![]() The hero was endowed with the power of six mythological figures and went through a few naming ideas. Parker and Beck created a hero in a crimson and yellow costume who visually evoked Superman. The artist assigned to this hero (and to several other Fawcett strips) was Charles Clarence Beck who would grow into one of the most distinctive and unique cartoonists working in the superhero genre. Parker reconciled this by giving the character all the powers of the team combined. However, Fawcett didn’t like the idea and insisted on a single superhero. Parker wanted to create a character similar to Superman but positioned as the leader of a team of superheroes, each with their own ability and expertise. Fawcett asked writer Bill Parker, who had already done work for the company to come up with a series of features to fill out such a comic. There would be one lead feature and a number of backup comics covering a wide range of topics from funny animals to adventure stories to historical pieces, and other popular genres. It was customary at the time for comic books to be around 64 pages. In 1939, the founder of Fawcett Publications, William Fawcett, was looking for a superhero feature to capitalize in the huge success of DC’s Superman. The creation of Captain Marvel was complex and tangled much like Superman’s origin. This is not intended to be an exhaustive history of every detail and comic but an introduction to quickly get you up to speed on who the Big Red Cheese is, where he came from, and why he’s so famous. In this article you will find a primer to the history of Billy Batson, the old wizard Shazam, and their world from inception to the most recent incarnation as of this writing. He is one of the original icons of American comic books and his star once shone even brighter than Superman’s. But while many comic book heroes have only found true fame by appearing in big-budget movies or shows, Billy Batson was influencing pop culture as far back as the 1940s due to the immense popularity of his original comics. ![]() You can go into any collectible store or browse around online and easily find merchandise, toys and memorabilia of the characters as well as see them in a plethora of adaptations on the big and small screens. ![]() He has gone under many names but regardless of what he’s called, Billy Batson, his friends, and foes are recognizable to even the most casual superhero fan. ![]() (Keep reading to find out how that came to be.) Unless stated, this article refers to the Fawcett/DC Comics hero who is also known as Shazam. Disclaimer: There have been many characters named Captain Marvel throughout history. ![]()
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