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Shazam! Vol 5 9

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"Creeped Out!": The crazy vigilante known as the "Creeper" has infiltrated a building in Fawcett City and is waiting for a security guard to leave his station in order to deactivate the security cameras and steal its information. Once he accomplishes his objective, he escapes.

You're the Creeper?
— Shazam

Shazam! (Volume 5) #9 is an issue of the series Shazam! (Volume 5) with a cover date of May, 2024. It was published on March 5, 2024.

Synopsis for "Creeped Out!"

The crazy vigilante known as the "Creeper" has infiltrated a building in Fawcett City and is waiting for a security guard to leave his station in order to deactivate the security cameras and steal its information. Once he accomplishes his objective, he escapes.

A few nights later, Billy has been invited to participate in Jack Ryder's TV show, Don't Ask!, which on a national tour. Ryder asks Billy about his podcast, which he has dedicated to the Captain, and suggest he could dedicate it to someone like the Creeper, who Ryder constantly props up as a courageous hero, even though Billy thinks the Creeper is a maniac, even worse than the Joker. He starts asking difficult questions to Billy, such as the Captain's association with ancient deities, Billy's own lack of personal connection with the Captain, and whether humanity can trust someone as powerful as the Captain as their protector.

Once the show ends, Ryder congratulates Billy for his good work, even though Billy didn't have a chance to speak properly, and Ryder explains that people love it when talk show hosts like Ryder act like jerks because it makes people feel decent. Ryder takes Billy to his car and offers him a ride home, and once they get inside, he asks Billy to read a few words, something that Ryder claims to do occasionally as a form of practice for public speaking. Two of the words, when spoken closely to each other, sound exactly like the magic word and when Billy speaks it, he is immediately transformed into Shazam.

Shazam is annoyed that Billy fell for such a cheap trick and Ryder is pleased that his suspicions about Billy and the Captain being the same person were correct. He explains to Shazam that he obtained security footage from a hospital a few days ago, and even reveals himself to be the Creeper. He came to Shazam because he is the mood for a team-up. The Creeper takes Shazam to a train that seems abandoned at first glance, but when Shazam and the Creeper board it, they find that its passengers are actually living shadows.

The culprit is the Carl Sands, the Shadow Thief. According to the Creeper, Sands had saved the life of an alien, and in return, the alien gave him a device that allows to travel into and out of a shadowy dimension. With this device, he can even become intangible. He turned into a life of crime, and now, he is holding the train's passengers, the World Fiduciary Council, as hostages, which is why the Creeper asked for Shazam's help.

The Shadow Thief causes the train to fall off its tracks, but the Captain stops it before its passengers get injured. To keep the Shadow Thief from escaping, Shazam summons the living lightning, which emits so much light that the Shadow Thief is left disoriented and the Creeper easily captures him. With the World Fiduciary Council safe, Billy begins to think that maybe Ryder isn't so bad, after all, only to Ryder to admit that, once he figured out that Billy and the Captain were the same person. he didn't need to trick Billy into saying the magic word. He just did it for fun. Disappointed, Billy transforms into the Captain and returns home.

Hours later, Ryder returns home, as well, only to be met with a bucket of water over his head, left by Metamorpho as a practical joke.

Appearing in "Creeped Out!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Metamorpho (Flashback and main story) (Cameo)
  • "Shazam Gods" (Flashback only) (Cameo)
  • Thar Dan (First appearance; unnamed) (Flashback only)
  • W.H.I.Z. News
    • Bud Bellinger (First appearance) (Voice) (Cameo)
    • Gene (Whiz Radio security guard) (Phone call only)
    • Marty (Whiz Radio security guard) (Single appearance)
  • The World Fiduciary Council (Single appearance)
  • Daphne Dean (Mentioned only)
  • Freddy Freeman (Mentioned only)
  • God (Mentioned only)
  • Joker (Mentioned only)

Locations:

Items:

  • Dimensiometer (Flashback and main story)
  • Mercury's Helmet (Flashback only) (Cameo)

Vehicles:

  • Jack Ryder's Car

Concepts:

Notes

  • This issue reintroduces the pre-Crisis origin of the Shadow Thief.[1]



See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

  1. ↑ Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #20
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