The Trials of Shazam! #1-12 is a
12-issue comic book limited maxiseries published by DC Comics from 2006 to 2008. Written by
Judd Winick and primary illustrated by
Howard Porter (with Mauro Cascioli), the series served as a major status-quo shift attempting to modernize the Captain Marvel / Shazam franchise following the magical fallout of
Infinite Crisis and
Day of Vengeance.
Plot Overview
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The Magic Void: The old Wizard Shazam has been destroyed, leaving the Rock of Eternity without its master and the world's magic in absolute turmoil.
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The New Roles: Billy Batson ascends to fill the vacancy left by the Wizard, changing his name to Marvel and taking up residence at the Rock to anchor the realm of magic. However, this leaves Earth without its mortal champion.
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The Quest: Powerless and eager to protect the world, Billy’s best friend and former sidekick, Freddy Freeman (formerly Captain Marvel Jr.), steps up to claim the mantle of Shazam. To do so, he must embark on a global, mythical quest to prove his worthiness to the six gods who provide the hero's powers: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.
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The Sabotage: Freddy isn't the only one trying to claim the power. He is hunted and actively sabotaged by a dark magic acolyte named Sabina, who seeks to siphon the powers of the gods for herself and the dark forces of Merlin.
Key Features & Impact
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New Mantle: The series explicitly chronicles Freddy Freeman’s journey to becoming the main version of Shazam (sporting long white hair in his empowered form during this era).
- Creative Shift: The book features a dramatically gritty, painted art style from Howard Porter, which departed heavily from the clean, classic look he used in his famous JLA runs.
