Shazam!: The New Beginning #1-4 is
a four-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comicsfrom April to July 1987. Written by the husband-and-wife creative team of
Roy and Dann Thomas and illustrated with moody, atmospheric art by
Tom Mandrake, this miniseries served as the official post-
Crisis on Infinite Earths relaunch for Captain Marvel.
Much like John Byrne's The Man of Steel, this series was designed to modernize a Golden Age icon for a grittier era.
A Permanent Change to the Character
Before this 1987 run, Billy Batson and Captain Marvel were traditionally treated as two separate entities who swapped places. The New Beginning completely altered franchise lore by making Billy Batson retain his 15-year-old child personality while transformed into the adult superhero. This definitive concept—a kid in an adult god's body—became the permanent standard for the character, carrying through to modern comics and the live-action films.
Plot Overview
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The Tragedy: An automobile accident leaves young Billy Batson orphaned. Following the crash, Billy is forced to live with his cruel, estranged uncle, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, and his narcissistic children. Billy soon uncovers evidence that his parents' deaths may not have been an accident.
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The Magic Word: Escaping his uncle's cruelty, Billy is guided to a mystical subway station where an ancient wizard grants him the powers of the gods, allowing him to transform into Captain Marvel by shouting "SHAZAM!".
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The Villains: Dr. Sivana uses his high-tech scientific genius to rip open a dimensional gateway and summon Black Adam—a 5,000-year-old magical tyrant with identical powers—to destroy the new hero.
- The Resolution: With help from his stage-magician companion Uncle Dudley, Billy learns to master his new abilities just in time to clash with Black Adam and outsmart Sivana's dimensional technology. The finale directly leads into the events of the famous Legends crossover event.
