Superman's First Appearance Is Iconic, But Does It Tie Into Another Hero's Debut?
Superman and Shazam are two of the comic industry’s oldest characters, with the pair making their respective debuts as competing superheroes over 80 years ago. Now part of the same shared universe and occasionally even the same superhero team, a new piece of fanart posits a theory that Superman and Shazam were connected way before DC officially acquired Billy Batson’s alter ego and rolled him into their line of books.
Connecting the first cover appearances of Superman and Shazam in a recent post on Instagram, Kerry Callen (@kerrycallen) consistently shares similarly inventive and humorous artwork on his page that new and old comic fans alike can appreciate.
Illustrating images poking fun at all aspects of the comic industry, Kerry has created parodies of The Incredible Hulk #340’s iconic cover, where he replaces Wolverine’s reflective claws with a shiny toaster, a hypothetical battle between Underdog and Spider-Ham, Spider-Man severely messing up Batman’s grapple-swinging routine, and more, with Kerry’s vibrant old school art style making his pieces pop off the screen.
Superman and Shazam’s First Comic Appearances Are Linked in Clever New Fan Theory
Fanart Design by Kerry Callen (@kerrycallen)
Introduced in 1938’s Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman created the blueprint for nearly all superheroes who followed, with his first comic cover depicting Superman lifting a smashed car clear over his head with ease. Making his debut two years later in Whiz Comics #2, by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck, Shazam — or Captain Marvel, as he was initially named, and The Captain as he’s referred to now — became a runaway success and even outsold the Man of Steel for a time, with his cover showing Shazam tossing a car into a brick wall.
First recreating the cover of Action Comics #1, Kerry then illustrates its immediate aftermath, showing the owner of the destroyed green vehicle, Butch, as he decides to get his car repaired and repainted. Drawn speeding out of Metropolis in a fully refurbished blue car next, Butch and his companions soon find themselves in Shazam’s hometown only to be chucked at a wall at full speed by the hero upon arrival — as seen on the cover of Whiz Comics #2 — with Butch’s added “Dammit!” as he spills out of his car connecting these iconic covers in a hilarious and clever way.
Inspired Superman x Shazam Fanart Foreshadows DC Comics’ Shared Universe
Often thought to be a gang of criminals getting trounced on both Superman and Shazam’s respective comic covers, Kerry, after successfully connecting these iconic images, essentially turns Butch and his buddies into the first multiversal travelers, as at the time of the original releases, DC hadn’t yet acquired Captain Marvel from Fawcett Comics. Superman and Shazam have occupied the same comic space for decades now, but thanks to Kerry Callen (@kerrycallen), the perfect headcanon for showing how these two super-powered superheroes indirectly “met” for the first time as well as their head-scratching love for destroying cars with abandon finally exists.
Source: @kerrycallen
- Created By
- Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
- First Appearance
- Action Comics
- Alias
- Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent
- Alliance
- Justice League, Superman Family
- Race
- Kryptonian
- Franchise
- D.C.
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
- Created By
- Bill Parker, C.C. Beck
- First Appearance
- Whiz Comics
- Alias
- William Joseph Batson
- Alliance
- Justice League, Justice Society of America, Justice League International, Marvel / Shazam Family, Squadron of Justice, Teen Titans
- Race
- Human
- Franchise
- D.C.
Originally known as Captain Marvel, the magical champion Shazam is a DC Comics superhero who gains his powers from various mythological figures: Solomon's wisdom, Hercules' strength, Atlas' stamina, Zeus' power, Achilles' courage, and Mercury's speed. When child Billy Batson utters the phrase "Shazam," he transforms into an adult superhero with these combined abilities. Shazam fights villains alongside the Marvel Family, embodying the ideals of heroism, justice, and magic in the DC Universe.
