Shazam! #19

This 1975 DC issue puts the transformation concept front and center — the cover by Bob Oksner shows young Billy Batson shouting "SHAZAM!" as the magic lightning crackles and the World's Mightiest Mortal emerges, while on the right a menacing figure in a matching costume looms alongside his own youthful counterpart, with speech bubbles declaring it's time for both the world's mightiest mortal and the world's mightiest villain. Writer Elliot S! Maggin and artist Kurt Schaffenberger bring the story "Who Stole Billy Batson's Thunder?" — a title that hints at a delicious mirror-image conflict between hero and foe. It's a wonderfully dynamic Bronze Age package that captures the playful, larger-than-life spirit that made Shazam! such a distinctive corner of the DC universe.