CAPTAIN MARVEL & SQUADRON OF JUSTICE versus SEVEN DEADLY ENEMIES OF MAN

The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man (DC)
Where: Power of Shazam #11 When: January 1996
Why: Jerry Ordway How: Pete Krause

The Story So Far...
The Wizard Shazam has been taken captive and held in the depths of the Netherworld by his evil demon daughter Lady Blaze. Only a powerful magic can restore him to The Rock of Eternity -- but Blaze has other plans!

Her agent, Black Adam, failed to prevent the resurrection spell that summons Ibis the Invincible and his amazing Ibis-stick to the modern age, but her allies of darkness continue to plague Fawcett City, and threaten to consume the heroic spirit of Captain Marvel!

The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man are on the loose! It's up to Mary Marvel and Ibis to put a stop to their terror and return them to the statues Shazam created to hold them!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain Marvel 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Captain Marvel 5 (Professor)
Speed: Captain Marvel 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Captain Marvel 6 (Generator)
Agility: Bulletman 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Captain Marvel 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Ibis 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Captain Marvel 30 (Super)

It's good to have friends. People you can trust to pull you into line when the shadow of pride, or hatred, obscures your view. Captain Marvel can usually rely on the Marvel Family to have his back, but he's also got some other great friends in reserve, ready to lend a hand when the going gets tough!

The Squadron of Justice are: Ibis, Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr, Uncle Dudley, Tawky Tawny, and Bulletman.

Though not officially acting as The Squadron, these seven heroes are summoned for the expressed purpose of going man to man against adversaries that have plagued mankind throughout its history!

The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man are: Pride, Envy, Greed, Hatred, Selfishness, Laziness, and Injustice.

More forthright incarnations include Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust, but today we feature the above list. By any name or configuration, The Seven Sins are some of the most ancient evils to vex humanity -- bad news for our heroes!

Ibis the Invincible is the one calling in reinforcements, which speaks volumes about the insidious threat! We saw his magic Ibis-Stick effortlessly remove Black Adam from play earlier in Power of Shazam #11, but this time his magic seems unable to simply sweep the problem aside.

To join Mary Marvel and he in the fight he'll imbue Uncle Dudley with the powers of Shazam, Tawky Tawny with unlimited life, summon Captain Marvel Jr from hospital, and even pluck Bulletman from the distant past! One opponent for even enemy -- assuming the spirits don't turn them against one another!

We saw Psycho-Pirate's influence befuddled the Marvel Family during the chaos of Crisis on Infinite Earths #6, and the evil New Gods corrupt Mary Marvel against Wonder Woman and Supergirl during Final Crisis, but it was only a month before today's battle that Underworld Unleashed #3 showed us that Captain Marvel's spirit is good & true -- resilient against the corrupting darkness of Hell itself!

Cap defeated the corrupt Justice League and an Eclipsed Superman before that, and who could forget the Marvel Family's fan-favourite triumph over the Monster Society of Evil from Convergence Shazam? With their friends beside them, how could they possibly lose? Let's find out how it went!

The Tape: Squadron of Justice Ranking: Captain Marvel Jr (#50)

What Went Down...

Dudley, Mary Marvel, and Ibis race from the subway underground to the streets above where they find a stampeding mob.

The frightened masses flee from the darkened figure of Captain Marvel who shouts "SHAZAM! SHAZAM!" in vain! A vile voice from within taunts Captain Marvel with the absence of the wizard's lightning, but the hero refuses to yield!

Ibis attempts to return the dark spirits to their place in The Rock of Eternity, while Mary Marvel rushes to support her brother. The Ibis-stick's magic somehow fails and Mary is met with a backward swing from her brother's possessed fist!

Mary endures to warn that the wizard Shazam is unable to answer their cries.

With that, Captain Marvel abandons his gambit and focuses on resisting -- aided by Ibis the Invincible, who uses his Ibis-stick to purge the corrupting spirits from Marvel's body and give them physical form!

The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man float through the air -- revealed!

Captain Marvel posits their solid presence may now allow for physical ushering back to The Rock of Eternity. A plan Ibis agrees could work -- if they even the odds a little!

With a simple command the Ibis-stick inducts Uncle Dudley, and the stuffed Tawky Tawny toy he's carrying, into the burgeoning Marvel Family!

A misunderstood remark from Mary soon adds Freddy Freeman to the team -- teleported instantly from the hospital in a body cast. A predicament soon remedied when Freddy says the name "Captain Marvel" and bursts free from the cast as an uninjured Captain Marvel Jr!

Bulletman makes seven as Ibis reaches into the past to bring forth an old ally for a new fight. It's not a minute too soon as terrified citizens cry for help from the stalking Enemies of Man!

The heroes fly valiantly into battle! Captain Marvel puts Uncle Dudley's nerves at ease with some calm assurance, whilst targeting the personification of Hatred with a snappy uppercut from his good arm!

Mary beats back Envy, with everyone doing their part to repel the wicked creatures! Bulletman with a flying fist! Tawky Tawny a pouncing paw! Captain Marvel Jr riding the bucking back of evil! Even Uncle Dudley has a stiff left for the vile spirits that remind him so much of bugs infesting Miss Wormwood's school!

Mary Marvel locks one of the stunned wraiths around the throat and drags it through the air towards a magical doorway!

The other heroes follow her advice, finding the stairwell within that leads to a hidden interdimensional cave. They brave the forces of eternity within to emerge in a hall of shattered statues.

Mary notices the absence of their ace player, but Ibis the Invincible has already made his way to the Rock of Eternity through other means. He steps forward with the squirming dark figure of Sloth in the grip of his left hand.

In his right, Ibis wields the awesome Ibis-stick, with magic enough to return the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man to the bondage of the seven corresponding statues created by the wizard Shazam himself!

The dark shadows are pulled back into figures that once held them -- trapped again as they previously were by the missing wizard and his old allies!

The Hammer...
The powerful magic of Ibis the Invincible saves the day, resealing the Seven Deadly spirits back in their statue prisons.

Perhaps he could've done it all on his own, but it's nice that he didn't have to -- sharing the victory in even measure with Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and their four courageous comrades!

You might remember I mythologized this issue, and Ibis' involvement, a few years back, following up with a closer look at his rousing return against Black Adam.

I thusly set out to revisit the action-packed second half in conjunction with the impending theatrical release of Shazam: Fury of the Gods, but it seems this much-loved comic was again destined to find me in a time of need, as I struggle with the somewhat sudden loss of a loved one, now exactly two weeks ago.

The Power of Shazam! #11 hits with the right balance of action, adventure, and nostalgia, filtered through the then-new lens of a series that would define Captain Marvel and his crew for the nineteen-nineties, even as it occupied its own insular world -- a retro reality where magic encases Fawcett City in anachronisms.

This battle sees the return of a lot of "old fashioned" ideas that are received with enthusiasm. Tawky Tawny is restored to the side of angels after serving as a pawn for Lady Blaze, and being ripped in half by Black Adam when he was turned back into a helpless stuffed toy. Even better: Bulletman is plucked from the past!

I've gotta admit: If Ibis had me jazzed for the earlier parts of this issue, it was Bulletman that I was most excited to see in this back half. He doesn't particularly stand out when the group battles the Seven Deadly Enemies, but the silver-helmeted hero is nevertheless a thrillingly unique visual throughout. I quite enjoy it when he light heartedly hastens Ibis to the conclusion: "Uh-- Can we cut the chatter... I'm an old man, and I can't do this all day!"

It's interesting that the Seven Deadly Enemies go very much in a different direction. These incarnations take forms reminiscent of HR Giger's Xenomorph from the Alien film series. It feels like a decidedly modern intrusion upon the old fashioned heroes and their retro-tinged world -- even as the fanged shadow forms are seen terrorizing decidedly nineties Fawcett City citizenry.

You could mistake this for the present intruding upon the past, but I don't see the nostalgia of Power of Shazam as regressive. I see it as still moving forward, but without a broad discarding of things. Retaining a character like Bulletman to give the present something it doesn't otherwise have, but still moving it forward in a modern context. Even if that context is in part an interesting culture clash.

The fight begins when Mary and Ibis convene with a semi-possessed Captain Marvel. His struggle, and attempts to call upon the wizard's lightning, directly reference his trip to Hell in Underworld Unleashed, which proposed the thesis that the good-natured Captain would be incorruptible -- or something close to it.

Released a month later: The Power of Shazam #11 honors this idea, even as it flirts with undermining it. Though the Seven Deadly Enemies briefly inhabit his body, they never quite gain control, and ultimately fall to a combination of Captain Marvel's will to resist, and the magic of the Ibis-stick.

Freddy Freeman's transformation into Captain Marvel Jr may momentarily seem like a lapse in attention as well, but his lightning presumably comes directly from Captain Marvel, and with a little help from the Ibis-stick. Remembering that his magic words are "Captain Marvel", unlike Billy & Mary's "SHAZAM".

The whole adventure is a happy time of good triumphing over evil. I figure we could all use a few more happy times like this. I know I sure could.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 700 battles and ranked well over 1,000 characters! Find them all by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number -- or by following links throughout each entry to discover more from your favourite topics or tangents.

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Winners: The Squadron of Justice
#39 (+11) Captain Marvel Jr
#40 (+14) Captain Marvel
#77 (+63) Mary Marvel
#120 (+200) Ibis the Invincible
#121 (+213) Tawky Tawny
#138 (+252) Uncle Dudley
#357 (new) Bulletman
#991 (new) Pride
#992 (new) Envy
#993 (new) Greed
#994 (new) Hatred
#995 (new) Selfishness
#996 (new) Laziness
#997 (new) Injustice

MARY MARVEL & IBIS versus BLACK ADAM

The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man (DC)
Where: Power of Shazam #11 When: January 1996
Why: Jerry Ordway How: Pete Krause

The Story So Far...
The Wizard Shazam has been taken captive in the depths of the Netherworld by his evil demon daughter Lady Blaze! Only a powerful magic can restore him to the Rock of Eternity -- and the talking tiger doll Tawky Tawny knows where to find it!

Mary Marvel and Uncle Dudley are in a desperate race beyond the wizard's secret subway entrance to find a hidden chamber within his lair. There, they will uncover the Tomb of Ibis -- where a special magic lies in wait to be resurrected by the reciting of a special incantation!

Unfortunately for the heroes, Blaze has ensured another Marvel will be waiting for them in the underground catacombs. An ancient champion whose mighty magic was corrupted in Egyptian times - and now waits to bring their doom!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Black Adam 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Black Adam 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Mary Marvel 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Black Adam 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mary Marvel 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Black Adam 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Ibis 7 (Cosmic)


What happens when the powers of Shazam are turned against themselves? We saw sparks fly when Captain Marvel battled his corrupt predecessor in Hawkman #24 -- but what about Cap's kid sister Mary Marvel?

Originally, Mary derived her powers from a separate set of her own patron deities: The grace of Selena, the strength of Hippolyta, the wiles of Artemis, the speed of Zephyrus, the beauty of Aphrodite, and the wisdom of Minerva.

The Power of Shazam series of the nineties recast the transformative powers as derived from a mutual source, shared by Captain Marvel himself. Essentially Mary Marvel is a chip off the old block (of big red cheese), just about as powerful and swift as any other Marvel!

We saw just how mighty Mary Marvel could be when her powers were corrupted by the evil New Gods during Final Crisis. She was powerful enough to ambush and fight Wonder Woman, defeating her with a chemical agent in Final Crisis #3. She had Supergirl on the ropes during Final Crisis #6, at least until the intervention of Captain Marvel Jr, and a weakened Black Adam!

Centuries before Billy Batson was blessed with the power to become Captain Marvel, the champion of Wizard Shazam was an Egyptian named Teth-Adam.

His powers were derived from the Egyptian pantheon: The stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, power of Alon, and the courage of Mehen. Adam eventually allowed his powers to corrupt him and he turned to the side of darkness, becoming the Black Marvel.

Black Adam's conquests in the modern age have been swift and brutal. We've seen him effortlessly destroy: Kobra [JSA #51], Psycho-Pirate [Infinite Crisis #6], The Monster Society [52 #44], and Azraeuz [52 #45]. He defeated Uncle Sam while serving The Society [Infinite Crisis #1], but showed vulnerability when his strength was matched by Superboy-Prime during the same saga.

Ordinarily we'd probably consider Black Adam too powerful for Mary Marvel to defeat alone, but there's a third player in this equation! Today's feature fight takes place on the verge of the tomb of Ibis the Immortal! As possessor of the Ibis Stick, he commands near limitless magic, capable of achieving his merest whim!

If Mary Marvel can break the seal and summon Ibis to her aid, she no doubt stands a chance! Will she be so lucky? Let's see what happened...

History: Black Adam (1-0-0)
The Tape: Black Adam Ranking: Black Adam (#19)

What Went Down...
Mary Marvel bashes through a chamber wall to reveal an ominous sarcophagus marked with the symbol of the ibis bird. In the same chamber, Black Adam waits! The doll form of friend Tawky Tawny torn in twain in his mighty hands!

Lured by a pulsing energy emanating from the Egyptian funeral box, Adam grabs for its protruding ibis wand -- only to be dramatically repelled by its mysterious, awesome power!

Undeterred by Black Adam's wicked insinuations about Tawny's true loyalties, Mary continues on her quest to save the Wizard Shazam. She recites a spell before the sarcophagus: "Sibis eirsa ghitym... rulmseb royu morf..." The ibis wand emits waves of eerie light before the sarcophagus explodes open!

Surrounded by mist, a well dressed man emerges from the opened death box! He is Ibis -- possessor of the infinitely powerful Ibis-Stick! Bemused, he commands stunned Mary Marvel and her Uncle Dudley to explain their actions.

Informed of Shazam's dire predicament, Ibis immediately understands the significance of his magic slumber's end. Before the young Marvel can learn more about her strange new ally -- Black Adam revives!

Mary orders her friends to stay back while she handles the raging Black Marvel. Recovered from his earlier error, Adam now recognizes Ibis and no doubt has dark intentions. Mary blocks his looming fist with her forearm, impressing the villain with her fighting fearlessness!

She throws a mighty right hook, but Black Adam is unfazed by her brawn!

This time it's Ibis who orders Mary Marvel to fall back. Warned of Black Adam's treachery by the Wizard Shazam himself, Ibis knows he's not to be trifled with!

Ibis directs Black Adam to Hades -- his powerful Ibis-Stick able to fulfill his every whim! Beams of light shoot from its crest and strike the mighty villain!

In a haze of smoke and light, Black Adam dematerializes before their very eyes! A trivial feat for the incredible Ibis-Stick and its sighing master! Mary marvels at his banishment as Ibis begins the tale of his secret origins.

The Hammer...
By virtue of the passage of time alone, my tastes are becoming increasingly "retro". I don't really see it that way -- superheroes aren't exactly going out of style in 2017, and I'm a pretty young man -- but in the case of Ibis, there's no getting away from it!

I touched on the character briefly as a Hero of the Week last year, having just had a fun time reading this very issue (and others) during a power blackout. It was a fairly nostalgic experience unto itself, recalling youthful enthusiasm for reading comics by torchlight. These days you'd use a phone.

Power of Shazam doesn't really read like a comic from 1995 or '96. That's probably why, just a few years later, it was already being talked about with a hushed reverence. Just as fictional Fawcett City is placed under a spell that blankets its reality in a deep retro haze, so too does this comic embrace the power of nostalgia, with a few modern twists.

It's kind of hard to put a finger on eactly who this comic was targeted at. Golden Age retro would admittedly linger in comics right through to the 2000s, but it had mostly died out in mainstream pop culture by the mid 90s. I suspect the book was at least in part for readers old enough to miss the classic adventures of Captain Marvel and Family, who were thrust into the grittier predicaments of modern comics during Legends.

The acquisition of The Marvel Family by DC Comics in the seventies seems like it came with mixed fortunes. It finally allowed for bona fide battles between Captain Marvel and his court acknowledged inspiration: Superman. Fantasy fights that scratch an itch we all have, but seem to have ultimately doomed Captain Marvel to eventual obscurity, and a loss of identity.

Nostalgia's become a contorting beast in the 2010s. Mismanaged by exploitative corporate forces who don't quite understand what they're dealing with, or have misguided designs for updating an old brand with detached content. Hollywood have been at it for so long, some of the audience now demands this once reviled "reboot" approach to licensing. The infantalization of the audience, becoming its own negative force in a confused, stagnating market.

Most of the examples I'm alluding to come from the eighties and nineties, only occasionally impacted with the retro movements of those times, which infused the twenties through to the fifties with a neon chic. Much of the audience excited by Reagan era heroes probably won't dwell on, or even recognize, earlier cultural touchstones. Greasers and burger joints? 'OMG, so eighties'.

As much as I've learned to have deep misgivings about nostalgia and its potentially crippling effects -- I love a comic like Power of Shazam!

I'm a total sucker for the muted fantasy of a magicman in a suit and turban. An unabashed holdover from WWII era comics, which themselves were carrying over pulp ideas popular decades earlier!

I would argue American comics are always at their best when they're aware of, and in touch with, their history. I'm utterly repulsed by the modern predicament of constantly reliving (and retelling) the same stories, but I love the fantastic premise of a serialized character essentially unscathed by time.

In the case of Captain Marvel, I think a sustained squinty-eyed innocence must be viewed as the definitive characterization. He's a character who can be easily compared to Superman, and isn't burdened by the iconic status that demands The Man of Steel change with time.

As we've seen in Zack Snyder's movies, New 52 comics, and even popular spin-off properties like the Injustice video games -- there's tremendous pressure on Superman to be a bastard. Popular acceptance seems to demand an emotionally volatile, potentially dangerous mirror of our modern selves. A Superman prone to human weaknesses mistakenly ascribed as more "relatable". When did being "super" ever have anything to do with living down to us?

Even if Superman can still be a symbol for hope, goodness, and all that we should aspire to, he will always be a modern man. As long as he is modern - Captain Marvel doesn't have to be.

Captain Marvel can still squint and smile and be everything he always was -- not just as a hold over from the past, but as a point of difference. Characterization of a nice man in a nasty world, advancing without breaking.

Power of Shazam doesn't seem like a comic from 1995 or '96 -- but was! It was a part of the contemporary DC Universe. It occasionally crossed over with other characters and events that were going on in the DC Universe. A fun, good natured, "new reader friendly" comic told in a unique modern style. Hoo-ray!

Of course, variety is also the spice of comic book life. It takes all sorts to make a universe, and there's plenty to go around. Classic or contemporary, you can find more feature fights and musings in the Secret Archive Index! If you like what you see, be sure to hit the G+1 at the top of the page (or below this area), and share links via social media. Every bit helps keep the wars infinite!

Winner: Ibis (w/ Mary Marvel)
#301 (new) Ibis
#309 (+6) Mary Marvel [+1 assist]
#19 (--) Black Adam