This comes from Captain Marvel fan This lacked the charm of the old Whiz Comics, and the storytelling that would come later in the Jeff Smith "Shazam". These stories are throw aways, and boring. I've tried to put this aside and come back to it many times, but I just couldn't get into it, nor finish it.
Showcase Presents: Shazam!.......... With the movie, "Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam!", set to come out sometime in 2009(or beyond); now would be a good time to read about Shazam! and what a better way to do it than read Showcase Presents: Shazam!. Writers Denny O'Neill, E. Nelson Bridwell, and Elliott Maggin are joined by original CM artist C.C. Beck, Kurt Schaffenberger, Dave Cockrum, Dick Giordano, and Bob Oksne to bring you classic tales of the big red cheese. As most of you out there know, Shazam! was actually a Fawcett Comic that DC bought the rights to. It was created by C.C. Beck and first published in Whiz Comics#2 in 1940 by Fawcett. At one point in 1940, it outsold Superman at the newsstands & DC filed suit against Fawcett claiming that Captain Marvel was too much like Superman. The legal battle went on for quite sometime until Fawcett decided to settle. Many years later, DC acquired the rights to Shazam! when Fawcett shut down business. Other than "The Trials of Shazam" that DC did here recently, you don't see much out of this classic comic character. It is one of my all-time favorites, even moreso than Superman(hate to admit it but yes) and this book is quite an enjoyable read. I like it for its' lighthearted humor and approach to the Superhero genre. There's always a lesson to be learned in the comics of Shazam!. Although all the comics are in black & white, it's still quite enjoyable to read.
Definitely check this out, cause when the movie comes out- this will be a hard find. Let me tell you.
Black and White but still fun to read I bought this book because I was feeling nostalgic and I wanted to read something fun from the old days. The stories are definitely cheesy, but in a good way. It's a feel-good fun comic that's not to be taken seriously at all. My biggest disappointment with the book is that it is in BLACK and WHITE instead of color. I suppose considering the page count and cost I should have guessed that was the case. If you want a lot of comics on the cheap, then go ahead and slap the money down. However, if you're put off by a lack of color, save up for one of the more expensive collections or buy a book with a much smaller number of pages.
"Holy Moley!" I appreciate DC for their approach with the Showcase Presents trades. They have kept many classic titles alive for those of us that can't afford Archive editions; however, in many cases this highlights the problems inherent in certain series. SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SHAZAM! is an example.
There are some things that DC just can't seem to get right, no matter how hard they try. One of the biggest is how to handle characters from other companies. Their recent acquisition of the IPC characters is on the verge of failure, as evidenced by ALBION, BATTLER BRITON, and THUNDERBOLT JAXXON. Their `80s purchase of the Charlton heroes led to a decent run of THE QUESTION, but little else (WATCHMEN doesn't count!). But DC already had a bad rep back in the `70s when they acquired one of the greatest Golden Age heroes, the original Captain Marvel. The resulting SHAZAM! series was a misguided effort to introduce the Big Red Cheese to a new generation of readers by trying to recapture the feel of his original adventures. Unfortunately, that new generation was already enjoying more complex and mature comics at the time: hard-traveling heroes, New Gods, and a dark knight detective were finally bringing DC into a new age, so goofy fun-loving stories featuring the Shazam "family" and a talking tiger were not what was needed at the time. The series piddled around for five years, was cancelled, and Captain Marvel's reputation has, to this day, barely recovered. Even though attempts at relevance were made in the `80s (LEGENDS, JUSTICE LEAGUE), it took a brilliant double-barrel `90s revitalization by writer/artist Jerry Ordway to help CM stay above the radar.
There's an excellent roster of talent featured in this volume. Writers Denny O'Neill, E. Nelson Bridwell, and Elliott Maggin are joined by original CM artist C.C. Beck, Kurt Schaffenberger, Dave Cockrum, Dick Giordano, and Bob Oksne. It collects the "new" stories from SHAZAM! #1-35 (none of the Golden Age reprints), with O'Neill bringing CM and his supporting cast into the present day through an inspired retcon. From there, these short tales reintroduce his companions, friends, and villains, including currently popular bad-boy Black Adam. Collectively, the art is great, and Dave Cockrum's work on Captain Marvel Junior is so slick that it should get its own color reprint. Unfortunately, the stories are extremely simple and haven't aged well at all. SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SHAZAM! will serve you well as a nostalgic trip back to an interesting period in DC's history, but you should look elsewhere for good storytelling. If you really want to get into Captain Marvel, my recommendation is to instead purchase Jerry Ordway's graphic novel THE POWER OF SHAZAM and hope for a reprint of the `90s follow-up series.
ZAPPED by SHAZAM A first time reader of Shazam: was literally zapped by the art work, the twists in the stories and the story lines themselves. Though mainly for children , I think comic buffs will find it appealing, for old times sake.Good value for money pack.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
