The rivalry between Shazam goes beyond their similar power sets and superheroics and has even carried over into their personal lives as well. The two have been rivals in both comics and the courtroom for more than 80 years, with endless fan speculation on who would win in a fight and 1981’s World’s Finest Comics #266 adds another layer. Pre-Crisis, Shazam's alter-ego Billy Batson was a broadcast journalist, and in this story readers learn Billy ranks up there with the best. Clark Kent, Superman’s alter-ego, is also an award-winning journalist, making Shazam his rival there as well.
Since Shazam (once known as Captain Marvel) debuted in 1940’s Whiz Comics #2, he has invited comparisons to Superman–including from the Man of Steel’s publisher, DC Comics. Feeling Shazam was too close in concept to Superman, DC took Fawcett (Shazam’s publisher) to court. The lawsuit stretched for many years, and eventually bled Fawcett dry. This, coupled with a general downturn in superheroes, led Fawcett to cancel its Shazam line of comics and abandon the field altogether. DC licensed Shazam in the mid-1970s and had fully integrated him into its universe by the mid-1980s. Even though Shazam and Superman are now under the same roof, comparisons still rage, and one story from 1981 only muddles the waters further.
The Rivalry Between Superman and Shazam Will Never End
The story from World's Finest Comics #266, titled “Sivana’s Space Armada,” was written by E. Nelson Bridwell and illustrated by Don Newton. Shazam villain Doctor Sivana, in his bid to rule the Earth, allies himself with Ibac and embarks on a campaign to conquer other planets before using their powers to conquer Earth and vanquish Shazam. Sivana is successful in his scheme and launches an invasion. Billy Batson is live on the air when he receives news of Sivana’s scheme, but afterwards he manages to slip away quickly so that he can transform into Shazam. As he makes a hasty exit, one of his co-workers notes that Billy is in the league with great journalists such as Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.
Fan speculation over who is better, Superman or Shazam, has raged for many years, and in this story, Bridwell and Netwon add more fuel to the fire. Numerous Superman stories have established that Clark Kent is an award-winning journalist, with several best-selling novels under his belt as well. This is quite impressive when factored in with his career as Superman. As stated earlier, before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Billy Batson was also a journalist and his peers view him as one of the best in the field; the names Cronkite and Rather command respect–and so does Billy Batson. In a way, Shazam has a serious one-up on Superman here: he is a critically acclaimed reporter at just the age of 12, whereas it took Clark Kent many years to reach that point.
Sadly, this element of Shazam has been done away with in various continuity resets. However, this summer, Shazam will be returning to form in a new series written by Mark Waid, one that promises to take the character back to his “fun” roots–so perhaps fans will see Billy Batson return to the newsroom as well. If this happens, it will no doubt continue the long-standing rivalry between Superman and Shazam, which has now carried over into their personal and professional lives.
