[1] It is widely known for being the comic run in which hugely popular superhero character Captain Marvel (Shazam) made his debut.

In 1939, Fawcett Publications was trying to capitalize on the ongoing superhero boom spearheaded by characters like Superman and Batman.

Fawcett created two black-and-white ashcan #1 issues to solicit advertisers and to secure the copyrights to the material.

With half a dozen spin-offs and the honor of being the first superhero to appear on film, Captain Marvel and Whiz Comics were outselling Superman by a huge margin.

[7][8] The lawsuit took 12 years to resolve, with Fawcett having to pay $400,000 in damages and cease publication of all Captain Marvel-related material.