Shazam?

[protonik]

What? No Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil love? Best book of the week and prolly the best thing I have read in years. Smith's lines were damn near perfect and the story was pure and very well done. Can NOT wait for the next issue.

[kdmelrose]

I thought it was fantastic (though I'm a little torn on Billy and Captain Marvel as apparently separate beings).

[Mr.Musgrave]

I actually prefer it that way. The "kid in a man's body" thing never made any sense to me. How wise is it to give an 8 year old nearly unlimited power? And if he has the wisdom of solomon, how on earth is he so kid like anyway? Never made any sense to me.

[kdmelrose]

I think it has its roots in childhood wish-fulfillment: Say a magic word and you're suddenly grown and endowed with all of these powers. So I appreciate the appeal.

But I also get Smith's desire to move away from the "mildly retarded Superman" depiction of Captain Marvel.

[Paul Sanderson]

The old version always worked, but the character's been around long enough to experience some changes. It's not as though it'll be permanent. I think it's something worthwhile seeing.

[kdmelrose]

Have you read it?

[eDuke]

Have you read it?
I flipped through it -- almost bought it. I'm gonna wait for the trade (doing that more and more for all Marvel and DC books and only supporting the indies for monthlies). :)

[Paul Sanderson]

Have you read it?

Not yet, but the change does interest me. It sounds like it's worth checking out.

[kdmelrose]

I flipped through it -- almost bought it. I'm gonna wait for the trade (doing that more and more for all Marvel and DC books and only supporting the indies for monthlies). :)

Heh. For about six months there was a surprising number of DC and Marvel titles that interested me. But that's dwindled to just a few (Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Immortal Iron Fist, and the final few issues of Manhunter).

However, I've been waiting for Shazam! for, what, four years now? I just couldn't wait for the trade. I thought I was going to have to wait until next month for the first issue, when it arrived with the rest of my monthly shipment. But those swell folks at DC sent it to me yesterday. So if you want one of my copies, I can send it when my next DCBS order comes.

[Mr.Musgrave]

The old version always worked

If the old version always worked it wouldn't have always failed. KD nailed it with the "mildly retarded Superman" comment. Smith's version is far more interesting because it's a melding of two personalities instead of an 8 year old walking around wearing a WMD.

[kdmelrose]

KD nailed it with the "mildly retarded Superman" comment.

Well, I was quoting Jeff Smith. I nearly spit coffee when I read what he said:

"Well, one thing I noticed when I looked at what had been done with the character recently was that it seemed like they tried to draw Captain Marvel into the DC universe and make him conform to the rules of modern comics. He started to look, to me, like a bad imitation of Superman. You know, he’s kind of got the same powers and everything. But when you make him a serious superhero, and you make him — I guess they like to say Billy’s like 12 or 15 or something — and then he says, ‘Shazam!’ and he’s a 25-year-old man, and yet he’s supposed to have a brain of a 12- or 15-year-old boy, you just kind of end up with a mildly retarded Superman."

:laugh:

[Paul Sanderson]

It didn't always fail, Musgrave. Captain Marvel was once upon a time very popular. Perhaps a sign of the times, which is why I'm all for the changes described here. Maybe read the rest of my post and not just quote the first line :rolleyes:

[Mr.Musgrave]

It didn't always fail, Musgrave. Captain Marvel was once upon a time very popular. Perhaps a sign of the times, which is why I'm all for the changes described here. Maybe read the rest of my post and not just quote the first line :rolleyes:


I did, but you have a very "the way things were was the best way" attitude about you, Frank. You could see how I'd misunderstand.

And Cap.Marvel was very popular. Back in the '40s.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Big Red Cheese and all the silliness that goes with him, but the "I'm my own pedophile!" aspect of him just skeeves me out.

[Moonrider]

Don't get me wrong, I love the Big Red Cheese and all the silliness that goes with him, but the "I'm my own pedophile!" aspect of him just skeeves me out.

Billy Batson said that??? :eek:

[kdmelrose]

No. Billy said, "Shazam!"

[ponyrl]

I did, but you have a very "the way things were was the best way" attitude about you, Frank. You could see how I'd misunderstand.

And Cap.Marvel was very popular. Back in the '40s.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Big Red Cheese and all the silliness that goes with him, but the "I'm my own pedophile!" aspect of him just skeeves me out.
Okay Billy, where did you touch yourself?

Was it here?

Or here?

C'mon, you can use this doll to point it out.

:laugh:

Self love. How can ya hate that?

[protonik]

I actually prefer it that way. The "kid in a man's body" thing never made any sense to me. How wise is it to give an 8 year old nearly unlimited power? And if he has the wisdom of solomon, how on earth is he so kid like anyway? Never made any sense to me.


:blink:








:blink:









:cry:





Me and Musgrave agree on something? :confused:

:thumbs:

[protonik]

I did, but you have a very "the way things were was the best way" attitude about you, Frank. You could see how I'd misunderstand.

And Cap.Marvel was very popular. Back in the '40s.


I tend to think that had National not gone after Fawcett with a frivolous lawsuit and then ceased all publications that Captain Marvel would still be a huge book but more akin to Archie than Marvel or DC. I could see Fawcett wanting to try and retain that C.C. Beck look to the character that helped to make the series work while also doing the Junior stories with that more realistic Mac Raboy style.

[L Jamal]

I tend to think that had National not gone after Fawcett with a frivolous lawsuit and then ceased all publications that Captain Marvel would still be a huge book but more akin to Archie than Marvel or DC.

Frivolous law suit? DC won! Fawcett at some times told creators to copy Superman, you don't get any closer to infringement than that. Fawcett and DC settled because both wold have went out of business paying to discover and refute all the infringing work. Could you imagine having to sift through every Superman and Captain Marvel story and then comparing them looking for similarities?

[Mr.Musgrave]

Me and Musgrave agree on something? :confused:

:thumbs:



Is it too late to change my opinion?













:nyah:

[Paul Sanderson]

I did, but you have a very "the way things were was the best way" attitude about you, Frank.

Maybe, but you have an "whatever I say is fact" attitude about you, which is just as irksome. Mind you, I have a bit of that myself :p

You could see how I'd misunderstand.

No, you just misread my original post :nyah:

[Mr.Musgrave]

Maybe, but you have an "whatever I say is fact" attitude about you, which is just as irksome. Mind you, I have a bit of that myself :p

Whatever I say is fact. If you'd stop being wrong, you'd understand that.
:fart:

[protonik]

Frivolous law suit? DC won! Fawcett at some times told creators to copy Superman, you don't get any closer to infringement than that. Fawcett and DC settled because both wold have went out of business paying to discover and refute all the infringing work. Could you imagine having to sift through every Superman and Captain Marvel story and then comparing them looking for similarities?

DC didn't win, it was just drug out until Fawcett decided to drop it t my understanding.

[protonik]

Is it too late to change my opinion?

Yep, too late! LOL :fart:













:nyah:[/QUOTE]

[kdmelrose]

DC didn't win, it was just drug out until Fawcett decided to drop it t my understanding.

An appeals court ruled in 1954 that Captain Marvel infringed on the Superman copyright, and remanded the case to trial court to determine damages. The appeals court judge, Learned Hand, wrote, "The evidence... leaves no possible doubt that the copying was deliberate; indeed it takes scarcely more than a glance at corresponding strips of Superman and Captain Marvel, to assure the observer that the plagiarism was deliberate and unabashed."

Instead of appealing -- possibly because superhero comics were no longer selling as well as they had in the previous decade -- Fawcett settled with National/DC.

[protonik]

An appeals court ruled in 1954 that Captain Marvel infringed on the Superman copyright, and remanded the case to trial court to determine damages. The appeals court judge, Learned Hand, wrote, "The evidence... leaves no possible doubt that the copying was deliberate; indeed it takes scarcely more than a glance at corresponding strips of Superman and Captain Marvel, to assure the observer that the plagiarism was deliberate and unabashed."

Instead of appealing -- possibly because superhero comics were no longer selling as well as they had in the previous decade -- Fawcett settled with National/DC.

Thanks Kevin, much appreciated.