It’s time to map the DC Universe! In June, I’ll be joining with Near Mint Condition to launch the Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus 2nd Annual Poll! This post explains every Shazam omnibus that does NOT exist – all of which will appear as options on the 2025 poll.
Through the end of May I’ll be covering DC entire publishing history by mapping missing omnibus volumes to fill in every gap in your DC oversize shelf! That’s all leading to the kickoff of the Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus 2nd Annual Poll on Near Mint Condition the first week of June.
Shazam is a hero that DC Comics adopted after battling original publisher Fawcett over the idea that Shazam (originally “Captain Marvel”) infringed on identifying elements of Superman.
That and other factors resulted in Fawcett shutting down their comics line in 1953, ending Shazam’s Golden Age run. DC later licensed the character in the 1970s (with his Golden Age history intact), though by that time Marvel Comics had their own “Captain Marvel” – which resulted in the character being renamed to his magic word: Shazam! However, in a Post-Crisis world, Shazam exists wholly in the DC Universe with a completely revised continuity. To learn more, check out my comprehensive Guide to Shazam.
DC has never printed a Shazam omnibus – not even to support his movies! That’s despite a keen collector interest in each of his eras and his modern relaunch being written by Geoff Johns, usually a sure seller in omnibus.
If you’re not sure of what to vote for, stick around for a list of books vetted by a gang of the biggest mapping nerds on the internet with explanations from yours truly – keeper of the most-definitive guides to collected editions on the planet.
Or, if you don’t care about omnibuses, just use this post to learn about DC history and find some great comics to read!
This post covers the following speculated omnibus volumes:
- Shazam Omnibus Mapping – The Fawcett Years
- Shazam, Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (1940 & on) [AKA Fawcett Years; could also include Captain Marvel Jr.]
- Shazam Omnibus Mapping – Shazam! of Earth S
- Shazam: The World’s Mightiest Mortal, The Bronze Age Omnibus (1973 – 1982)
- Shazam Omnibus Mapping – Pre-Flashpoint Shazam!
- Shazam: The Power of Shazam Vol. 1 (1987 & on)
- Shazam: Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam (2008 – 2011) [an All-Ages comic]
- Shazam Omnibus Mapping – Flashpoint to Present Day
- Shazam by Geoff Johns (2012 – 2020)
- Shazam by Mark Waid & Josie Campbell (2021 – 2025) [includes some/all of Lazarus Planet]
Remember: These titles and mappings are a suggestion of how DC could assemble these books. Your vote on the poll is a vote in favor of DC creating a book with that title or covering that period, NOT an endorsement of a specific map. Maps are presented as a proof of concept and to help you build your personal reading list.
Want to check out all of the other voting options for the 2025 Tigereyes Poll? Check out my 2025 Tigereyes poll options overview page that explains the poll, how to vote, and every title that will appear – including links to all of the posts in this series.
Intensely researched posts like this one are made possible via the support of Patrons of Crushing Krisis. For less than the cost of a single comic issue a month you can fuel my in-depth comics coverage, plus gain access to dozens of exclusive collecting guides & reading orders – including all of the Crushing Comics Guide to DC Comics.
Shazam Omnibus Mapping – The Fawcett Years
Shazam, Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (1940 & on) [AKA Fawcett Years; could also include Captain Marvel Jr.]
The idea of collecting the Golden Age of Shazam – then known as Captain Marvel – is a tricky topic because DC didn’t actually produce those comics! They were all a product of Fawcett comics.
However, DC has collected some of these adventures before in an aborted four-volume Shazam Archives line!
Since DC’s Golden Age books are almost always 650-850pgs, I think this first volume might simply match the first three Archives, collecting WHIZ Comics (1940) #2, 3A, 3B, & 4-24 and material from Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #1-3 and Special Edition Comics (1940) #1.
In total, this line would need to cover material from WHIZ Comics (1940) #2, 3A, 3B, & 4-144 (February 1940 – June 1953), Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #1-150 (Spring 1941 – November 1952), and Captain Marvel Storybook (1946) #1-4 (Summer 1946 – 1949), plus Captain Marvel material from America’s Greatest Comics (1941) #1-8 (November 1941 – June 1943) and Captain Marvel Family material in The Marvel Family (1945) #1-89 (December 1945 – January 1954).
But wait… there’s more! There is also Captain Marvel Jr. content from Master Comics (1940) #21-133 (December 1941 – April 1953) and Captain Marvel, Jr. (1942) #1-119 (November 1942 – June 1953), plus Mary Marvel content from Wow Comics (1940) #9-57 (December 1942 – June 1947) and Mary Marvel (1945) #1-28 (December 1945 – September 1948).
It would probably make sense to collect all of those in the same line as the main Captain Marvel stories, since they likely wouldn’t have enough demand to exist on their own. Except… that’s another nearly 300 issues worth of comics, on top of 300 issues of Shazam’s own comics!
Obviously, this is a Golden Age line that could run as long as Batman or Superman! I had hopes that the Shazam’s movie could jump-start this Golden Age line. Alas, we might need to send a message via this poll.
Shazam Omnibus Mapping – Shazam! of Earth S
Shazam: The World’s Mightiest Mortal, The Bronze Age Omnibus (1973 – 1982)
This Bronze Age Shazam revival lived on Earth-S and with his Golden Age exploits still completely in continuity, though he sometimes interacted with the DC heroes of Earth-Two.
This would collect Shazam! (1973) #1-35 (issues #8 & 21-24 are reprints) as well as the “vs Superman” story from All-New Collectors’ Edition (1978) #C-58, material from World’s Finest Comics (1941) #253-270 and 272-282, and Adventure Comics (1938) #491-492, plus Secret Origins (1986) #3 – which is an explicitly Pre-Crisis origin despite being published afterwards!
Shazam Omnibus Mapping – Pre-Flashpoint Shazam!
Shazam: The Power of Shazam Vol. 1 (1987 & on)
Despite being named for Shazam’s 1995 ongoing series, this would actually begin by collecting some Post-Crisis Shazam material from before his ongoing series began. That includes material from Legends (1986) #1 & 5-6, Shazam!: The New Beginning (1987) #1-4, The Power of SHAZAM (1994) OGN, Action Comics [Weekly] (1938) #623-626, and material from War of the Gods (1991) #1 & 4.
Then, it would begin to collect The Power of SHAZAM! (1995) #1-47, Annual 1, & One Million (Mar 1995 – Mar 1999) and any crossovers and significant guest appearances from that period.
Shazam: Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam (2008 – 2011) [an All-Ages comic]
This would collect the out-of-continuity All-Ages comics Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! (2008) #1-21 & Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! Mind Over Matter OGN.
Shazam Omnibus Mapping – Flashpoint to Present Day
Shazam by Geoff Johns (2012 – 2020)
After a decade spent as a member of the JSA, Geoff Johns relaunched Shazam and his family as an ongoing back-up feature in Justice League (2011) #7-11 (2nd stories), 0, 14-16 (2nd stories), 18-20 (2nd stories), & 21 before he continued to his own series – Shazam! (2019) #1-15.
Shazam by Mark Waid & Josie Campbell (2021 – 2025) [includes some/all of Lazarus Planet]
This would gather a wholesome return of both Mary Marvel and Shazam led by Mark Waid and Josie Campbell.
This would include The New Champion of Shazam! (2022) #1-4, Lazarus Planet: We Once Were Gods (2023) #1 (“The Price of Eternity”), Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods (2023) #1-4, Shazam! (2023) #1-20, Wonder Woman (2023) #11, and Absolute Power: Task Force VII (2023) #1.
Ideally, this would begin with Shazam! (2021) #1-4 and Future State: Shazam! (2021) #1-2 to avoid orphaning any issues.
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