, flight, and other abilities.

Based on book sales, the character was the most popular superhero of the 1940s, outselling even Superman.^[1]^[2]

Zachary Levi played Shazam! in the 2019 DC Extended Universe movie Shazam!.

References

↑ Tipton, Scott (April 1, 2003). "The World's Mightiest Mortal". Comics 101. Retrieved 2005-06-17. I've always felt that it was this origin story and concept that made Captain Marvel instantly popular, to the point that it was outselling every comic on the stands for several years throughout the '40s.
↑ "Comic Book Success Stories". The Museum of Comic Book Advertising. Retrieved 2005-06-17. By the middle of the decade, Captain Marvel had received a self-titled comic book, Captain Marvel's Adventures [sic], which had a circulation that reached 1.3 million copies per month. Captain Marvel's circulation numbers exceeded National's Superman title and the rivalry between the companies led National to sue Fawcett for plagiarism.

This short article about literature can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.

[TiptonMoviePoopShoot-1] Tipton, Scott (April 1, 2003). "The World's Mightiest Mortal". Comics 101. Retrieved 2005-06-17. I've always felt that it was this origin story and concept that made Captain Marvel instantly popular, to the point that it was outselling every comic on the stands for several years throughout the '40s.

[ComicSuccessMuseum-2] "Comic Book Success Stories". The Museum of Comic Book Advertising. Retrieved 2005-06-17. By the middle of the decade, Captain Marvel had received a self-titled comic book, Captain Marvel's Adventures [sic], which had a circulation that reached 1.3 million copies per month. Captain Marvel's circulation numbers exceeded National's Superman title and the rivalry between the companies led National to sue Fawcett for plagiarism.

[1]

[2]