scans_daily: Another of my rare "Context is for the weak" posts

icon_uk (

icon_uk) wrote in

scans_daily,
@ 2010-01-03 10:27 pm UTC

Entry tags:

char: captain marvel/shazam/billy batson, char: doctor sivana, creator: e. nelson bridwell, creator: kurt schaffenberger, in-joke: context is for the weak, publisher: dc comics

Another of my rare "Context is for the weak" posts

What could Billy Batson be looking at with such surprise? Is this the last time he investigates a menace at a San Francisco bath-house?

(Or is he thanking all the deities who make up "SHAZAM" that he IS gagged right at this moment...?)

Here's the context which should make it all better...

Ummm, okay. That's not really helping is it...

Maybe we need a little more context

(Shazam #27 from 1977) Dr Sivana, with the cimplicity of a time displaced Benedict Arnold, has hijacked the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, and captured Billy in the process... Kid Eternity is in town, and is trying to help, unaware that Mr Keeper, the angelic-spirit who enables him to use his powers, is out of earshot....

These things always lose something in the context, no? :)

tags
creator: kurt schaffenberger
creator: e nelson bridwell
char: dr sivana
char: captain marvel/billy batson
char: kit freeman/kid eternity
in-joke: context is for the weak
title: shazam
publisher: dc comics

(40 comments) - (Post a new comment)
(Flat) (Top-level comments only)

	no subject freezer 2010-01-03 10:56 pm UTC (link)
	That is some classic super-villany right there. (Reply to this)

	no subject kamino_neko 2010-01-03 11:06 pm UTC (link)
	Is Kid's lack of powers related to the fact that Benedict Arnold is helping Sivana? (Reply to this) (Thread) (Hide 7 comments) (Show 7 comments)

no subject

icon_uk
2010-01-03 11:16 pm UTC (link)

No, Kid Eternity has a weird co-dependent relationship with Mr Keeper (not seen in these pages) who is the recording angel who screwed up and took Kid before his time.

In compensation for missing out on his allotted lifespan, St Peter allowed Kid to return to Earth, where he can be either an invisible, intangible ghost, or solid, and in either form can summon up representations of any deceased person from the past. The trouble is that the power is dependent on proximity to Mr Keeper. So whilst Mr Keeper didn't spot that Kid had wandered off by himself, Kid didn't notice that Mr Keeper wasn't around to empower him.

(Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 6 comments) (Show 6 comments)

	no subject kamino_neko 2010-01-03 11:27 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, I know his origins and such...I was just wondering if Keeper's being inaccessible was connected to the presence of a dead guy Kid didn't summon. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 1 comment) (Show 1 comment)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-03 11:30 pm UTC (link)
	Interesting notion, but no. Not even Masterman's equal but opposite powers, to summon up villains, stop Kid's powers. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject jlroberson 2010-01-04 01:46 am UTC (link)
	And if you add in Grant Morrison's angle--which I do, though I have been bored with what everyone else has done with it since--Keeper is in fact a demon, if a relatively nice and bumbling one, and Kid was manipulated into being an agent of the lords of chaos. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject aaron_bourque 2010-01-04 02:07 am UTC (link)
	the power is dependent on proximity to Mr Keeper Eeeeee. Did they drop that in recent versions, because . . . eeeeee. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 2 comments) (Show 2 comments)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-04 11:10 am UTC (link)
	Actually, I'm not sure we've even seen Mr Keeper in a long time. Was he in the post-Morrison revamped KE series, or has he shown up in the Titans? I really should repost the Don Newton Marvel/KE stories from Adventure comics, they are great fun, and sooooo pretty. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 1 comment) (Show 1 comment)

no subject

kamino_neko
2010-01-04 08:41 pm UTC (link)

Keeper did appear in the Vertigo series, and was mentioned in Titans - he was a Lord of Chaos. But Kid's currently empowered by a Lord of Order named Sister Sentry. He was tired of being used by the Lords of Chaos, so he decided to let the Lords of Order use him for a while, apparently. Only he may not be. Being used by the Lords of Order, that is. It's possible Sister Sentry is a demon...or, perhaps a demon just took her form when Kid came looking for her, as another demon did with Kid Devil's aunt Marla earlier in the story. It's really not clear. (All this happened in Teen Titans #68.)

(Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject zordboy 2010-01-03 11:11 pm UTC (link)
	Damn that sword doesn't look like a sword. You think after a while, Billy and his friends just liked being bound and gagged? And actively pursued those situations? I mean, this never happened to me as a kid (dang it). (Reply to this) (Thread) (Hide 10 comments) (Show 10 comments)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-03 11:17 pm UTC (link)
	I've always worked on that principle, ditto the assorted Robins and the Hardy boys... (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 5 comments) (Show 5 comments)

no subject

zordboy
2010-01-03 11:34 pm UTC (link)

"So now we've got you, what should we do with...?"

"Tie me up."

"... sorry, what?"

"Tie me up! You can't risk me getting away and warning the heroes, can you?"

"Well, no, but we were just gonna lock you in the cupboard."

"But tie me up first! Oh, and if you have any plaster or duct tape, gag me as well. C'mon damn it, I haven't got all day."

"Um, okay. Sure."

"Thanks!"

(Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 1 comment) (Show 1 comment)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-03 11:53 pm UTC (link)
	An internet for you sir... I also refer you to the recent Evil Inc posts (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

no subject

autumn_lily
2010-01-04 02:27 am UTC (link)

Could you imagine their conversations?

Robin: And then Two-Face had me tied up-

Billy: Oooo! Did he use rope? I hate it, always chaffs my wrists.

Robin: Well, since Two-Face does it so often, he went ahead and got some of that nice silk rope you know?

Billy: Sweet!

Robin: You think that's awesome? Let me tell you about the gag assortment he's amassed...

(Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 2 comments) (Show 2 comments)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-04 07:39 am UTC (link)
	Joe - Did you know I can now differentiate between thirteen different weaves of cotton by taste alone? (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 1 comment) (Show 1 comment)

	no subject zordboy 2010-01-04 11:32 am UTC (link)
	HAH! ^_^ (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject halialkers 2010-01-03 11:25 pm UTC (link)
	Superheroing: For roping young people into S&M accept no subsitute. ;P. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 1 comment) (Show 1 comment)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-03 11:31 pm UTC (link)
	Amen! :) (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject auggie18 2010-01-04 03:18 am UTC (link)
	At least Billy had the whole "If you don't tie me and gag me, Captain Marvel will beat the crap out of you" excuse. Other teen heroes, not so much. Though this seemed to happen to Billy and Freddy a lot more often than it happened to Mary. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 1 comment) (Show 1 comment)

	no subject zordboy 2010-01-04 03:38 am UTC (link)
	Between that and Robin, gosh it makes you think that someone in DC back in the day had a very defined fetish. Just sayin'. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject halialkers 2010-01-03 11:24 pm UTC (link)
	You can tell a lot about a man by the size of his.......sword. (Reply to this)

	no subject jlroberson 2010-01-04 01:44 am UTC (link)
	It actually gets more hilarious with context. (Reply to this)

	no subject salamangkiero 2010-01-04 02:11 am UTC (link)
	Classic comic books just get better with context, hahaha! (Reply to this)

	no subject autumn_lily 2010-01-04 02:29 am UTC (link)
	When I looked at the preview image, all I could think was: "Since when do villains use glory holes?" (Reply to this) (Thread) (Hide 3 comments) (Show 3 comments)

	no subject lamashtar 2010-01-04 03:20 am UTC (link)
	Convenience. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject jcbaggee 2010-01-04 02:09 pm UTC (link)
	Well it would be awfully embarrassing if Robin were to recognize him halfway through, so they hide behind a glory hole. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject joasakura 2010-01-04 03:05 pm UTC (link)
	motto. motto. motto. :laughs: (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject jelly_ace 2010-01-04 03:00 am UTC (link)
	I'll finish him with Billy... Congress... Sticking through the crack in the bell...(Is that what kids called that those days?) Oh, innuendo. Why must you be so fun? (Reply to this) (Thread) (Hide 3 comments) (Show 3 comments)

	no subject joasakura 2010-01-04 03:06 pm UTC (link)
	it's like one giant double entendre. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 2 comments) (Show 2 comments)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-04 03:18 pm UTC (link)
	It's barely "double entendre"... "entendre et demi" tops! (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 1 comment) (Show 1 comment)

	no subject joasakura 2010-01-04 05:26 pm UTC (link)
	:LOL: true, true. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject sistermagpie 2010-01-04 03:04 am UTC (link)
	Even with context it doesn't look like a sword! (Reply to this) (Thread) (Hide 3 comments) (Show 3 comments)

	no subject jlroberson 2010-01-04 04:23 am UTC (link)
	There is no way that was not intentional. This was Schaffenberger fucking with us, knowing it'd be obscured in coloring. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 2 comments) (Show 2 comments)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-04 03:25 pm UTC (link)
	To be fair, a google search on American revolutionary scabbards does suggest that it most likely is just good research on Schaffenbergers part. Artists took pride in such things in those days. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 1 comment) (Show 1 comment)

	no subject jlroberson 2010-01-04 06:10 pm UTC (link)
	No, I don't mean the accuracy of the scabbard. I mean the placement and like that. (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

	no subject psychopathicus_rex 2010-01-05 04:38 am UTC (link)
	I love how gleefully EVIL Sivana always is. That's one of the things that make him a classic villain - he's UNCOMPLICATED. He knows damn well that he's a villain, and he doesn't care - he's a GENIUS, dammit, and if he happens to be an evil genius, so much the better! They get all the best lines! (Reply to this) (Thread) (Hide 4 comments) (Show 4 comments)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-05 08:13 am UTC (link)
	Indeed "Scheme, crime, capture, gag, overlook flaw, fail at crime, go to jail" Rinse and repeat (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 3 comments) (Show 3 comments)

no subject

psychopathicus_rex
2010-01-05 10:18 pm UTC (link)

Precisely. He KNOWS what he's good at, he KNOWS what team he plays for (uh, regarding good and evil, that is), and he doesn't give a damn. He LOVES being a villain - just about every appearance of the character has at least one moment where he's rubbing his hands and cackling and going 'oh boy oh boy, I get to be EVIL again!'

(Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 2 comments) (Show 2 comments)

	no subject icon_uk 2010-01-06 12:48 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, you got to admire a villain who gets such a degree of job satisfaction. Another fun aspect of the Earth-S concept was that everyone was such an... epitome of their concept; The Worlds Mightiest Mortal The Worlds Most Evil Scientist The Worlds Wickedest Worm (Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent) (Thread) (Hide 1 comment) (Show 1 comment)

no subject

psychopathicus_rex
2010-01-06 01:06 am UTC (link)

Indeed - that's why the Marvel/Sivana antagonism worked so well - they were perfect matches. Sivana was the ultimate evil mad scientist, and Captain Marvel was the ultimate stalwart good guy. And to some degree, he STILL is - during the 'Underworld Unleashed' event, Neron was after the purest soul of all to add to his collection. Superman, right? Mais non - it was Captain Marvel! That's some pretty impressive credentials there.

(Reply to this) (Thread from start) (Parent)

(40 comments) - (Post a new comment)
(Flat) (Top-level comments only)