Shazam!: The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal
Shazam made his debut in Whiz Comics in 1940, and outsold his biggest competitor, Superman, by 14 million copies a month. It wasn’t long before a variety of merchandise was licensed—secret decoders, figurines, buttons, paper rockets, tin toys, puzzles, costumes—and a fan club was created to keep up with the demand. These collectibles now sell for outrageous prices on eBay or in comic book stores and conventions. Seventy years later, an unprecedented assortment of these collectibles are...
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Shazam made his debut in Whiz Comics in 1940, and outsold his biggest competitor, Superman, by 14 million copies a month. It wasn’t long before a variety of merchandise was licensed—secret decoders, figurines, buttons, paper rockets, tin toys, puzzles, costumes—and a fan club was created to keep up with the demand. These collectibles now sell for outrageous prices on eBay or in comic book stores and conventions. Seventy years later, an unprecedented assortment of these collectibles are gathered together by award-winning writer/designer Chip Kidd and photographer Geoff Spear. Join Kidd, Spear, and the World’s Mightiest Mortal in this first, fully authorized celebration of ephemera, artwork, and rare, one-of-a-kind toys, and recapture the magic that was Shazam!
\ Library JournalCaptain Marvel, alas, is now all but forgotten, no doubt owing to his lack of a movie franchise for modern audiences. Half a century ago, however, it was a vastly different story—Billy Batson's utterance of the acronym "Shazam," which in a flash of lightning turned him into the world's mightiest mortal, was known everywhere. Though Superman is thought of as comics' first superstar, Captain Marvel regularly outsold him by a whopping 14 million copies monthly. His image also adorned countless paraphernalia, the basis of this lovely volume. Writer-designer Kidd and photographer Spear offer brief snatches of background text, but the feast here is the remarkable array of toys, ephemera, and artwork from the likes of C.C. Beck, Mac Raboy, and Jack Kirby featuring Cap, Cap Jr., and Mary Marvel. The cash cow Marvels appeared on every imaginable product, from toys to buttons, wrist watches, compasses, clothes, paint sets, whistles, flutes, and even tie clips. VERDICT Despite the quite reasonable price, this features typical Abrams art and production quality. Fans will grab this Marvel-ous piece of Americana faster than you can say "Shazam!"—Mike Rogers, Library Journal\ \
