SHAZAM! THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD’S MIGHTIEST MORTAL

CHIP KIDD, GEOFF SPEAR | ABRAMS

Reissued to tie in with the Shazam! movie, this 2010 tome homes in on the pre-DC history of the character formerly known as Captain Marvel.

Back in his ’40s heyday, the Fawcett Comics titan was even bigger than Superman… whose owners eventually sued over copyright. “Punishingly numbing” as they are, transcripts from the 1948 trial are reprinted here, as part of Kidd and Spear’s drive to leave no ephemera unturned.

Thankfully, most of this museumin-a-book is more (inner) childfriendly: iron-ons, tin toys, ‘magic’ whistles, even an in-character fanclub payment reminder (“Glad to hear from you… you forgot to enclose the money”). The scrapbook style invites casual rifling, but there’s a throughline that includes the evolution of the Marvel Family: Captain Marvel Jr. (Elvis was a big fan), Mary Marvel (who gave out fashion tips) and Hoppy The Marvel Bunny, “the world’s mightiest bunny.”

Then there’s Spy Smasher, the Batman to Cap M’s Superman, though the two never teamed up, despite having a common enemy in the Nazis. Marvel’s efforts to “paste the Axis” are well documented, as is his penchant for sticking his head in animals’ mouths.

With high-quality repro and photography that handsomely captures every nick and scuff of rare wooden figures, this is a treat for anyone who’s ever loved (and lost) pop-culture tat, even if you don’t know the character from (Black) Adam. Matthew Leyland