About

Shazam, originally known as "Captain Marvel," is a superhero appearing in American comic books character published by DC Comics. He is the alter ego of Billy Batson, 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^[1] The character also inspired a 2019 film adaptation entitled Shazam!.

History

Comic Books

In November 1939, the character Shazam, created by artist C.C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, premiered in the Fawcett Comics-published titles "Flash Comics" and "Thrill Comics." Originally named "Captain Thunder," the character was later renamed "Captain Marvel" for the Whiz Comics #2, released in late 1939 (covers below, left and right, respectively). This comic introduced the alter-ego Billy Baston as well as the catchphrase "Shazam."^[1]

The character was the most popular superhero of the 1940s. However, Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel-related comics in 1953, due, in part, to a copyright infringement lawsuit by D.C. Comics who alleged that the character was too similar to their Superman.

In the early 1970s, DC began publishing Captain Marvel under the name Shazam, following the publication of Marvel Comics-owned Captain Marvel series (shown below).

Film Adaptation

On July 21st, 2018, Warner Bros. Pictures released the first trailer for a film adaptation of the character. The seventh installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) series of films, _Shazan _ is directed by David F. Sandberg and stars Zachary Levi as the titular character. Within one year, the trailer received more than 40 million views (shown below).

Reception

Early reviews of the film were overwhelmingly positive. On March 7th, Fandango editor Erik Davis tweeted ^[2], "Shazam is big, goofy, lovable, and unlike anything DC has done before. Definitely in the vein of Tom Hanks' BIG, but with superhero action & lots of Batman and Superman references. I dug this film so much I wanted to give it a bear hug at the end. DC's movies keep getting better." Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 1,000 retweets and 3,000 likes (shown below, left).

Entertainment Tonight reporter Ash Crossan tweeted,^[3] "Shazam was damn near PERFECT in my book. My FAVORITE DC movie (DCEU? What are we saying now?) by far. Pure of heart, incredibly funny, full of in-jokes and references. Brought me a childlike joy to watch."Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 675 retweets and 2,300 likes (shown below, center).

The website Geeks of Color tweeted,^[4] "Shazam is an incredible film. It is full of heart and humor. The kids are phenomenal and have great chemistry. Zachary Levi was perfectly cast and the action was awesome. This is one of DC’s best!" Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 300 retweets and 1,000 likes (shown below, right).

External References