When Captain Marvel debuted 75 years ago, he was the perfect balance of fantasy, humor, and the mythic. His original Golden Age stories were a wonderful mixture of the classic and the absurd, with an occasional bit of science fiction playing around with reality. The Marvel Family titles were also some of the most popular super-heroic comic books published during that Golden Age.

From the start, Captain Marvel was a hit with readers young and old. It took just a little more than a year from his first appearance in Whiz Comics #2 (#1), cover-dated February 1940, for his title to outsell Superman’s, despite the Last Son of Krypton’s head start.

Since 1919, Fawcett Publications had been publishing magazines such as their first offering, Captain Billy’s Whiz-Bang. The magazine was aimed at veterans and men, featuring jokes and risqué cartoons. “Captain Billy” was a play on the owner’s name, Wilford Fawcett, and a “Whiz-Bang” was World War I slang for a type of bomb. Fawcett saw the profits generated by Superman and wanted to get into the comic book business as fast as possible. The company wanted a Superman, but one whose secret identity was that of a kid around 10 to 12 – the age of the kids who would be reading the book.

The idea ended up on the desks of writer/editor Bill Parker and artist C. C. Beck. Parker’s original idea was to create a team of six different heroes who were led by “Captain Thunder.” All six characters were to have different powers.

That idea swiftly became one man with six types of powers. An ashcan, a quickly-prepared black and white prototype made in order to secure a copyright, was produced. Titled Flash Comics (January 1940) it featured Captain Thunder. However, All-American had just released a comic book with that title.

Fawcett had to rush back to the drawing board and came up with Thrill Comics, still featuring Captain Thunder. However, issues persisted as Standard Magazines and their title Thrilling Comics blocked them. The name “Captain Thunder” also proved to be troublesome.

With a few quick changes Whiz Comics #2 (#1) appeared with Captain Marvel tossing a car against a brick wall on its front cover. This art evoked a similar feeling to Action Comics #1 – Superman’s first appearance. (There is no Whiz Comics #1 except Fawcett’s Flash Comics #1 ashcan, a source of confusion for each new generation of collectors.)

Captain Marvel was a success from his very first appearance. The origin story was as tight and as well-thought out as any other hero of that time, and his connections to classical mythology and the sturdy moral underpinning to the ideas expressed touched a deep nerve in the collective consciousness of the times. Billy Batson, a homeless 12-year-old newsboy, encounters a mysterious stranger. This stranger turns out to be a powerful wizard who has observed Billy’s hardships and grants him the ability to turn into the adult superhero Captain Marvel when Billy says the wizard’s name.

The meaning of the wizard’s name, “Shazam,” came from classic mythology. The names of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury have long triggered a reaction, an idea or impression of something noble, classic; a standard for behavior. By saying “Shazam!,” Billy gained the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury.

Beck’s art was absolutely perfect for the nature of the hero. At the heart of the story was the idea that a young boy named Billy Batson could, by just saying a word, transform into a super-being. Yet he retains the naiveté, the innocence of his youth, as he throws around criminals, cars and giant machines. It was complete wish fulfillment for not only a child, but for an adult as well.

That first issue also saw the debut of his biggest adversary, the bald-headed evil genius Dr. Sivana. In Whiz Comics #3 (March 1940) Dr. Sivana attempted to become the Emperor of the United States. Issue #4 (April 1940) saw him travel to Venus with Billy Batson in tow.

A Special Edition (1940) was out by the end of the year. The demand was so great that Fawcett rushed yet another monthly title into the marketplace. Written and drawn by the soon to be legendary team of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, the first issue of Captain Marvel Adventures was created at night as the two men created Captain America during the day. Both Captain America Comics #1 and Captain Marvel Adventures #1 are cover-dated March, 1941.

Soon, certain titles featuring Captain Marvel were selling in excess of a million copies a month.

However, the writer, Parker, was unhappy. After getting the series off the ground he was replaced by Otto Binder. An experienced sci-fi and fiction writer, Binder’s first story appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #9 (June 1942).

Over the next 12 years, until the line of Marvel titles is canceled in 1953, Binder wrote over half the stories that appeared in the Marvel Family line. He built a much deeper world around Captain Marvel, one that grew in detail while also adding a notes of self-awareness and satire into the narrative. More than anything the stories held a child-like simplicity while still being able to maintain the interest of adults.

In 1941, Republic Pictures, the home of film serials, produced 12 episodes of Adventures of Captain Marvel, with Tom Tyler in the starring role. This is considered to be the first appearance of a comic book superhero on film.

Fawcett then prepared other characters. Created by writer Ed Herron and artist Mac Raboy, Captain Marvel Jr. first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 (December 1941) as part of a three-issue crossover with Fawcett’s Master Comics title. Raboy’s stunning art came from a different place than Beck’s more animated style. He created a realistic, grittier, more dangerous feel to Captain Marvel Jr. stories.

While working with Fawcett artist and writer Marc Swayze, Binder created Mary Marvel who first appears in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (December 1942). Other significant parts of the family include the Lieutenant Marvels, who first appeared in Whiz Comics #21 (September 1941) and that loveable con Uncle Marvel (Wow Comics #18 October 1943). Fawcett also brought out “Hoppy the Marvel Bunny” to fill the funny animal slot in their publication line.

Another funny animal who played a major part in the series was Mr. Tawky Tawney, a life-sized anthropomorphic tiger who walks on his back legs. He made his debut in Captain Marvel Adventures #79 (December 1947).

One of the other highlights of Captain Marvel was the incredible assortment of memorable villains. There were the well-known adversaries such as Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind. But Black Adam, who would go onto become a success as a character in the modern age, only appeared in one title during the Golden Age, Marvel Family #1 (December 1945).

The Captain Marvel Family ended its long run in 1954. For over a decade National Periodicals had been suing Fawcett over Captain Marvel’s similarity to Superman. Over the years the results would go back and forth, but by 1953 the comic industry was on a clear downward spiral.

Fawcett decided to settle out of court and stopped publishing the entire line of Marvel Family comics. By 1954, the characters were in total limbo, and it would be a long road back.

In 1967 Marvel Comics realized that the name of “Captain Marvel” was available. As long as Marvel published a book featuring their Captain Marvel once a year or so, they owned the name.

DC then leased the character from Fawcett in 1973. However, due to the name now being legal property of the House of Marvel, all Captain Marvel stories they told featuring the original character came out under the cover name of Shazam. Eventually DC outright purchased the rights to the Fawcett version, but they were still obligated to call him Shazam. By the time this anniversary came around, almost everyone considers the DC character to be known as Shazam.

In 1973 there was a revival of the original character with art work by C.C. Beck, and though he left after 10 issues the series went on for another few years until it was canceled in with issue #33 (January 1978). The character was then somewhat under-used in the DC Universe until Keith Giffen made him a vital part of the Justice League International series that began in 1987.

Alex Ross brought the character to a full and rich life in the 1996 mini-series Kingdom Come. He did the same in a memorable over-sized one shot Power of Hope which was published in 2000. DC’s New 52 has featured Shazam in a series of critically-acclaimed backup stories in Justice League.

As for other media, Billy Batson and his alter ego appeared on television in 1974 in Shazam!, where the title character was played by Jackson Bostwick. For two years after that it continued to run, but as The Shazam!/Isis Hour. He’s also appeared in the DC Animated Universe in shows such as Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. He made his first video game appearance in 2008’s Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and was also playable in 2013’s Injustice: Gods Among Us; the latter also saw his longtime rival Black Adam appear alongside him.

Though it’s been 75 years since the homeless newsboy Billy Batson first transformed with the magic word, it’s as clear as ever that “Shazam!” holds as much power as it’s ever had.