Captain Marvel DC Comics WikipediaShazam redirects here. For other uses, see Shazam. Watch Allegiance Of Powers Online Forbes' title='Watch Allegiance Of Powers Online Forbes' />Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, 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 1. Captain Marvel first appeared in Whiz Comics 2 cover dated Feb. 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 1. Superman. 12 Fawcett expanded the franchise to include other Marvels, primarily Marvel Family associates Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr., who can harness Billys powers as well. Captain Marvel was also the first comic book superhero to be adapted into film, in a 1. Republic Picturesserial titled Adventures of Captain Marvel. Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel related comics in 1. DC Comics, alleging that Captain Marvel was a copy of Superman. In 1. DC licensed the Marvel Family characters from Fawcett, and returned them to publication. By 1. 99. 1, DC had acquired all rights to the characters. DC has since integrated Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family into their DC Universe and has attempted to revive the property several times, with mixed success. Watch Free Episodes Of Laguna Beach Season 2. News summaries from international sources. Archives by month go back to 1997. Arabic, English. Join the NASDAQ Community today and get free, instant access to portfolios, stock ratings, realtime alerts, and more Join Today. The Texarkana Gazette is the premier source for local news and sports in Texarkana and the surrounding Arklatex areas. Whats the right way to watch the Star Wars movies The Force Awakens is episode 7 in the film series. If youre seeing the previous parts for the. Legacy. com is the leading provider of online obituaries for the newspaper industry. Legacy. com enhances online obituaries with Guest Books, funeral home information. Latest breaking news, including politics, crime and celebrity. Find stories, updates and expert opinion. Due to trademark conflicts over another character named Captain Marvel owned by Marvel Comics since 1. DC chose to publish the characters adventures in a comic book titled Shazam DC later officially renamed the character Shazam when relaunching its comic book properties in 2. Watch Allegiance Of Powers Online Forbes' title='Watch Allegiance Of Powers Online Forbes' />In addition, since 1. Filmation, and an upcoming New Line CinemaWarner Bros. Shazam feature film scheduled for release in 2. DC Extended Universe. Captain Marvel was ranked as the 5. Saved! Full Movie Part 1'>Saved! Full Movie Part 1. Wizard magazine. 6IGN also ranked Captain Marvel as the 5. UGO Networks ranked him as one of the top heroes of entertainment, saying, At his best, Shazam has always been Superman with a sense of crazy, goofy fun. Publication historyeditDevelopment and inspirationsedit. Captain Marvel first appeared in Whiz Comics 2 Feb. C. C. Beck. After the success of National Comics new superhero characters Superman and Batman, Fawcett Publications started its own comics division in 1. Bill Parker to create several hero characters for the first title in their line, tentatively titled Flash Comics. Besides penning stories featuring Ibis the Invincible, Spy Smasher, Golden Arrow, Lance OCasey, Scoop Smith, and Dan Dare for the new book, Parker also wrote a story about a team of six superheroes, each possessing a special power granted to them by a mythological figure. Fawcett Comics executive director Ralph Daigh decided it would be best to combine the team of six into one hero who would embody all six powers. Parker responded by creating a character he called Captain Thunder. Staff artist Charles Clarence C. C. Beck was recruited to design and illustrate Parkers story, rendering it in a direct, somewhat cartoony style that became his trademark. When Bill Parker and I went to work on Fawcetts first comic book in late 1. Beck told an interviewer. We decided to give our reader a real comic book, drawn in comic strip style and telling an imaginative story, based not on the hackneyed formulas of the pulp magazine, but going back to the old folk tales and myths of classic times. The first issue of the comic book, printed as both Flash Comics 1 and Thrill Comics 1, had a low print run in the fall of 1. Shortly after its printing, however, Fawcett found it could not trademark Captain Thunder, Flash Comics, or Thrill Comics, because all three names were already in use. Consequently, the book was renamed Whiz Comics, and Fawcett artist Pete Costanza suggested changing Captain Thunders name to Captain Marvelous, which the editors shortened to Captain Marvel. The word balloons in the story were re lettered to label the hero of the main story as Captain Marvel. Whiz Comics 2 cover dated Feb. InspirationeditWhiz Comics 2. Oct. 1. 94. 1, featuring Captain Marvel and his young alter ego, Billy Batson. Art by C. C. Beck. Watch A Little Chaos Online Forbes'>Watch A Little Chaos Online Forbes. Inspiration for Captain Marvel came from a number of sources. His visual appearance was modeled after that of Fred Mac. Murray, a popular American actor of the period,1. Cary Grant and Jack Oakie were made as well. Fawcett Publications founder, Wilford H. Fawcett, was nicknamed Captain Billy, which inspired the name Billy Batson as well as Marvels title. Fawcetts earliest magazine was titled Captain Billys Whiz Bang, which inspired the title Whiz Comics. In addition, Fawcett took several of the elements that had made Superman the first popular comic book superhero super strength and speed, science fiction stories, a mild mannered reporter alter ego and incorporated them into Captain Marvel. Fawcetts circulation director Roscoe Kent Fawcett recalled telling the staff, Give me a Superman, only have his other identity be a 1. IntroductioneditIn addition to introducing the main character and his alter ego, Captain Marvels first adventure in Whiz Comics 2 also introduced his archenemy, the evil Doctor Sivana, and found Billy Batson talking his way into a job as an on air radio reporter. Captain Marvel was an instant success, with Whiz Comics 2 selling over 5. By 1. 94. 1, he had his own solo series, Captain Marvel Adventures, while he continued to appear in Whiz Comics, as well as periodic appearances in other Fawcett books, including Master Comics. Copyright infringement lawsuit and cancellationeditThrough much of the Golden Age of Comic Books, Captain Marvel proved to be the most popular superhero character of the medium, and his comics outsold all others. Captain Marvel Adventures sold fourteen million copies in 1. Largest Circulation of Any Comic Magazine. Part of the reason for this popularity included the inherent wish fulfillment appeal of the character to children, as well as the humorous and surreal quality of the stories. Billy Batson typically narrated each Captain Marvel story, speaking directly to his reading audience from his WHIZ radio microphone, relating each story from the perspective of a young boy.