DC Comics is going to have a new Shazam character and it’s going to be Mary Marvel! Billy Batson’s big sister Mary Bromfield will get the mantle of Shazam in a new miniseries that’s coming in 2022, titled The New Champion of Shazam! The four-issue miniseries will be written by Josie Campbell, alongside Shazam artist Evan Shaner. “For a long time I just didn’t have any interest in returning to anything Shazam related,” Shaner says. “But I always thought Mary should be the lead of the book for a while, and that was the one time I would return if it ever happened.”
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“It’s been so long since she had her own book,” Shaner added during his interview with Polygon. “Since before she was a DC property. We’re hoping to have the fun and the creative energy behind so much of the early stuff that Binder did, but bring that to a more modern audience and try to make it more relatable to kids or young adults today.”
Josie Campbell also spoke to Polygon about this new entry in the Shazam! series, stating: “It’s been so long since she had her own book,” Shaner added, “since before she was a DC property. We’re hoping to have the fun and the creative energy behind so much of the early stuff that Binder did, but bring that to a more modern audience and try to make it more relatable to kids or young adults today.”
Here’s DC Comics’ synopsis for The New Champion of Shazam!:
Mary Bromfield has always struggled to determine who she is outside her family … kinda hard to do when you’re all superheroes! Now, after Billy Batson’s heroic sacrifice, the power of Shazam has vanished, and she’s been left powerless.
Most heroes would be distraught, but not Mary. It’s finally time for a voyage of self-discovery as she prepares for her freshman year of college and a civilian life. But nothing is ever truly normal for this young hero, because she’s just been chosen as the new champion of Shazam! (At least according to a talking rabbit sent by her estranged brother Billy.) Will she embrace the power? Or will it die alongside this world’s hope of survival against the mysterious magical forces waiting to take control?
The New Champion of Shazam! #1 will be released on February 8, 2022.
