Billy Batson goes through superhero puberty in new Shazam! Series

Shazam! #1 — (Image credit: Steve Lieber (DC))

His nickname may be 'the World's Mightiest Mortal,' but Shazam! will be hitting a rough patch in a new four-issue series debuting this summer.

Future State: Shazam writer Tim Sheridan reunites with Billy Batson and his superhero secret identity in Shazam!, a four-issue series drawn by Clayton Henry to launch this July.

Billy Batson is currently among the students at Teen Titans Academy (a series which is also written by Sheridan), but is going through some problems he's too afraid to share with his classmates - especially since he doesn't even trust them to know Shazam! is his alter-ego.

"Billy Batson came to Titans Academy looking for answers, but so far has kept his Shazam! identity a secret from his new classmates," reads DC's description of Shazam! #1. "Why was the rest of his adopted family cut off from the power of Shazam!? Why are his own powers becoming increasingly unreliable? What has happened to the Rock of Eternity, where is the Wizard, and who can help Billy get his powers back to normal before these mysterious events turn into a full-blown crisis?

"The answers send Billy on an outrageous adventure that’ll not only change him…but have an immense impact on the school and other students on Titans Island!"

Wait… He's a teen. His superhuman body is going through changes. He is having trouble confiding about it to his peers and parental figures.

… Is Billy Batson/Shazam! going through some sort of superteen puberty? Sounds like it.

In addition to the Shazam! #1 primary cover by Clayton Henry (shown above), here are variants by Steve Lieber and Gary Frank:

Image 1 of 2

Shazam! #1 variant covers

Shazam! #1 (of 4) goes on sale July 20.

Make sure you've read all the best Shazam! Stories of all time.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)