Shazam!
One ofShazam’searliest foe , Ibac , is also one of his most tragic . A twisted mirror of Shazam , Ibac has been a thorn in the side of the World ’s Mightiest Mortal for age , and in 1973’sShazam # 4 , in a story entitle “ Ibac the Cursed , ” he has reformed but gets conjure back into service by the same demonic entity that gave him his powers so long ago .
WhileBlack Adamand Doctor Sivana are ordinarily seen as Shazam ’s greatest foes , the respite of his rogue ’s gallery is not to be discounted either . Ibac is another , and as mentioned earlier , he is a dark edition of Shazam ; he first seem in 1942’sCaptain Marvel Adventures # 8 , from Fawcett Comics . Just as the Shazam draws his powers from mythic heroes , with the first letter of the alphabet of each name spelling outthe Word of God “ Shazam,”Ibac pull back his powers from some of history ’s most malign villains : Ivan the Terrible , Borgia , Attila the Hun , and Caligula , which spell out “ Ibac . ” Born Stanley Printwhistle , he was a normal , run - of - the - pulverization turn who was overcome by Shazam . He sell his soul to the devil in exchange for powers to beat Shazam , but since Ibac has never defeated him , his individual is still his .
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In 1973’sShazam # 4by Denny O’Neill with artistic production by Shazam co - creator C.C. Beck , Shazam runs into Stanley on the street . He tells Shazam he is reformed and now working an honest business as a custodian ; he has not turned into Ibac in almost a decade . However , his “ benefactors ” have other plans for Stanley , and psychically influence him to say his wizardly word . Shazam has since turnedback into Billy ; Ibac essay to kidnap him , but Billy is capable to transmute . He and Ibac agitate across the city , and Shazam has worn him down . Ibac ’s helper , angered over their whiz ’s inability to drum Shazam , withdraw their power . Printwhistle then return to his average life-time .
While the story was presented with all the whimsy of a classic , Golden Age Shazam adventure , there is a stratum of darkness underneath . Printwhistle had tried so hard to put his Clarence Day as Ibac behind him and was largely successful . Yet he was forced to transmute back into his brutish scoundrel by powers beyond his control . It happened once , and the taradiddle hints it could happen again . Another , darker eddy is that if Ibac is ever successful indefeating Shazam , then his soul is forfeit to Satan . Ibac is a tragic villain , a human beings urgently hear to escape his past , but still at the mercy of it .
Ibac is one ofShazam’soldest enemy , a dark musing of what Shazam stands for ; he is also one of the most tragic . While his soul was never given to the Devil , he has still yield greatly for the bargain .
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