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DC Comics Presents (1978) #49

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"Superman and Shazam!: "Black Adam"": It's nighttime in Egypt as Superman is the only thing disturbing the skies of a calm summer's night. Having heard massive bandwave interference from this area with his super-hearing, he figures that no normal broadcast could be at play here and flies off

Quote1 You're more warped than I'd originally believed, Adam! You call people sheep... You think a hero is somehow different than the rest of the "herd"-- Well, you couldn't be more mistaken! It's the nobility of those very people that spurs us on-- That gives us the ideal to live up to-- And the will to smash the likes of you! Quote2
— Superman

DC Comics Presents #49 is an issue of the series DC Comics Presents (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1982.

Synopsis for Superman and Shazam!: "Black Adam"

It's nighttime in Egypt as Superman is the only thing disturbing the skies of a calm summer's night. Having heard massive bandwave interference from this area with his super-hearing, he figures that no normal broadcast could be at play here and flies off to the Aswan High Dam, which overlooks Lake Nasser. The Aswan High Dam has been seized in the meanwhile by the “Middle Eastern Liberation Front” (MELF,) a group of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists, who have been demanding the Arab Republic of Egypt surrender to them or they'll set off a nuclear device to destroy the Aswan Dam, flooding the nearby valley. They soon find the Man of Tomorrow flying at them and find that bullets don't exactly work on him, which distracts them long enough that Superman is able to throw their nuclear weapon into space before it goes off. Superman soon flies back down and uses some safety netting for dam maintenance and captures the MELF, only for them to set off a secondary bomb, forcing the Man of Steel to use his heat vision to hold back the racing waters. Superman soon uses his heat vision and some super-rubbing to fix the Aswan Dam back into place, but soon finds with his x-ray vision that the explosion has caused horrible tremors that threaten the historic Temple of Abu Simbel! Superman lifts the whole thing and sets it back down when he's done. However, as he flies off towards other important work a single shaft of light strikes inside Abu Simbel…

Elsewhere, mild-mannered paper-peddler Billy Batson finds that it's raining heavily in New York City and no one seems to care about the bad news that a Senator has been assassinated lately by terrorists. Trying to find shelter in an abandoned subway tunnel, a mysterious figure in a dark coat and a green hat leads him into an abandoned subway tunnel and soon finds through the tunnels is a mysterious hallway showing the Seven Deadly Sins (though it's still the traditional Enemies of Man in name.) Looking back, he finds the mystery man is gone and lights a brazier next to an empty throne, which summons the mighty Wizard Shazam! He reveals that if he speaks the magic word that is his name, he will be granted six amazing powers and become the World's Mightiest Mortal! Billy does so and becomes “Captain Marvel” and says that he did about the same on Earth-S, but 40 years ago and died, telling him he can do little more to help him and he must stop crime everywhere on Earth…

Unfortunately, Billy wakes up from this dream with his bed covered in back issues of Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures when he's woken by his portly Uncle Dudley. He tells Dudley he had that dream again and Dudley offers that Captain Marvel is just in comic books and tries to show him a magic card trick that he thinks will make him famous again. Dudley accidentally makes him sunny-side-up eggs (instead of scrambled) and Billy leaves, saying that his Uncle Dudley is the only family he has left now. Billy heads out to school and hears on the news about a man who looks like Captain Marvel in Central Park, but in a black outfit, so Billy dashes out to look into it, almost getting himself hit by oncoming traffic…

Cops in Central Park soon find that Black Adam has defeated the first wave of cops and is holding a car over his head, willing to throw it at the arriving men. He shouts to them while throwing a car that will soon be their King and they have no way to stop him, only for Superman to show up, recalling how they've met beforehand. Black Adam points out Superman wasn't the one who beat him then and that he's actually to blame for him being on Earth-One! He reveals that him resetting the Temple of Abu Simbel a few scant inches off (somehow) teleported Teth-Adam to Earth-One from a similar prison on Earth-S. Thus, he called SHAZAM to become Black Adam, Slayer of Pharaohs and he was freed once again. Further, he's created a magic lightning barrier around Earth-One, keeping him from being seen by the Wizard Shazam and that, if Superman were to try calling in Captain Marvel from Earth-S, he'd hit the magic lightning barrier, both turning him back into Billy and electrocuting him to death. Nearby, Jimmy Olsen finds Earth-One Billy Batson and notes the strange similarities to fictional comic book villain Black Adam. Black Adam says that heroes are foolish for constantly defending mortal men from being led like the “sheep they are” and Superman says that being a hero doesn't make him better than everyone and that he's an ideal to live up to. Billy Batson tries to run in and challenge Black Adam, who thinks he's far too young to be the Billy he knows already and grabs him, forcing Superman to leave or he will kill him. Jimmy Olsen ignorantly presumes that Superman is just giving up, but he flies him off to a nearby mountain and points out that there was a child being threatened and he can easily just watch him from afar with his telescopic vision. Jimmy explains Billy's half-made plan of just calling SHAZAM and hoping he also turns into Captain Marvel, though Black Adam does drop him, he laughs that only a mystical place (like the Temple of Abu Simbel) will give him the power he needs. Billy soon runs off and into Jimmy who calms him and Superman helps him out by flying him to Abu Simbel, where he believes that calling SHAZAM might actually work… but they figure out that the light needs to shine on a different cartouche that reads “Captain Marvel” for it to work. Superman fashions a giant lens out of desert sand and heat-vision and Billy calls SHAZAM again… summoning the real Captain Marvel!

Meanwhile, Black Adam digs up the Cleopatra's Needle in Central Park and almost throws it into the Statue of Liberty, but Superman is able to tip it out of the path of destruction first. Captain Marvel, carrying Billy, notes the strangeness of meeting a younger version of himself and gets to work fighting Black Adam, chasing him into the air above the city. Black Adam gets side-swiped by Superman arriving as well to join the fight and tries to recapture Billy to try to force Captain Marvel to also give up for now, but Billy begins to encourage Captain Marvel, saying that “I believe in you… so does everyone - - especially the old Wizard… Old Hamshaz, er… Hazam… I-I mean, Shahaz…” until Black Adam mocks that no one can save him “not even SHAZAM!”… which turns him back into Teth-Adam, who is punched out immediately by the World's Mightiest Mortal. Billy tells Captain Marvel he remembers Uncle Marvel pulling this same trick a few times and Superman soon arrives to say that he did a great job. Superman arrests Teth-Adam and encourages Captain Marvel to talk to Billy. Billy admits he wants to be just like him and Captain Marvel says today he was and that he's a real hero, since he wouldn't lie to a fellow Captain Marvel! Billy thinks on how maybe he will become Captain Marvel someday. He calls SHAZAM again to find it does nothing… but thinks “Oh well. Maybe one day… who knows?”

Appearing in Superman and Shazam!: "Black Adam"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Black Adam
    • The Middle Eastern Liberation Front (MELF)

Other Characters:

  • Uncle Dudley (Earth-One) (Single appearance)
  • Shazam (In dream sequence only)

Locations:

Items:

Notes

JLA v.1 21
Multiversal Crossover
The events from this issue or series involve a Multiversal crossover between Pre-Crisis worlds and characters. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Pre-Crisis Multiverse Crossover category.
See also Post-Crisis Multiverse Crossovers.



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