Fawcett City
Encyclopedia
Fawcett City is a fictional city
, and the home of DC Comics
' Captain Marvel
and the Marvel Family
. It first appeared in the graphic novel
"The Power of Shazam" by Jerry Ordway
in 1994. Its name is derived from the original publishers of Captain Marvel comics, Fawcett Comics
. It is also home to Bulletman and Bulletgirl
, Spy Smasher
, Ibis the Invincible
, Mister Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid and Minute-Man
; also characters from Fawcett Comics.
Features of Fawcett City include radio
station WHIZ
, which employs Captain Marvel's teenaged alter ego
Billy Batson as an on-air and field reporter. Streets in Fawcett City have been named in honour of creators who worked on the Shazam property over the decades including Otto Binder
(Binder Boulevard) and Bill Parker
.
Fawcett City, like those of the other cities that appear in comics published by DC, has no exact location, besides being identified as being located in the Midwest region of the United States
. However, in the 1990s series The Power of Shazam!
, it was suggested that it was located in Wisconsin
, thanks to various clues given by writer Jerry Ordway
. A Teen Titans Secret Files & Origins special, however, stated that Fawcett City was located in Indiana
and JSA vs. Kobra #4 (November, 2009) indicates that the city is in Minnesota
.
The city is distinguished in the comic stories by an old-fashioned look and feel. Despite existing in the modern world, with current technologies and events, Fawcett seems old fashioned, as if stuck in the 1940s or 1950s. This timeless feel was explained in the Power of Shazam! series as being the results of a spell cast over the city in 1955 by Ibis the Invincible
. The spell was requested by the wizard Shazam
, and was said to have protected Fawcett from the influences of outside evils and slowed the passage of time. For the next forty years within the DC Universe
, the city existed as a time-warp of sorts to the 1950s. The spell was shown to be removed in Power of Shazam! #11 (January 1996), and Fawcett began to slowly become a more modern city, although most of its Art Deco
style buildings and generally old-fashioned values remain intact.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, and the home of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
and the Marvel Family
Marvel Family
The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and Fawcett artists C. C...
. It first appeared in the graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
"The Power of Shazam" by Jerry Ordway
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and...
in 1994. Its name is derived from the original publishers of Captain Marvel comics, Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
. It is also home to Bulletman and Bulletgirl
Bulletman and Bulletgirl
Bulletman was a Fawcett Comics superhero created by Bill Parker and Jon Smalle for Nickel Comics #1 in May, 1940.-Fictional character biography:...
, Spy Smasher
Spy Smasher
Spy Smasher is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The first is a superhero that was formerly owned and published by Fawcett Comics...
, Ibis the Invincible
Ibis the Invincible
Ibis the Invincible is a fictional character, a comic book superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics in the 1940s and then by DC Comics beginning in the 1970s. Like many magician superheroes introduced in the Golden Age of Comics, Ibis owes much to the popular comic strip character Mandrake...
, Mister Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid and Minute-Man
Minute-Man
Minute-Man is a fictional comic book superhero.-Publication history:Named after the minutemen of the American Revolution and sporting an American flag-inspired costume, he was originally published by Fawcett Comics...
; also characters from Fawcett Comics.
Features of Fawcett City include radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station WHIZ
WHIZ (comics)
WHIZ is the fictional radio station for which Billy Batson, who is also the superhero Captain Marvel, works. It appears in various Captain Marvel stories published by Fawcett Comics and DC Comics, the current publishers/owners of the Fawcett characters....
, which employs Captain Marvel's teenaged alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
Billy Batson as an on-air and field reporter. Streets in Fawcett City have been named in honour of creators who worked on the Shazam property over the decades including Otto Binder
Otto Binder
Otto Oscar Binder was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books...
(Binder Boulevard) and Bill Parker
Bill Parker
William "Bill" H. Parker, Jr. was an American comic book writer and editor. He is best known for creating Fawcett Comics' most popular character, Captain Marvel, in 1940, along with artist C. C. Beck....
.
Fawcett City, like those of the other cities that appear in comics published by DC, has no exact location, besides being identified as being located in the Midwest region of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. However, in the 1990s series The Power of Shazam!
The Power of Shazam!
The Power of Shazam! is a 1994 hardcover graphic novel, written and painted by Jerry Ordway for DC Comics. The 96-page story, depicting the revamped origins of former Fawcett Comics superhero Captain Marvel, was followed by an ongoing series, also titled The Power of Shazam!, which ran from 1995 to...
, it was suggested that it was located in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, thanks to various clues given by writer Jerry Ordway
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and...
. A Teen Titans Secret Files & Origins special, however, stated that Fawcett City was located in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and JSA vs. Kobra #4 (November, 2009) indicates that the city is in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
The city is distinguished in the comic stories by an old-fashioned look and feel. Despite existing in the modern world, with current technologies and events, Fawcett seems old fashioned, as if stuck in the 1940s or 1950s. This timeless feel was explained in the Power of Shazam! series as being the results of a spell cast over the city in 1955 by Ibis the Invincible
Ibis the Invincible
Ibis the Invincible is a fictional character, a comic book superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics in the 1940s and then by DC Comics beginning in the 1970s. Like many magician superheroes introduced in the Golden Age of Comics, Ibis owes much to the popular comic strip character Mandrake...
. The spell was requested by the wizard Shazam
Shazam (comics)
Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. He is an ancient sorcerer who gives young Billy Batson the power to transform into the superhero Captain Marvel...
, and was said to have protected Fawcett from the influences of outside evils and slowed the passage of time. For the next forty years within the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, the city existed as a time-warp of sorts to the 1950s. The spell was shown to be removed in Power of Shazam! #11 (January 1996), and Fawcett began to slowly become a more modern city, although most of its Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style buildings and generally old-fashioned values remain intact.