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scans_dailyFrom The New York Post
Shazam! With one lightning-infused magic word, DC Comics has relaunched one of its most iconic characters, reviving the superhero known since 1939 as Captain Marvel and renaming and supercharging him with a heavy double dose of mysticism and magic.
“We changed his name [to Shazam] for a lot of reasons,” said Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. “One of them is that Shazam is the word most associated with the character, so we just felt it made sense — a lot of people already thought that was his name, anyway.”
With a new origin, a cowl, a lightning bolt on his chest, and a penchant for causing electrical appliances to explode, Shazam still bears similarities to the original hero, including the power to change from feisty teen Billy Batson into a superhero by uttering the magic word that is now his name.
Not sure about this, the namechange is depressing, but more or less inevitable, and the hood seems.... pointless (even by costume standards).
Basically, I still just wish the Marvels were living on another Earth, where their clear-cut, clean-cut, "goodies and baddies" vibe could work a lot better than it does in the moral morass of the regular DCU
Shazam! With one lightning-infused magic word, DC Comics has relaunched one of its most iconic characters, reviving the superhero known since 1939 as Captain Marvel and renaming and supercharging him with a heavy double dose of mysticism and magic.
“We changed his name [to Shazam] for a lot of reasons,” said Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. “One of them is that Shazam is the word most associated with the character, so we just felt it made sense — a lot of people already thought that was his name, anyway.”
With a new origin, a cowl, a lightning bolt on his chest, and a penchant for causing electrical appliances to explode, Shazam still bears similarities to the original hero, including the power to change from feisty teen Billy Batson into a superhero by uttering the magic word that is now his name.
The new Shazam debuts March 21 as a side story in Justice League No. 7.
“His place in the world will be far more rooted in fantasy and magic than it ever was before,” Johns said.
“His place in the world will be far more rooted in fantasy and magic than it ever was before,” Johns said.
You mean MORE than when he was just as little kid given his powers by an ancient wizard who lived on a rock floating outside of space and time, in a place accessible from a subway station by a magic train, Geoff?
Not sure about this, the namechange is depressing, but more or less inevitable, and the hood seems.... pointless (even by costume standards).
Basically, I still just wish the Marvels were living on another Earth, where their clear-cut, clean-cut, "goodies and baddies" vibe could work a lot better than it does in the moral morass of the regular DCU
no subject
Date: 2012-03-05 03:34 pm (UTC)Given that even alternate DC Earths (like the new Earth-2) are all grim, dark now as well I don't even know if that will help.
This is so disappointing. They really had a chance to start over with Captain Marvel/Shazam/Whatever. The Young Justice cartoon had showed the way. There was nothing wrong with the concept. Nothing.
But this...and a hood? Because the embodiment of hope and trust and innocence needs a hood to hide his face? Why, Geoff Johns, why? Why screw up with a costume that was already classic? Why screw with a costume that literally looked like it was cooked up in the brain of an idealistic 8 year old as to what a super-hero costume should look like? A hood.....
Am I the only one scared what they plan to do with Mary? Johns (with Ordway) to use again as Black Mary in JSA (which made no sense given all she had been through) and female characterizations (and outfits!) haven't fared well (with exceptions) in the new "52". We already know (via Mark Waid and others) that people at DC have issues on writing "nice girls".