Nerd Factor: Shazam!
Dr Mike Robinson ~ UL Communication
This weekend, Shazam makes his first return to the big screen since his 1941 movie serial. Here are some useful things to know about thunderous homecoming.
He is the Original Captain Marvel: Shazam’s name is a tricky tale of corporate skullduggery and trademark carelessness. When the character debuted in Fawcett Comic’s Whiz Comics #2 in 1940, Bill Parker and C.C. Beck’s creation had already faced a number of name changes and finally settled in as “Captain Marvel.” That seems strange to us today because we habitually divide the superhero universes up between DC and Marvel. But back then, DC was mostly called National Comics and Marvel was known as Timely.