DC's new Shazam: No thanks

DC Comics is announcing the return of Captain Marvel to its revamped superhero universe. And their approach sounds as wrong-headed as ever.

No, I don't have a problem with DC referring to the character solely as "Shazam" and dropping the "Captain Marvel" entirely, which is part of the new plan. Fans have been calling the character "Shazam" for years now, anyway. That's the name DC uses on its comic book covers and for TV shows, etc., because Marvel Comics owns rights to the "Captain Marvel" name.

My beef is that DC continually tries to make the character "serious" and part of it's mainstream superhero universe.

It's a bad fit.

Captain Marvel, or whatever you want to call him, works best in a whimsical, cartoony format -- ideally aimed at younger readers. DC has taken that route several times, and it always makes way more sense than trying to make him into a conventional superhero in a "realistic" setting.

The 1940s and 50s Captain Marvel comics helmed by C.C. Beck and others are among the most enjoyable comics ever produced. They were fun and exciting, but never overly serious. The art was simple and straightforward. Captain Marvel inhabited a fun, simple world alongside villainous worms and talking tigers. It was awesome.

In the new version, set to debut as a backup story in Justice League #7, creators Geoff Johns and Gary Frank have reportedly "removed the 'circus strongman' elements from his costume" and "Rather than a traditional cape, he wears a cloak with a hood. There's more of a mystical, magical, fantasy feel to that." Johns says the new storylin will focuse:
...on the magic hero instead of the super hero. For centuries, science has ruled the world, but now magic is returning. We’re telling the story of the hero’s young alter ego, Billy Batson, a foster kid at a crossroads in his life. The question is, how does the emotional journey of this troubled teenager collide with the fate of the world?
This preview pic looks distinctly un-fun:


It's disappointing that, with the opportunity to re-do the character, DC didn't focus on the unique aspects that make him so appealing.

2 comments:

  1. Looks like just more of the same horse hockey DC has been foisting on readers under the "New 52" banner. The whole time I was growing up I was always a loyal DC reader; thank goodness I still have a garage full of my old Silver Age (and even a few second-hand Golden Age) books, because as far as I'm concerned this company pretty much died in the late 80s.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Idiots!!!

    Darpy

    ReplyDelete