Just read the Shazam back up thread SPOILERS

[D.C. Edmonds]

Not a bad start. Not great either ... but not bad.

[NinjaMic]

I cant even argue with this thread.

I'm not the most knowledgeable about the Marvel family but I'm pretty sure Billy was never a jerk.

[Rakzo]

Dammit! I wish I have'nt read the spoilers here, I loved this back up story.

I see Billy Batson, the naive kid, the purest soul in the DCU and once that it looks like he's pretty happy about being adopted BAM! he says: "What a couple of idiots", I laughed out loud and it would have been louder if I had waited to read it by myself.

Seriously, is awesome. It feels strange, intriguing and exciting (Not "Edgy" by the way) and I'm sure Sivana's new look is not going to last at all, everything is great here.

[monkeysweat]

The little brat annoyed the $h&t out of me. Seriously, does anyone like brats? Who wants to read about a bratty little turd?

Probably why he won't stay that way. Progression of character. Bildungsroman and all that.

[Space_Butler]

Probably why he won't stay that way. Progression of character. Bildungsroman and all that.

This. Jesus. Do people not understand that storytelling often portrays a character a certain way off the bat in order to allow them to progress and become better people?

It's seriously frustrating to read complaints from impatient and short-sighted readers. I hated Billy too but I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt that this is going to pay off and go somewhere. If it doesn't, THEN I'll grumble and complain.

[RoughNTumble]

what's wrong with having an innocent, fun character here and there? So what if he curbs his attitude, then he'll just be guy gardner.

It's not like Goku has a problem selling.

[maxmcc]

I found it fun. I thought the intro about "mystical abduction" was a nice contemporary take on Shazam searching for a host, and I didn't find that it was "grim and gritty". It just had a little attitude to it. I'd argue too that the change isn't a case of Johns "missing the point" or "not getting" the old Captain Marvel. Right up until the "What a couple of idiots", I thought the way he wrote Billy's "act" was very evocative of how I know Billy Batson from what I've read of him. Johns knows how to write a classic version of the character. He's just choosing not to, and I personally found the reveal to be playfull and funny. Having Billy start off as a paragon of virtue and modesty and what not and be such a well-mannered young man would be a little hokey, I think, as Captain Marvel IS a little hokey, being such an old fashioned character. That's part of his charm, but I think too it's a perfectly logical choice to make a kid in foster care a bit surly and not really that open to other people trying to be kind, and I think it'd be boring from a story point to have someone start of so good and decent. Oh and its important to note...the story's just started! We've barely met him, and people are acting like he's made out to be a chain smoking joyriding punk. At worst right now, he's a bit of a smart ass. That's it. Dial back the "It's the 90s/Grim and Gritty!" hyperbole, people, until we get a better sense of him.

Excellent post. I've been reading Captain Marvel since I was 8 (in 1975!) and I really enjoyed this first chapter. I own many original Fawcett comics and have read pretty much all of Cap's DC appearances (with the Don Newton World's Finest run and the Jeff Smith run being my favorites). I think Johns is absolutely on the right track here. He's building an epic story and Billy Batson is the main character. Interesting characters have flaws. Overcoming their flaws is what makes great story. This is Billy's journey. All that said, I will very much miss the Captain Marvel name. The new Shazam logo is cool though.

[RustedCross]

I just have to say...
There were a lot of people screaming that Billy Batson looked like Harry Potter when the preview pages came out. Some were rather upset because of it.
It turns out that those pages were showing someone OTHER than Billy.

Too many people jump to too many conclusions.

Geoff, by now, should have earned some respect as a storyteller. This was a very short chapter, with little room to develop a story. And yet, Geoff has already got me intrigued as to why Billy is so different.
Maybe he is just a jerk kid who learns a lesson or two. Maybe he is possessed by Black Adam. Or maybe he is really constipated. But seriously people, stop jumping to conclusions so fast. Geoff usually has a plan.

[shark]

The 1990s were actually a pretty good period for SHAZAM/the Marvels. POWER OF SHAZAM was one of the best runs the character and concept had, and remained faithful to the character's roots.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I know. I'm talking about the grim, gritty feeling in the DCnU in general.

[Kid Kamikaze10]

Just read it.

Ok, Geoff clearly knows about Billy's past characterization, and deviated from it for a few reasons.

1) To set up the emotional arc similar to Fairly Odd Parents (pretty bratty but oppressed kid gets ultimate power, will probably squander it a bit, and then when the real evils show up, he'll redeem himself)

2) Specifically in this part, for comedic purposes. Playing into what some of us believe Billy is, then pulling the rug to show that this is a new Billy.


Now, the issue is... It's going to take a little more work for Johns to prove to us that Billy is worthy of being Captain Mar... I mean, Shazam. Especially when he's set the backdrop of hundreds upon hundreds of failures. Including Silvana, which has provided him with a reason to hate the next SHAZAM.

We'll see how that turns out, and maybe a reason on why Dr. S is so... Lex Luthor like. But for now, I'll hope along. Wasn't terrible.



However, I will say this. So far, I'm not a fan of the change. The purity of Billy Batson was what set him apart from everyone. Now something else may have to. The problem with the "flawed, realistic, everyman" clause is that when you normalize a character too much, they become redundant. Flaws are overused, ideas of realism too similar between writers, etc.

Billy already had something that set him apart. That's no longer around, or will have to be built within this arc. If not, then something else must take it's place.

[Sacred Knight]

Man, I was highly digging everything until the reveal that Billy is a huge brat. I really hope that doesn't last too long or its just some act he employs to not get close to people and he drops it sooner than later.

[ShaggyB]

Man, I was highly digging everything until the reveal that Billy is a huge brat. I really hope that doesn't last too long or its just some act he employs to not get close to people and he drops it sooner than later.

thats what im hoping/expecting. Deep down hes just as he was.... but its gonna take responsibility to show it.

[fishbonex]

I just have to say...
There were a lot of people screaming that Billy Batson looked like Harry Potter when the preview pages came out. Some were rather upset because of it.
It turns out that those pages were showing someone OTHER than Billy.

Too many people jump to too many conclusions.

Geoff, by now, should have earned some respect as a storyteller. This was a very short chapter, with little room to develop a story. And yet, Geoff has already got me intrigued as to why Billy is so different.
Maybe he is just a jerk kid who learns a lesson or two. Maybe he is possessed by Black Adam. Or maybe he is really constipated. But seriously people, stop jumping to conclusions so fast. Geoff usually has a plan.

Great post, I was waiting for somebody to bring up the previous freak out on the board when those preview pages showed up.

[Aquadoc]

As someone who has never read a Captain Marvel story, I can't say all that much about the changes in Billy's character. I can say that there was nothing in this issue to make me want to read more about him. This is the back-up story for the flagship title of the new DCU? Sigh...

[Mr. Holmes]

As someone who has never read a Captain Marvel story, I can't say all that much about the changes in Billy's character. I can say that there was nothing in this issue to make me want to read more about him. This is the back-up story for the flagship title of the new DCU? Sigh...

Well yeah you can only get so much out of 7-10 pages.