Comic Book Retro Spotlight: Shazam#15

Over the last three months in Comic Book Retro 50, I chronicled my purchase of Justice League of America#135-#137 which featured the annual Justice League/Justice Society team up and introduced these heroes of Earth 1 and Earth 2 to a 3rd Earth, designated Earth S...."S" as in Shazam.

Earth S is the home of the original Captain Marvel and the rest of the Marvel Family as well as various other super heroes formerly published by Fawcett Comics.  

JLA#135-#137 was NOT the first crossover of Earth S with the another Earth in the DC Multiverse.

Back in 1974, I purchased Shazam#15 which featured a visit from Earth 1 by Superman's arch nemesis, Lex Luthor. 

Worlds collide in a mash up of mystery and mayhem when "Captain Marvel Meets Lex Luthor!?!"   

In this tale from writer Denny O'Neil and illustrated by Bob Oksner and Tex Blaisdell, Lex Luthor is working on his latest device that will help him defeat his hated foe, Superman, once and more all.

Luthor will use science to gather the forces of magic to which Superman is vulnerable and blast him to smithereens! 

Luthor decides to test the device on an errant issue of Shazam one of his minions left lying around with unusual results.

So Lex is a bit wobbly from meeting a talking tiger?

Wait til he meets the talking worm! 

Mr. Mind is perhaps Captain Marvel's most sinister enemy.

Yeah, he's a worm. But he's an EVIL worm.

A worm of EVIL.

Who also reads comic books. 

So here's the deal, Sparky! 

Mr. Mind and Lex Luthor create a situation where Billy Batson needs to change into Captain Marvel. Lex uses his doohickey to siphon off part of the magic lightning.

Then they lure Captain Marvel into an aquarium and then....

Billy uses his wits and his ever present red sweater to secure an escape from this water death trap.  

Which is more than enough for Lex Luthor.

It's time to git! 

Boy, Denny O'Neil does love that "sealed in a pool with a shark" death trap.  He had the Joker seal Batman in one in Batman#251, "The Joker's Five Way Revenge". 

Art by Neal Adams 

The rest of Shazam#15 features a collection of reprints.

Art by Pete Costanza

Art by Kut Shaffenberger

Art by CC Beck 

The issue wraps up with a NEW Captain Marvel Jr. story by E. Nelson Bridwell  with art by Kurt Shaffenberger.  These two will become the principal  creative team on Shazam in 1976 starting with issue #25.

FUN FACT:  Freddy Freeman's magic word is not Shazam but Captain Marvel.  Which means Captain Marvel Jr cannot say his own name.  

Going back to the issue's lead story, ever since DC got the rights to publish the new adventures of Captain Marvel and friends, fans were anxious to see Cap meet up with Superman.

Shazam#15 brought those two worlds together in a very wacky Shazam-like fashion but DC's still tap dancing around bringing together the World's Mightest Mortal and the Man of Steel.

It looked like fans might get their long desired Superman/Captain Marvel encounter in Superman#276.  

But play close attention to this cover by Nick Cardy and that guy speeding towards Superman ain't who you think it is.

Written by Elliott S! Maggin and drawn by Curt Swan & Bob Oksner, "Make Way For Captain Thunder" tells the tale of young Willie Fawcett who can magically transform into a super powered adult, Captain Thunder.  

Willie is from an Earth in a different dimension and for reasons of plot has crossed over to Superman's Earth where, for more reasons of plot, Captain Thunder is evil.  

Superman and Captain Thunder go at it 'round and 'round until Superman is able to force his opponetn to see reason and...

It may not have been the Superman/Captain Marvel encounter that fans wanted or expected, "Make Way For Captain Thunder" is a pretty solid story in it's own right.

Since the title's launch, Shazam struggled to find an audience by focusing too much on a whimsical aesthetic that was not appealing to audiences accustomed to slightly more mature fare from Marvel Comics or DC books like Batman or Green Lantern/Green Arrow.

If Shazam had adapted the look and syle employed by Maggin, Swan and Oksner in Superman#276, perhaps Shazam would've had a better chance at success.  

As for a real meet up between Superman and Captain Marvel, that would have to wait until 1976 and JLA#137 as we chronicled last week.  

And even then, we were still left wanting.

It would not be until 1978 before we got a full on encounter in the oversized pages of All New Collectors’ Edition #C-58.

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Thanks to the Tom Breevort Experience for the images from Shazam#15 and Superman#276.

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Next week's comic book post tracks some of my most recent purchases from Acme Comics!