Summary
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #27!A blast from the past returns as DC Comics reminds everyone of theShazamthat preceded Billy Batson. The DC Universe is in chaos as powerful imps team up with iconic villains to test the might of Earth’s heroes. But one villain reminds everyone that the DC Universe had a ‘Shazam’ long before the publisher ever acquired the character.
InBatman / Superman: World’s Finest #27by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, and Travis Mercer,Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite attemptto remedy the out-of-control situation. With imps and villains working together, Mxyzptlk decides the only way they can even the odds is by using Jimmy Olsen.
Mxyzptlk uses Fifth Dimensional magic to bring Olsen’s various alter egos to life, including the Human Octopus and Flamebird. The two Olsens take on Zha-Vam,an old Superman villain with a belt that can summon the power of numerous gods. The Olsen duo steal the belt and use the godlike power to defeat Zha-Vam.
DC Comics Brings Back Its Original ‘Shazam’, Zha-Vam
While he’s one of the more iconic heroes in the DCU now,Shazam wasn’t acquired by DC Comics untilthe early 90s (though the hero was licensed to DC in the ’70s). But years before the Earth’s Mightiest Mortal came to the DC Universe, a similar character existed in the DC Universe. Zha-Vam first appeared inAction Comics #351in a three-issue arc that saw Superman fight the powerful villain.Like Shazam, Zha-Vam had the powers of multiple gods and mythological figures, but he could only access them one at a time by pressing a corresponding letter on his belt.
It comes as no surprise DC Comics had its own riff on Shazam. Before he was a DC Universe mainstay, the original Captain Marvel was the source of a contentious legal battle with Shazam’s original publisher Fawcett Publications over the Big Red Cheese’s similarity to Superman. Zha-Vam seems to have been created as a dig towards Shazam, so between Zha-Vam dying after his first appearance and DC Comics' subsequent acquisition of Captain Marvel, there was no need to ever bring him back. But the parody’s return reminds everyone ofjust how odd Shazam’s journey to the DC Universe really was.
Zha-Vam is an Offbeat Part of Shazam’s History
There are a lot of DC Comics characters that have been created and then left by the wayside. Zha-Vam only existed to give Superman a Shazam analog to fight, and the villain’s role was ultimately forgotten after the genuine article joined the DC Universe. But bringing Zha-Vam back is a pretty funny reminder of just how weird it was in the years between Captain Marvel’s creation and his eventual introduction into the DCU. While it’s unlikely Zha-Vam will be seen again anytime soon, having the ersatzShazammake a cameo is certainly a treat for DC history buffs.
Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #27is available now from DC Comics.
