Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!
Encyclopedia
Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! was an all-ages comic book
series
published by DC Comics
as a part of its Johnny DC
imprint
. The series debuted in September 2008, and was originally written and drawn by Mike Kunkel
.
's 2007 miniseries Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil, as both draw upon the light, whimsical feel of the Captain Marvel
comics of the Golden Age
for inspiration. In Magic of Shazam!, Billy Batson is a young boy who must juggle his superheroic life as Captain Marvel with looking after his rambunctious little sister Mary Marvel
. Unlike Billy, who transforms into an adult when he speaks the magic word "Shazam
", Mary possesses only a fraction of his power, although she is faster, and remains a child in her superhero form. Tawky Tawny, a shapeshifting servant of the wizard Shazam, assists them and comes to live with them at their insistence when his form is later fixed as a humanoid tiger. Other Marvel Family
characters are similarly re-imagined, such as Black Adam
who is presented as bratty exchange student Theo Adam, a classmate of Billy. In their clashes, a boy, Freddy Freeman, is accidentally seriously injured and paralysed and blamed the Marvels for it. Black Adam exploited that hate to recruit him with his power as Black Adam Jr. until the boy realizes the villain's evil and reconciled with the Marvels, which led to Captain Marvel bestowing him a portion of his power to become Captain Marvel Jr.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series
Ongoing series
The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
as a part of its Johnny DC
Johnny DC
Johnny DC is a character that DC Comics has used at various times as a mascot for its lines of comic books, and occasionally as metafictional character who comments on the comics in which he appears.-History:...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
. The series debuted in September 2008, and was originally written and drawn by Mike Kunkel
Mike Kunkel
Mike Kunkel is a comic book writer and artist known, among other things, for his work on Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! and for his creator-owned Herobear and the Kid.-Sources:...
.
Overview
In style and tone, Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! is a followup to Jeff SmithJeff Smith (cartoonist)
Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone. His current series, RASL, focuses on an art thief who hops through dimensional barriers, hiding out on various parallel worlds.-Early life and education:Jeff Smith was born in McKees...
's 2007 miniseries Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil, as both draw upon the light, whimsical feel of the Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
comics of the Golden Age
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
for inspiration. In Magic of Shazam!, Billy Batson is a young boy who must juggle his superheroic life as Captain Marvel with looking after his rambunctious little sister Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
. Unlike Billy, who transforms into an adult when he speaks the magic word "Shazam
Shazam (comics)
Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. He is an ancient sorcerer who gives young Billy Batson the power to transform into the superhero Captain Marvel...
", Mary possesses only a fraction of his power, although she is faster, and remains a child in her superhero form. Tawky Tawny, a shapeshifting servant of the wizard Shazam, assists them and comes to live with them at their insistence when his form is later fixed as a humanoid tiger. Other Marvel Family
Marvel Family
The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and Fawcett artists C. C...
characters are similarly re-imagined, such as Black Adam
Black Adam
Black Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain...
who is presented as bratty exchange student Theo Adam, a classmate of Billy. In their clashes, a boy, Freddy Freeman, is accidentally seriously injured and paralysed and blamed the Marvels for it. Black Adam exploited that hate to recruit him with his power as Black Adam Jr. until the boy realizes the villain's evil and reconciled with the Marvels, which led to Captain Marvel bestowing him a portion of his power to become Captain Marvel Jr.
Captain Marvel Jr.
Captain Marvel Jr. is a fictional character, a superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently in the . A member of the Marvel Family team of superheroes, he was created by Ed Herron and Mac Raboy, and first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 in December 1941.Captain Marvel Jr.'s...
Collected Editions
- Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! (Collects #1-6)
- Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!: Mr. Mind Over Matter (Collects #7-12)
External links
Reviews
- Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! #1 review, Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
- Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! #1 review, IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! #1 review, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...