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This article is part of the DC Database Recommended Reading project, a series of articles written by our editors. They are meant as a guide to help both new and old readers, either getting into comics for the first time or looking to read more on their favorites. These should not be taken as a definitive guide; obviously you can start wherever and with whatever you want, but they're some general suggestions that we think you might find enjoyable.
Billy Batson 010

Don't be afraid to start reading, Billy...

Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, is a character in the DC Universe who's been around since the Golden Age. Originally conceived as Fawcett Comics' answer to Superman, he is now owned by DC Comics and the character's mythos has grown strongly in its own right. Billy Batson is a young man who is given incredible powers by the wizard Shazam and only has to speak the name to transform into his alter ego Captain Marvel. Later on this position would go to his successor Freddy Freeman. Most of his comics are named after some variation on "Shazam" because of legal issues with Marvel Comics.

New readers[]

Further reading[]

  • The Power of Shazam!
    • The Power of Shazam! #1-12 The first arc of The Power of Shazam! tells an epic saga involving wizards, monsters, betrayals, family drama, local politics and the Third Reich all in one arc. Ordway's landmark run features a slightly more mature Billy whose been seasoned by his job as both a hero and reporter while still retaining his childlike wonder, often having to balance heroics, work and school. This story also reimagines the Marvel Family, the Bromfields, other Fawcett characters and Billy's rogues gallery in a way that both modernizes them while keeping the core aspects of what made these characters so enduring.
    • The Power of Shazam! #13-14, A brief interlude between two large scale arcs that focuses on Captain Marvel, Jr, and reintroduces Chain Lightning into the Post-Crisis world.
      • The Power of Shazam! #19 A follow-up to the Freddy arc, focusing on his relationship with Chain Lightning, his new girlfriend and concluding his battle with Captain Nazi.
    • The Power of Shazam! #15-18 The second major arc of the run, and the first that features Mr. Mind as the main villain. Ordway's version of Mind is perhaps more brutal and less silly than most other interpretations, being driven by a desire to take over Earth partly because of his own tyrannical nature and partly because of Captain Marvel accidently killing the rest of his 'brothers' adds an extra layer to their already age-old conflict. On-going subplots featured in this arc is The Wizard having adventures on Earth as "Jedidiah O'Keenan", briefly acting as Billy's surrogate father and Mary acting more of a hero in her own right rather than just a sidekick.
    • The Power of Shazam! #24-27 Primarily taking place in an alternate timeline where the Batson parents survived and were given the powers of Shazam instead of their children, this story gives us a glimpse into what Billy and Mary's life may have been like if they were not orphaned; portraying the two siblings in happy, carefree, idyllic settings they never truly got to experience elsewhere. This story arc also lead to Mary donning her white costume and calling herself Captain Marvel, building off her development in previous arcs and shifted the status quo to having Billy moving in with the Bromfields in Fairfield, moving away from Fawcett City.
  • The New Champion of Shazam! With beautiful writing and a loose, almost slice-of-life script, The New Champion of Shazam is a short and very sweet story about Mary rediscovering what it means to be a hero and shows off just how much she loves her new family and how much they love her.
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