John Byrne's Shazam!

[powersthatbe]

Oh would could have been. I love the oversize look of the capes on mary and cap.

[PNGwynne]

I received the Thomas/Mandrake HC recently as a gift--I didn't like it originally and it has not aged well. The World's Finest/Adventure runs by Bridwell and the incomparable Don Newton are a delight in comparison. Thank goodness Ordway salvaged the characters in the '90s.

I'm no longer much of a Byrne fan, his style quirks and personality have left me cold as I've aged. But the sketches at the top of this thread? Tantalizing.

Now Doc Shaner's Shazam!? That's a match made in heaven--or at least on the Rock of Eternity.

[samurainoir]

[exoduschj]

Byrne did get a chance to draw Captain Marvel in DC's "LEGENDS" series. That was great!

[samurainoir]

a writer/artist better know for the OTHER Captain Marvel!

[samurainoir]

I seem to recall that Mike Wieringo was originally going to be the artist on Ordway's Power of Shazam monthly? I think they even showed a Wieringo Captain Marvel? That would have been a match made in heaven, and probably would have sold a lot better with him on it.

Chris

Wow! 'Ringo would have been a terrific choice. He seems the perfect balance between cartoony and realism.

[samurainoir]

From the amount of heavy use of black in that city scene I'm guessing this would've been a B&W comic like Byrne's OMAC.

I'm not sure DC editorial would have let Byrne get away with that, but perhaps they were pulling the Wizard of Oz effect... showing how dark Fawcett city was until Captain Marvel shows up. Apparently, in Byrne's version the Wizard gives the powers initially to that guy picking on Billy who becomes Black Adam.

Apparently this version was nixed because of WAR OF THE GODS!
(i loves me my Perez, but even George himself admits this was his low ebb burnout stage)

Byrne was doing tonal stuff soon after this over his B&W art on Namor(?) which was coloured.

I'm going to try and dig out the Modern Masters Byrne book, he might talk about it in there.


Was Byrne inking his own stuff around this time? or was Ordway? I can't remember... Ordway stayed on Superman after Byrne left right?

[kingdom warrior]

Yeah, this would have been nice to see. Hard to believe Roy Thomas spearheaded such a wrong-headed Shazam! revival. Very out of character for him. But Mandrake was all wrong for it for sure.

I seem to recall that Mike Wieringo was originally going to be the artist on Ordway's Power of Shazam monthly? I think they even showed a Wieringo Captain Marvel? That would have been a match made in heaven, and probably would have sold a lot better with him on it.

Chris

Ugh i remember when it came out i was so disappointed, it pretty much did Cap in for a few years till Ordway took over.

Wieringo would have been great, i loved his art. Saddened when he passed away.

I had been hoping that Ordway was going to be the penciler from the start was disappointed when he wasn't and it was Peter Krause.
Krause's artwork wasn't bad but I just wanted Ordway to do it....

Always like Ordway's Homage to the WOW page in the Rocketeer in the Graphic novel.......

[MEGO_SUPERMAN]

Big fan of Byrne and Perez. Brings back great memories of the Xmen before they were everywhere....

[Earth 2 Chris]

Yeah, this would have been nice to see. Hard to believe Roy Thomas spearheaded such a wrong-headed Shazam! revival. Very out of character for him. But Mandrake was all wrong for it for sure.

I seem to recall that Mike Wieringo was originally going to be the artist on Ordway's Power of Shazam monthly? I think they even showed a Wieringo Captain Marvel? That would have been a match made in heaven, and probably would have sold a lot better with him on it.

Chris

[Bruce Banner]

That would have been awesome. Byrne drawing Captain Marvel!

[madmarva]

I was wondering if it was the Thomas/Mandrake series was the one that displaced this one. Seems like I read that someplace at one point. DC ought to give Byrne another shot at the character. I'd buy the book in a heartbeat.

[johnmiic]

From the amount of heavy use of black in that city scene I'm guessing this would've been a B&W comic like Byrne's OMAC.

[samurainoir]

16 issues of an ongoing Byrne Shazam still would have been much more than the four issue miniseries that did come out in the eighties post-Legends.



That misfire really did the character in for the remainder of the decade until the Ordway series.

I really like the tone of those Byrne pages... I think he's really struck a real balance between what's come before and his own style.

[Random Axe]

Uhm...wow. How did this not get done or published? That looks like it would have been a terrific combination. I love his interpretation of Cap and Mary. Great stuff, but it only makes me sad for what could have been.