Toy Review: McFarlane’s SHAZAM! Is Magical

With one magic word, Billy Batson becomes Earth’s Mightiest Mortal. And with the same magic word, one of McFarlane Toys’ best figures hit the scene.

The history of Billy Batson/Captain Marvel/SHAZAM! is a complicated one. The character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 in 1939 from C. C. Beck and Bill Parker. The hero was a massive hit, challenging Superman’s popularity. In 1941, Detective Comics (the company not the series) sued Whiz publisher Fawcett Comics, claiming Captain Marvel was a copy of Superman. This would begin over a decade of litigation between the two companies, with each winning small victories. Simultaneously, Fawcett faced severe financial issues, and effectively shuttered in 1953.

In 1972, DC Comics licensed Captain Marvel to join the publisher’s growing superhero line. At that time, DC had to launch the character under the title of SHAZAM! instead of Captain Marvel, as Marvel Comics had created their own Captain Marvel character. The character became a crucial part of the DC universe, with multiple volumes and stories under his belt. In the New 52 reboot, DC dropped the Captain Marvel name, first calling him SHAZAM and then eventually the Captain.

This figure is a great mix of that classic history alongside Billy’s modern redesigns. The design is like the Captain jumped off the page. He’s broad-chested and the character’s face is surprisingly expressive. He’s a great figure.

As far as accessories, he only has one set of extra hands, and a cord to create a more classic look (which I didn’t like and barely used). It’s pretty minimal, and could use a little more. Another couple pair of hands and maybe some lightning effects would elevate the figure significantly.

Where this figure sings is his posing.

Everything I wanted to do with him worked. It felt like I was able to re-create any cover or page that I wanted to. The poses had weight behind them, and the figure looked strong and fast. It was seriously a ton of fun. The wired cape only added to that, meaning it looked great while posing.

There’s a saying in the figure collecting community that “McFarlane doesn’t pose” and all four figures I reviewed this week have proved that wrong. None as much as this one though. I enjoyed every single one of them immensely.

And with a single magic word, this figure is an instant favorite.