It's Official: Captain Marvel Is Dead...Long Live Shazam?

[madmarva]

I just hope it's slight modifications and nothing like the trunk-less, armored up Superman.

He's going to have trunks to match the color of his boots.

Instead of Shazam being a name, it could be a title that's passed on to the successor.

I hope Johns sticks with the original idea and doesn't use the Flashpoint version of the character where a bunch of kids are transformed into the hero.

I think it's a good idea to play up the magic aspect. It's one of the concepts that separates the character from Superman.

I had never thought of it until recently but Stan Lee/Marvel's Thor early on was a combination of Captain Marvel jr. and King Arthur. Dr. Don Blake was basically a grown up Freddie Freeman who got his powers and was transformed by picking up a weapon.

[thunderbolt]

I have some faith because it's Geoff Johns and Gary Frank...

Those two give me the exact opposite feeling. Frank's art has no spirit of fun or excitement, two things Captain Marvel needs.

[VintageMike]

Surpised it didn't happen sooner.

[Figuremod73]

I will never understand how copyrights work. Capt Marvel is a classic character from the golden age and there shouldnt have been a problem using the name to begin with. My favorite version of him is the Jerry Ordway version from the nineties.

[Random Axe]

I'm not sure how to feel about this. As I lifelong fan of the character I am conflicted. My hope is that with this name change and, hopefully, the company squarely behind him, Shazam becomes a true priority. Giving him some mystical properties is only natural. If he ever casts a spell I'm done, though.

This may be the failsafe for DC if they cannot reach an agreement with Superman and they lose the rights. Shazam would slide right in there to take over as Earth's greatest protector. I can't imagine them changing his look too much, they gotta go with something classic in the midst of all this 90's retro crap. I hope Anthony is wrong about the trunks or is joking.

He will always be Captain Marvel to me, but I can adjust to a name change if that change also comes with a healthy dose of respect.

[The Toyroom]

I hope Johns sticks with the original idea and doesn't use the Flashpoint version of the character where a bunch of kids are transformed into the hero.

I think it's supposed to be Billy, Mary and Freddy...Shazam the Wizard and Sivana were name dropped as well in the interview...

[The Toyroom]

Some of the artwork:



Is that supposed to be Billy? Since when does he wear glasses? Looks like Peter Parker!

[madmarva]

Hey Scott,

The trunks was a joke. With of Superman losing his trunks for no good reason, I felt it would be ironic if DC added them to Captain Marvel's costume. Like you, I've always enjoyed the character. I had a couple of those large reprint tabloids when I was a kid and Shazam from the 40s-70s black and white reprint book which I read and re-read.

I'd love for him to retain the Captain Marvel name, but that trademark issue is a battle DC's been fighting since the 70s.

It never confused me that the book and TV show was called Shazam and the character was Capt. Marvel, but I guess the relaunch gives DC a good enough reason to change the character name.

They are going to have to make some changes if the character is going to go by the name of Shazam, though. If not, when he introduces himself, "Hello, call me Shazam," he'll turn back into Billy. And, of course it wouldn't be good for everyone to know his magical word.

Like you, I hope the character isn't a wizard or sorcerer, but I wouldn't mind him fighting wizards and sorcerers and mythic beasts and such as well as Black Adam and Mr. Mind and so on.

I trust Johns as much as anyone to re-invent the character and I like Frank's art quite a bit. Like you I hope he respects the character and only makes well thought out changes, not just change for the sake of change like with Superman's costume and the spit curl.

[madmarva]

Is that supposed to be Billy? Since when does he wear glasses? Looks like Peter Parker!

Or teen-age Clark Kent or even, dare I say it, Harry Potter. Batson's definitely not a 10 or 12-year-old kid, and the Wizard has hillbilly teeth.

But, I do like the art.

[The Toyroom]

the Wizard has hillbilly teeth.

The dentist doesn't make house calls to The Rock of Eternity...

[Random Axe]

I'm starting to lose a little faith in this based on that two page spread. It looks like Billy has lighter colored hair, he's got glasses and the wizard needs a root canal. Somebody has got to post a picture of Shazam to get some hype(or ridicule) going.

[Figuremod73]

He doesnt really look like a teen to me. Looks somewhere in his early twenties. The arts good but I dont really like how its layed out. Could have picked a worse team though.

[The Toyroom]

It bothers me when you hear DC say they make these kind if changes because they don't know what to do with the character and that he was never successful for them....But what about Ordway's Power of Shazam? I thing that was the best approach so far...

[Bruce Banner]

I'm sorry to hear that DC are taking that route with the name.
Sure, the unenlightened just call him Shazam anyway, but to me he'll always be Captain Marvel.

Edit: And I'm also a big fan of Marvel's CM, too.
There was always room for two CMs in the world of comics.

[thunderbolt]

Yeecchh. Just yecchhh.