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Shazam Reading Order (aka DC Comics’ Captain Marvel)

Shazam Reading Order

The history of Shazam/Captain Marvel is a complicated one. The superhero was created by writer Bill Parker and artist C. C. Beck in 1939, in the pages of Whiz Comics #2, published by Fawcett Comics. Back in the 1940s, he was the most popular superhero, even bigger than Superman. The two characters ended up fighting against one another in court. Not them, but Fawcett and DC Comics. DC claimed that Captain Marvel was a copy of Superman. As a result, Fawcett stopped publishing anything Captain Marvel-related in 1953. And in 1972, the company licensed the character rights to DC. By 1991, DC Comics had acquired all rights to the characters connected to the Shazam Universe, but the name “Captain Marvel” was owned by Marvel Comics! That’s why DC Comics marketed the Marvel Family under the Shazam! banner since the 1970s.

But what is the story of Shazam? This is about the young Billy Batson, an orphaned 12-year-old boy who, by speaking the name of the ancient wizard Shazam (an acronym derived from the six immortal elders who grant Captain Marvel his superpowers: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury), is struck by a magic lightning bolt and transformed into the adult superhero Captain Marvel. After a while, Billy started to share his powers with his sister Mary and their foster-brother Freddy Freeman—they became the Shazam Family! Together, they fought the Monster Society of Evil, including rogues like Doctor Sivana, Black Adam, and Mister Mind.

Shazam Reading Order:

We will mostly cover the DC Comics years, but if you are interested in exploring Captain Marvel/Shazam! by discovering his origins during the Fawcett years, you can start with this anniversary book:

  • Shazam!: A Celebration of 75 Years
    Collects Whiz Comics #2 & 21, Captain Marvel Adventures #18, 38-39, 137, 148, Captain Marvel, Jr. #12, Marvel Family #1, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny #6, Superman #276, Shazam! #1 & #29, World’s Finest #275, DC Comics Presents #49, L.E.G.I.O.N. #31, The Power of Shazam! #1-2, #33, Action Comics #768 , JSA #48, Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil #2, Justice League (Volume 2) #21.

The next book is for the fans, an exploration of Captain Marvel/Shazam’s success with the collectibles! A beautiful book by award-winning writer/designer Chip Kidd and photographer Geoff Spear. 

Shazam joined DC Comics (the 1970s)

After a 20-year publication hiatus, in 1973, Captain Marvel came back with writers such as Denny O’Neil and arts by C.C. Beck (the original artist from the 1940s).

Captain Marvel Shazam Reading Order Logo

Post-Crisis Shazam!

Crisis on Infinite Earths Icon Reading Order In 1985, with the Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries, the Shazam family was fully integrated into the DC Universe. This is an end and also the beginning of a new era for DC Comics. For more information about this massive event, take a look at our Crisis on Infinite Earths Reading Order.

The first Post-Crisis appearance of Captain Marvel was in the Legends miniseries, published in 1986: “Out of the ashes of the greatest interdimensional holocaust comes a new generation of superheroes: Wonder Woman, the Suicide Squad, the Flash, and the all-new Justice League! But first, they must take on a fight to the finish with the deadly minions of Darkseid the Destroyer in order to earn the right to join Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, and Green Lantern as the mightiest heroes of modern times. This is the story of…Legends!”

Then, writers Roy and Dann Thomas and artist Tom Mandrake wrote an altered origin story for Shazam! to ease the character into the modern DC Universe. Captain Marvel also briefly joined the Justice League International (for the first storyline only).

Shazam A New Beginning - Shazam Reading Order

All of this led mostly nowhere at that time. The Shazam ongoing series that was announced never saw the light of day. In 1991, Captain Marvel, the wizard Shazam, and Black Adam did appear in the War of the Gods (the Wonder Woman event). The next year, Shazam joined Superman in the Panic in the Sky storyline.

Zero Hour DC Event Comic Reading OrderAnother Crisis level event! But an optional one for Captain Marvel and the Shazam Family. In fact, the character barely appeared in Zero Hour: Crisis in Time.

Captain Marvel Shazam Reading Order Logo

The Power of Shazam! (1990s)

In 1991, DC Comics charged Jerry Ordway with writing and illustrating an original graphic novel retconning Captain Marvel again (erasing what Shazam!: The New Beginning did) which was released… in 1994. Titled The Power of Shazam!, the book was a success and led to an ongoing series. That series reintroduced the Marvel Family and many of their allies and enemies into the modern-day DC Universe.

In 2020, DC Comics started reprinting the series. For now, this is all that is available in hardback. You can still find the rest of the series in digital form.

Elseworlds DC Comics (Logo)In 1996, Captain Marvel also appeared in Mark Waid and Alex Ross’s critically acclaimed alternate universe Elseworlds miniseries Kingdom Come (out of the continuity).

Written by Paul Dini with painted art by Alex Ross, Shazam!: Power of Hope is a tale of a superhero using his powers in the most human of ways: to instill hope in the hearts of children. 

Captain Marvel Shazam Reading Order Logo

Shazam: From the JSA to Infinite Crisis (the first half of the 2000s)

The Superman/Shazam: First Thunder miniseries, written by Judd Winick with art by Josh Middleton, and published between September 2005 and March 2006, depicted the first post-Crisis meeting between Superman and Captain Marvel.

Superman/Shazam! First Thunder - Shazam Reading Order

JSAThe Power of Shazam! ongoing series was canceled in 1999. This time, the Marvel Family stick around. In fact, Black Adam became one of the main characters in Geoff Johns’ and David S. Goyer’s JSA series. To keep an eye on him, Captain Marvel even joined the team for a while.

Double Crisis Alert! First, another optional one for Captain Marvel and the Shazam Family. They barely appeared in Identity Crisis. Then came Lightning Strikes Twice/Day of Vengeance, a storyline leading to Infinite Crisis (see reading order). Outside of Day of Vengeance and theDay Of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special #1, Captain Marvel appeared mostly in the background, but Black Adam is a bit more visible.

Once the Crisis was completed, DC used the “One Year Later” event to move the narratives of most of its DC Universe series forward by… one year. Published weekly for one year, the 52 series consists of 52 issues,  each issue detailing an actual week chronicling the events that took place during the missing year. Shazam/Captain Marvel makes some appearances, but Black Adam and his expanded family occupied more spaces.

Written and illustrated by Jeff Smith (creator of Bone), Shazam: Monster Society of Evil is an out-of-continuity for-all-ages miniseries published in 2007.

Captain Marvel Shazam Reading Order Logo

From The Trials of Shazam! to the Final Crisis

Written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Howard Porter and Mauro Cascioli, The Trials of Shazam! is a twelve-issue limited series. Dealing with the aftermath of Infinite Crisis (set up with the one-shot DCU: Brave New World), the story sees Billy Batson/Captain Marvel changing his name to “Marvel” as he became the caretaker of the remains of the Rock of Eternity. Freddy Freeman (Captain Marvel Jr) must prove himself worthy of replacing Captain Marvel.

The Trials of Shazam - Shazam Reading Order

Starting mostly at the same time as The Trials of Shazam, Countdown to Final Crisis follows 52, same concept, but with more about Mary Marvel this time.

Crisis Alert! Another Crisis event, but this one is more important for Captain Marvel, Black Adam, and Mary Marvel. You can find more information about Final Crisis in our reading order.

  • Final Crisis
    collects DC Universe #0, Final Crisis #1-7, Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1-2, Final Crisis: Submit #1, Batman #682-683

For the end of the Mary Marvel story, it’s back in the pages of the JSA:

Billy and Mary Batson made a brief appearance during the Blackest Night saga in a one-shot special, The Power of Shazam! #48 – collected in Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns.

In 2011, Eric Wallace wrote a one-shot simply titled “Shazam!” After years as the World’s Mightiest Mortals, Billy and Mary Batson no longer wield the power of SHAZAM. But when Blaze, the current ruler of Hell, offers them a chance to regain the power they lost, will they take it–even at the cost of their friend and current Shazam Freddie Freeman? The story of Freddie is concluded in the pages of Titans (vol. 2) #32.

Following Shazam: Monster Society of Evil by Jeff Smith, DC Comics launched another cartoony-for-all-ages Shazam series titled Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! as a part of its Johnny DC imprint. It was originally written and drawn by Mike Kunkel.

Captain Marvel Shazam Reading Order Logo

Shazam! during the New 52 era

In 2011, DC Comics rebooted its continuity and entered the New 52 era with the help of the crossover event titles Flashpoint (see reading order for more details). It introduced a new timeline in which the Shazam Family was expanded. Billy, Mary, and Freddy Freeman were joined Eugene Choi, Pedro Peña, and Darla Dudley. Of course, the Flashpoint Timeline was not the main one, but the kids were reintroduced later in the new continuity.

At first, Captain Marvel and the Shazam Family didn’t get their own book, they came back in backup stories written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Gary Frank published in the Justice League (vol. 2) books. In this new incarnation, it was decided to stop using the “Captain Marvel” name. Now, he was simply “Shazam.”

Shazam! Vol. 1 (The New 52) From the Pages of Justice League - Shazam Reading Order

After that, the Shazam Family had a role to play during the Trinity War/Forever Evil events (see reading order for more details), then Captain Marvel joined the Justice League and briefly became a supporting character in the Cyborg series.

Shazam on other Earths

In Grant Morrison’s 2014 miniseries The Multiversity, the story takes place on the parallel world of Earth-5 that offered new takes on the classic Fawcett versions of Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family.

During the Convergence event (see reading order for more details), the story takes place on the parallel world of Earth-S.

Captain Marvel Shazam Reading Order Logo

Shazam! From the Rebirth era to today

In 2016, DC Comics organized a soft-relaunch with DC Rebirth. Captain Marvel and the Shazam Family were not really represented. Black Adam made an appearance in Dark Nights: Metal #4–5 (see our article about the event). But in 2018, with the Shazam! movie in production, DC decided to bring back the superhero in a new ongoing Shazam! series, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham, Marco Santucci, and Scott Kolins.

Shazam and The Seven Magic Lands - Shazam Reading Order

After Dark Nights: Death Metal, DC Comics launched Future State (see reading order for more details about this short event), an exploration of a possible future. Then came a new era: Infinite Frontier during which he got a new miniseries.

  • Future State: Suicide Squad
    Collects Future State: Suicide Squad #1-2, Future State: Teen Titans: Dead of the Class #1-2, Future State: Shazam!: The Death of William Batson #1-2, and Future State: Swamp Thing: Obsidian Sun #1-2.
  • Teen Titans Academy 1: X Marks the Spot (Only Billy Batson appeared in the series, but it led to the next Shazam! miniseries)
    Collects Teen Titans Academy #1-5, Teen Titans Academy 2021 Yearbook #1, Infinite Frontier #0, and Suicide Squad #3.
  • Shazam!: To Hell and Back
    Collects Shazam! (2021) #1-4 and Future State: Shazam! #1-2.
  • The New Champion of Shazam!
    Collects The New Champion of Shazam! #1-4 and material from Lazarus Planet: We Once Were Gods #1!

More soon…

Did we forget an important issue? Did we make a mistake? Let us know in the comments!

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