SHAZAM!

Shazam is one of the longest running characters in comics, but in recent years he has floundered around with no direction and no one to really make him a central part of the DC Universe. Geoff Johns is on a course to change that for fans. The New York Post talked with the Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics who said, “We changed his name [to Shazam] for a lot of reasons. One of them is that Shazam is the word most associated with the character, so we just felt it made sense — a lot of people already thought that was his name, anyway. His place in the world will be far more rooted in fantasy and magic than it ever was before"

My guess is that his other moniker, Captain Marvel, could also confuse new fans of why a DC character shared a name with their biggest rival company. He should have been known solely as Shazam for years now anyway, so this is a welcomed change. I don't know how much deeper he can be rooted into magic than in the past, considering the tales from the Golden Age were heavy on that element. Either way I am very excited to see him back in the DC universe with an updated look, but one that doesn't go off into a huge difference. I'm diggin' the cowl actually.

Check out Shazam's first appearance in the New 52 on March 21st in Justice League #7 as a side story.