Captain Marvel



Captain Marvel is a comic book superhero originally created by C. C. Beck and Bill Parker for Fawcett Publications, and currently owned by DC Comics. Whenever young boy Billy Batson utters the word "Shazam!" he turns unto the World's Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel. He debuted in 1940 and soon sold more comics than Superman.

A lawsuit from National Comics (not yet DC in name) which began in 1941, alleging that Captain Marvel infringed on the Superman copyright as a mere copy, lasted for years. In 1952, the court finally found in favor of National, Fawcett settled, and Captain Marvel was retired in 1953. In 1972, DC bought all of Fawcett's characters, including the captain, but in the intervening years, Marvel Comics had copyrighted the name "Captain Marvel" for their own character. Thus DC typically used Shazam! (the name of the word of power, and of the ancient wizard who bestowed it on Billy) as the title for the comics, and in media adaptations (including a 1974-1976 live-action series).

In 1985, Jim Henson, while acknowledging that he read Superman, stated that "Captain Marvel was probably my favorite of the super-heroes." I've always been interested in comic books as an art form, and when I was younger I was addicted to them. I read Superman and Superboy, but Captain Marvel was probably my favorite of the super-heroes.