More Shazam info from Geoff Johns

[madmarva]

herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/04/03/shazam-geoff-johns-looks-for-new-magic-in-captain-marvel/

The above link is to a LA Times article on the new Shazam series in which Geoff Johns relates more of the background on the series. While it's not our, or our dad or grand dad's Captain Marvel, it does sound interesting.

[The Toyroom]

We shall see I guess....

[Random Axe]

I'd like to read this without having to buy the Justice League book. If Johns can restore the respect factor and make him a major player in this new continuity, then I suppose I'll give it a shot. A big time magic versus big time science battle with Darkseid would be cool.

I wish Johns could give more than the standard cryptic answers, though. I'm sure he wants to.

[The Toyroom]

^ I'm sure the JLA run will be collected in its own trade eventually...

[Random Axe]

^ I'm sure the JLA run will be collected in its own trade eventually...

The sad part is if they collect the Shazam backup story it'll be the size of a standard comic. I want to see a better shot of the full uniform since my curiosity is slightly elevated.

[Bruce Banner]

Interesting...

Johns also gives some Shazam info in this interview from AICN:

BUG: Okay, great. So you are re-introducing Shazam to the DCU and what went into the decisions as to sort of making Billy Batson a little different than the previous incarnation as well as Dr. Sivana?

GJ: The stuff that happens will kind of take Sivana into a very different place, but that’s all part of the story, especially Billy… This is just the start of the story and so what you see are just the beginnings of where these characters end up, but for Sivana there was a specific… Gary and I talked about Sivana quite a bit and there’s a very specific course for where he goes and why he doing what he is doing and what ultimately happens to him as well as Billy and you know with Billy Batson it was… We talked a lot about it and Billy is a fairly complex character for us and you’re going to see more of him revealed in Chapter 2 and 3 and so forth as we go forward, but we wanted Billy in a place that was a little unexpected and also speaks to the heart of what our story is going to be all about and that part will kind of come through in where the story ultimately ends up.

BUG: Okay.

GJ: But yeah, we’re having a little fun with it and we are hoping that, especially Chapter 2 when you see the lives of these kids, Billy and Freddy and Mary are basically a little bit more fleshed out and explored than they have been previously.

BUG: Great. I’m definitely interested in that and Gary Frank’s art is fantastic as always.

GJ: Yeah, Gary is really the… I don’t know who else could pull off this kind of story, because Gary is such an emotional artist and he’s got such detail. When I worked with him, you pull dialog away from the character just to let him be there, because he puts so much personality to them on their own and especially in Chapter 2 when we see where Billy ends up. The design of the characters and the storytelling and everything… there’s such class.

BUG: Yeah, and it’s really interesting… I was wondering, was there a meeting for this new DCU about what magic is in the DCU, especially since Shazam is so entrenched in that kind of genre of comic book storytelling, I guess.

GJ: Shazam and the whole mythology behind Shazam, there’s a hint of us expanding that out. You will see more and more about it in the coming months, actually a lot more about it very, very soon. But the idea was… The whole mythology behind Shazam is at the center of magic in DC universe and it’s kind of like we look at Shazam as the bridge between the superhero world and the magic world. That’s what the character is and we are trying to push that character in a slightly more magical and mystical direction in the world that he is in. Once Billy Batson is exposed and is connected to the magical power that makes him Shazam, he is in tune with a different world and there’s a magical world right next to ours that has been here and present, but only those who are connected to the power see it and so Billy is going to be changed permanently even when he’s not Shazam. He’s at least involved in this other world.

BUG: Great. Any of the off beat characters like Mr. Talky Tawny and Mr. Mind and those guys? Are you planning on reinventing them as well?

GJ: Yes we are.

BUG: Very cool.

GJ: I mean what Gary and I are trying to do is a lot of… I think just about every classic Shazam character is going to… just about everyone is going to get their story’s told in some way, but also there’s a lot of new characters, quite a lot of new characters that are important and essential to our story as well.

BUG: Cool. I know they kind of hinted at Sivana’s family. Are they going to show up as well?

GJ: You will learn more about them at the very least, I’ll say that.

BUG: All right yeah, because I remember reading the old issues and his family was kind of as weird as the Shazam family, too.

GJ: Yeah, if not a little stranger. They are in a very different spot right now though as Sivana kind of alludes to, there’s something going on with them that he is involved in.

[samurainoir]

I'm glad that they are going to be shifting Sivana away from the Lex Luthor mode. It will be interesting to see where they go from there.

I know folks really want Shazam to be part of the DCU, But I really thought that Jeff Smith built a very interesting new start for the character that could be enjoyed by all ages. I understand why they shifted that into Johnny DC starting with Kunkel's run, but I'm just imagining what they could have done if they simply kept it as a regular DC bullet book with the new status quo. But I guess that might have been so much driven by Smith, that you wouldn't have been able to find that balance without him.

I like a silly character like Tawky Tawny for example and Smith really found a good way to handle that character without necessarily making him this were-tiger or whatever.

[palitoy]

IMO Smith's take was the first to capture the original whimsy and magic that the Fawcett comics had. It was updated and a bit fresh too.

[MIB41]

Interesting. But I think you always have to be careful when changing the framework of a well known character. Too much change alienates the traditionalists, while the new concept doesn't spark enough interest for first-timers. What you end up with is no one liking the character. DC knows something about that concept.

[Godzilla]

I agree about Smith. I actually wanted to read those adevntures of Captain Marvel.

[samurainoir]

Whimsy and Adventure seems to be a staple in European comics (TinTin and Asterix being the gold standard), but north America seems to have abandoned that style in the mainstream, except For Smith who does it so well in Bone... It's like he's grafted Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge onto Lord of the Rings epic scope.

He walked the same tightrope with Shazam.
SHAZAM MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL (2007) 1-4 JEFF SMITH | eBay

[thunderbolt]

I really wanted to like Jeff Smith's take and hoped it would spin off into a new series, but it was a total bore.

[The Toyroom]

^ I thought I was the only one that didn't care for it...