For centuries, science has ruled the world, while old magics have withered and died. Now magic is returning--finding a home in an unlikely hero: Billy Batson, the 15-year-old scourge of the foster-care system. Too obnoxious and arrogant for any home to hold for too long, Billy Batson is definitely trouble. Yet he has been selected to wield ancient power. But there is another, recently awakened, who seeks this same power: Black Adam. Ancient, brutal and evil, he will tear civilization apart after he destroys Billy Batson. If the world is to survive the plague of horror on the horizon, Billy Batson must embrace his greatest wish--and learn his greatest lesson. The kid with the chip on his shoulder must become magic's purest champion. Billy Batson must become...Shazam!