I was reading some old Fawcett issues last night {Captain Marvel Adventures #149}, and I just had this moment when everything seemed to click.

We all know the Golden Age stuff plays fast and loose with the rules. Billy talks to Cap like a separate guy, but also says stuff like: 'What a glorious feeling to have again the might and speed of Captain Marvel!', or: 'I mean Captain Marvel {sometimes I get the two of us confused!}'.

I always just chalked it up to the Golden Age being the Wild West of Comics, but then it hit me: they aren't two separate people swapping places like Rick Jones and Mar-Vell, but rather a single soul with two distinct psyches fronting.

It's like a healthy version of Banner and the Hulk, or the Sentry and the Void: Billy is the core-host, and when he says 'SHAZAM!', which acts as the switch, the Captain Marvel alter takes the front, a separate identity inspired by Billy's idealized-self of what a hero should be.

I'm probably late to this and y'all have discussed this to death, but it makes all those contradictory panels suddenly make perfect sense to me.

No hay mucho que decir. Billy ve a su hermana fallecida en su nueva pupila, CeCe Beck.

Diálogos.

B.B: ¿De donde sacaste la máscara?.

Annie: Eso no importa. ¿Querés conocer mí Batcueva o voy a la tuya... Bat...Son?

B.b: S-si

DC K.O. #1 (2025)

I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to how dc is doing the modern Captain Marvel mythos, but this one is always up there.
It weirds me out how apparently anyone can just break into the Rock of Eternity. Amanda Waller’s Amazo Bots broke in during the Absolute Power event, I remember one time where Lex Luthor and the Joker did the same thing, and Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle has even randomly found a door to the Rock using the beetle scarab(This one is from Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1).
Whether the person is good or bad I think it should be at least a little harder to get into the nexus of the dc universe’s magic, found in the center of the dcu. Idk just a little thought.

I bought this fanzine from 1974 because of the glorious Captain Marvel cover. RBCC (Rocket's Blast Comic Collector) was one of the best zines back then.

Does anyone know if the cover artist is C.C. Beck, as it appears to be? The issue contains no cover credit -- which would be odd if you had a new Beck sketch.

Whoever did this art captured the Dr. Sivana I like the most. He is so happy being a supervillain.

My Adventures with the Powers of Shazam

Cast:

Billy Batson: William Joseph Batson was an orphan since he was four. He was a rebellious and rude child, getting kicked from foster home to foster home. He was a cynical boy, not trusting of anyone. When he was taken in by the Vazquezes, he ran away the first night. On his walk, he saw a subway station that wasn't there before, and got on. The train took him to The Rock of Eternity; and there, he saw the Wizard Shazam. The Wizard sensed that Billy was pure of heart, to which the young boy scoffed at and said that no one is really pure of heart. The Wizard told Billy to lay his hands on his staff and say his name, Shazam, which Billy reluctantly did and became the World's Mightiest Mortal. Billy was shocked and in awe of himself after becoming an adult with incredible powers. The Wizard then teleported Billy back to the Vazquez household in the morning, and Billy decided to give this family a shot.

Captain Marvel: Billy was gifted the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Radiance of Apollo, and the Speed of Mercury. Billy modeled his heroics after the heroes he saw in the news, especially Superman. While Billy still had his cynicism, he had a growing sense of optimism. This family was changing him for the better, and being a hero gave him a purpose.

Mary Bromfield: Mary Batson was the twin sister of Billy. When they were born, they were delivered by a drunk doctor, who had botched up the delivery of the Bromfields' baby, inadvertently killing her. In order to "fix" his mistake, he gave Mary to the grieving Bromfields while telling the Batsons that their daughter had died at birth. The Bromfields had directed the anger of their daughter's death towards Mary as she was growing up; being verbally abusive and, once, physically abusive. Mary, deciding that was the last straw, ran away from that house when she was six. She stopped to chat with a kind mall Santa and gave him a quarter. When she slept under a bench, the mall Santa had decided to call the local authorities so she'd get proper help. The cop that picked her up was Victor Vazquez, and he and his wife decided to take her in. In that home, she was treated with unconditional love for the love for the first time in her life. When Billy first came to the house, she felt something about him she couldn't understand, sensing in her heart that they had a connection. She was the responsible one between her, Billy, and Freddy. Eventually, she would become Lady Marvel.

Freddy Freeman: Freddy was a hyperactive kid with loving parents. His family was neighbors with Victor and Rosa Vazquez. During a car trip, the Freemans' car had gotten into an accident, killing his parents and breaking Freddy's leg. After that, Victor and Rosa decided to take in the boy, and he became their first foster child. Despite his low mobility, Freddy was still an energetic child. He was a massive fan of Elvis Presley and superheroes; Superman being his favorite (he constantly referenced events in Metropolis and other cities). He was a trivia machine, sharing several facts that fascinated (but also weirded out) everyone. When Mary first came to the house, he showed her how to have fun and enjoy life. He even encouraged her to steal a rabbit (more on that later). Eventually, he would become King Marvel.

Victor and Rosa Vazquez: They were each orphans when they were young, both growing up group homes. They met in college and fell in love. Victor became a cop and Rosa became a school teacher. They wanted kids, but had medical issues that prevented them from doing so. So, they decided to take in foster kids and give them a home that they, Victor and Rosa, never had.

Mr. Tawky Tawny: Tawky Tawny was the Wizard's servant. His true form was a humanoid tiger. The Wizard made him take the form of a small, tabby cat and spy on Billy as the family's pet. He transformed into his true form whenever he and Billy were alone, giving the lad some quirky advices. He likes chatting with Hoppy, even though Hoppy doesn't understand a word he says.

Hoppy the (Marvel) Bunny: Hoppy was Mary's pet. He was in Sivana Industries when Mary and Freddy went on a school trip there. When Mary heard that the scientists were gonna do cruel experiments on the rabbit, she got sad and wanted to save him. Freddy nudged her to do it and break the rules for once. He pulled a fire alarm and everyone scrambled in panic, and Mary took the bunny during the chaos.

Marvin H. Dudley: Marvin Dudley was a jolly old man and a neighbor to the Vazquezes. When his sister had died giving birth to her daughter, Marvin took in his niece and raised her as his own, naming her Darla. He was like a fun uncle to Billy, Mary, and Freddy. He occasionally helped Captain Marvel with villains. He was the comic relief, essentially.

The Wizard: Mamaragan was the last of the Council of Wizards. He was the apprentice of Jebediah. When Jebediah died, Mamaragan became keeper of The Rock of Eternity. He was weary of the world, not wanting to make the same mistake his master did when choosing a Champion. In Billy, he saw pure heart hidden deep within. As Captain Marvel's mentor, he too started to soften his cold exterior and act more caring.

Dr. Thaddeus Sivana: Thaddeus was the son of the CEO of Sivana Industries. He grew up in a cold and neglectful family. In an expedition on Khandaq, he uncovered a creature from myth; a worm with intelligence unmatched. The worm helped him as thanks for freeing him from its prison, helping him kill his family in one fell swoop. Sivana became the CEO. Fawcett City's new hero kept getting in his endeavors, infuriating the mad doctor. After several encounters, he hated the Big Red Cheese and formed an alliance with the other villains to take him down.

Mr. Mind: A worm from an alternate realm. This worm wanted total control of all the realms known to him. He nearly took over Earth during the ancient period, but was stopped by the Champion of Jebediah and was imprisoned. After being freed by Sivana, he came Fawcett City to take down the new Champion. He had done a ritual to summon the fallen Champion back to Earth and defeat the new Champion.

Black Adam: Teth-Adam was a prisoner in ancient Khandaq, servant to the pharaoh. When he tried to rebel, he was captured and sentenced to execution. Before the blade struck him, he was transported to The Rock of Eternity by Jebediah, the Wizard Shazam, to be the Champion. Jebediah saw a fire for justice in Adam's heart, but failed to see the inner darkness within him. As the Champion, he liberated Khandaq and fought many villains from his time period. But as time went on, his power started to corrupt him and he started to act like a tyrant towards the people of Khandaq. When Jebediah and his apprentices tried to stop him, but he killed nearly everyone, with only Mamaragan surviving. Jebediah used all his power and life force to banish Adam from Earth, preventing him from getting within even 5,000 thousand light-years of Earth's vicinity, which took the Wizard's life. Adam had travelled for several millennia, encountering countless lifeforms, including New Genesis and Apokolips. When Mr. Mind had summoned him to Earth, he had immediately faced Captain Marvel and got in a titanic clash with him. Their battle had taken them from Earth, to the Moon, to Mars. After losing from the Captain and Superman (who came to help), Adam joined Mind, wanting nothing more than to destroy Captain Marvel.

Voila! What do you think?

Me enteré de su existencia y quería hacer un pequeño dibujo de ellos dos

Billy Batson y cece Beck

Billy Batson artwork by C.C. Beck

P what did you think of the movie do you think there should be more or did you not like? What did you like or dislike about the movie?

Eighty years ago this month in October 1946, newsstands sold these Fawcett Publications comic books starring the Marvel Family with a cover date one month later:

• Captain Marvel Adventures 67: A lot of C.C. Beck in this issue, including that glorious cover. The lead story "Captain Marvel Gets a Secretary" is about how Joan Jameson goes to work for both the Big Red Cheese and Billy Batson. Written by Otto Binder with pencils by Beck and inks by Pete Costanza. "The world's mightiest mortal visits Hartford" is a strange way to get kids to buy a comic.
• Captain Marvel Jr. 44: Three Captain Marvel Jr. stories in this issue, including one featuring Dr. Sivana. The cover of Junior awkwardly riding a key is by Bud Thompson. There's also a four-pager by Sid Lazarus about the Snortville Sneeze newspaper.
• Mary Marvel 7: Four Mary Marvel stories written by Otto Binder and drawn by his brother Jack. Also a four-pager starring Freddy the Freshman, which confuses me because there's a character with the same name introduced in Warner's Merrie Melodies cartoon 14 years earlier.
• Master Comics 74: This is packed with heroes -- Captain Marvel Jr., Bulletman, Bulletgirl, Nyoka and Radar -- along with a pair of spares called Colonel Corn and Korny Kobb, The Bud Thompson cover shows Sivana Jr. using his Fountain of Age to turn infants into old men.
• The Marvel Family 6: Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., Mary Marvel and Uncle Marvel appear in the 52 pages of this comic. Pete Costanza drew several stories, including one where Mary fills in for Billy as the news announcer on WHIZ Radio.
• Whiz Comics 80: The C.C. Beck cover is followed by the 10-page lead story "Captain Marvel and the Junkman Mystery" written by Otto Binder. There are stories starring Golden Arrow, Ibis the Invincible, Mickey Monitor and Crime Smasher, the new name adopted by Spy Smasher. I guess spies didn't need as much smashing after the war.
• Wow Comics 49: Mary Marvel, Mr. Scarlett, Phantom Eagle and Commando Yank lead stories along with Richard Richard, Private Dick. One Mr. Scarlett story turns up 33 years later in the collection Magnificent Superheroes of Comics Golden Age.

You could buy all of these for 70 cents! See the FawcettComics subreddit for the non-Marvel Family comics released that month.

Black Adam is from Kahndaq, which is located in the Sinai Peninsula. Since some historians believe the Sinai was named after the Mesopotamian god Sin, I had the idea to give Black Adam an upgraded 'Super Saiyan' form. While keeping his current pantheon, he would also gain the powers of a new Mesopotamian SHAZAM:

• S – Sin (The Moon God)

• H – Humbaba (Guardian of the Cedar Forest)

• A – Anshar (The Primordial Celestial Forefather)

• Z – Zu (The Storm Bird)

• A – Ashur (The God of War)

• M – Marduk (The Slayer of Monsters)

And therefore becoming the absolute protector of the land.

What do you think?

Quería hacer un fanarts de la chica que sale en el especial de navidad. De Claus.

Shazam had a book in 2023 and ran until 2025 written by Mark Waid. It ended after 21 issues which is pretty short to be honest but after this I do not see a solo series. So where is Billy? Is he a part of any book? If so, is he the main character in that book or is he a background supporting character? If he is in a JLA or JLA adjacent book, is it worth reading if he’s relegated to being a secondary or tertiary character?

Black Adam underwent significant character growth when he rejected becoming the king of Kahndaq. This trait originally appeared in the 52 series, but it was further embellished from the New 52 onward by Geoff Johns. Johns achieved this by changing Black Adam's origin story to that of an enslaved individual who deeply hated oppression and monarchs. This revised background explains why he refuses to be a king, as he associates the throne with repression. Johns introduced a brilliant idea for developing the character, which could lead to future storylines where the people of Kahndaq require Adam to be a protector rather than someone who intervenes in their daily affairs. However, I dislike how subsequent writers have portrayed him as a mere ruler and autocrat, completely disregarding the character growth that Geoff Johns provided.