If You Wrote Comics: The Marvel Family

[The Dying Detective]

Hey folk in light of the impatience and unhappiness regarding his out of action status we are going to play game of pretend and say that DC Comics gave us full reign to do anything with Captain Marvel, the champion of the Wizard Shazam and his supporting characters and rogues gallery. I'm sorry that I could not use title this thread Captain Marvel but with two Captain Marvels around I needed to do it jus tin case I need to set them apart just in case I decide to do one for the Marvel version. So as always let loose and live and maybe try and find a new direction to breathe new life into the Captain. For me the first thing I would do is not make his name Shazam as saying that should change him back even without shouting it.

[KC]

I haven't read many comics that feature the Marvel Family, but I did read Grant Morrison's Multiversity issue that featured them and I liked it. I would read a comic set in that universe with the same creative team as that issue.

[The Dying Detective]

I haven't read many comics that feature the Marvel Family, but I did read Grant Morrison's Multiversity issue that featured them and I liked it. I would read a comic set in that universe with the same creative team as that issue.

And what were the stories in it?

[KC]

And what were the stories in it?

What do you mean?

[The Dying Detective]

What do you mean?

I mean what was the issue of Multiversity that featured the Marvel family about?

[KC]

I mean what was the issue of Multiversity that featured the Marvel family about?

Here is a summary from the DC wiki:http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/The_Multive...EVER_Was.21.22

[Jon Clark]

I'd prefer to keep the Captain Marvel name, but I can see where DC might not based on the trademark/copyright issues. If pressed they'd be Captain Thunder and the Thunder Family. I'll use Marvel in this post just because it requires less thought to keep straight.

Billy would not be a foster kid. He'd start out as homeless after being kicked out by his uncle. Legally he'd be dead- his uncle having arranged things so everyone believed Billy had been with his parents when they died. Living on the streets Billy would be looked out for by Dudley, a veteran with some chemical dependence issues. The two would get by on handouts and Dudley's temp jobs. It would be while panhandling near a subway station that Billy would be led to meeting the wizard Shazam and gaining his powers. During this time Billy would also meet fellow orphan Freddy Freeman, an African-American youth who manages to get Billy's story out with a blog post. This leads to Billy gaining Internet fame and an eventual "job" for Sterling Morris. At this point Billy is legally emancipated and begins a long court battle to regain his inheritance from his uncle Ebeneezer.

Captain Marvel is not exactly Bill Batson, but he also isn't a separate person. He is Billy with the added wisdom of Solomon. So while Billy might think being Cap all day to avoid school is a great idea or that he could use the powers to impress girls or beat the crap out of a local bully, as soon as he says the magic word he sees the idea differently.

Freddy Freeman is living with his grandfather when we first meet him. He's a little older than Billy. His grandfather is killed after standing up to Captain Purty (aka Captain Nazi) a white supremist opponent of Captain Marvel's. Freddy is also severly injurd in the same accident and is given a portion of Bill's powers in order to heal- becoming Captain Marvel Jr (or Major Marvel as Freddy keeps trying to brand himself).

Mary Bromfield is Billy's fraternal twin sister. She had been left with the Bromfields during the trip where their parents died. Distrustful of Ebeneezer Batson they adopted Mary. Billy manages to find here soon after his internet fame and it is later discovered that in granting Billy his powers the wizard inadvertently bestowed the same powers on Mary.

And rounding out the Marvel Family is Black Adam, the wizard's first champion. Adam is not evil, per se, and has no real beef with the other Marvels excluding the wizard. He was originally empowered to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. He became more devoted to the latter as time went on. A typical Black Adam encounter would be his sinking a fleet of oil tankers for polluting the sea- with no consideration of the men on those ships or that Adam himself might create worse pollution in the process. Adam sees himself as the final and only arbiter of the rightness of his actions. The wizard tried unsuccessfully to revoke Adam's power centuries ago and the two have been at war ever since.

[The Dying Detective]

I'd prefer to keep the Captain Marvel name, but I can see where DC might not based on the trademark/copyright issues. If pressed they'd be Captain Thunder and the Thunder Family. I'll use Marvel in this post just because it requires less thought to keep straight.

Billy would not be a foster kid. He'd start out as homeless after being kicked out by his uncle. Legally he'd be dead- his uncle having arranged things so everyone believed Billy had been with his parents when they died. Living on the streets Billy would be looked out for by Dudley, a veteran with some chemical dependence issues. The two would get by on handouts and Dudley's temp jobs. It would be while panhandling near a subway station that Billy would be led to meeting the wizard Shazam and gaining his powers. During this time Billy would also meet fellow orphan Freddy Freeman, an African-American youth who manages to get Billy's story out with a blog post. This leads to Billy gaining Internet fame and an eventual "job" for Sterling Morris. At this point Billy is legally emancipated and begins a long court battle to regain his inheritance from his uncle Ebeneezer.

Captain Marvel is not exactly Bill Batson, but he also isn't a separate person. He is Billy with the added wisdom of Solomon. So while Billy might think being Cap all day to avoid school is a great idea or that he could use the powers to impress girls or beat the crap out of a local bully, as soon as he says the magic word he sees the idea differently.

Freddy Freeman is living with his grandfather when we first meet him. He's a little older than Billy. His grandfather is killed after standing up to Captain Purty (aka Captain Nazi) a white supremist opponent of Captain Marvel's. Freddy is also severly injurd in the same accident and is given a portion of Bill's powers in order to heal- becoming Captain Marvel Jr (or Major Marvel as Freddy keeps trying to brand himself).

Mary Bromfield is Billy's fraternal twin sister. She had been left with the Bromfields during the trip where their parents died. Distrustful of Ebeneezer Batson they adopted Mary. Billy manages to find here soon after his internet fame and it is later discovered that in granting Billy his powers the wizard inadvertently bestowed the same powers on Mary.

And rounding out the Marvel Family is Black Adam, the wizard's first champion. Adam is not evil, per se, and has no real beef with the other Marvels excluding the wizard. He was originally empowered to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. He became more devoted to the latter as time went on. A typical Black Adam encounter would be his sinking a fleet of oil tankers for polluting the sea- with no consideration of the men on those ships or that Adam himself might create worse pollution in the process. Adam sees himself as the final and only arbiter of the rightness of his actions. The wizard tried unsuccessfully to revoke Adam's power centuries ago and the two have been at war ever since.

Hmm interesting ideas pretty your origin for Billy Batson to become Captain Marvel is way better than his Golden Age one which basically says, 'Hey kids follow strangers as they'll give you magic powers.'. And i like the separate entity idea a little Incredible Hulk but not bad will they influence each other? And your Billy Batson is more in line with kids in this day and age not bad. Though Captain Purty as Captain Nazi's name sounds dumb. ANd you made Black Adam into the Red Hood of the Marvel Family interesting.

[Photon Torme]

I'd get Billy a better name than Shazam. Not Good necessarlly but better- Billy Could be Captain Thunder or Captain Magicbolt or Captain Red Lightning. Billy would not be some hip street kid or whatever he's suppossed to be now. Then.... I'd probably move them all to their own realm. Something resembling the old Fawcett stories. Tongue in Cheek but not derisive towards the old material. No overwrought stories with characters dying or getting paralysed or turning into Sinister flesh eating Villains.

[The Dying Detective]

I'd get Billy a better name than Shazam. Not Good necessarlly but better- Billy Could be Captain Thunder or Captain Magicbolt or Captain Red Lightning. Billy would not be some hip street kid or whatever he's suppossed to be now. Then.... I'd probably move them all to their own realm. Something resembling the old Fawcett stories. Tongue in Cheek but not derisive towards the old material. No overwrought stories with characters dying or getting paralysed or turning into Sinister flesh eating Villains.

When you put it that way I do honestly question how well the Fawcett characters fit into the DC Universe all this while.

[Assam]

Call the book 'Shazam' and in-universe just have everyone refer to him as 'Captain.' Set it on the main DC Earth.

Rather than move them to their own Earth to get them away from the darkness of modern stories, I would use the Marvel Family (Billy, Mary, Freddy, Eugene, Pedro and Darla) to show the rest of the DCU how its done. Six idealistic, nigh-unstoppable youths traveling the world attempting to bring hope and happiness wherever they go.

The main villain of the run would be Captain Nazi. Stealing this idea from another user so someone just let me know if this was yours, I would re-invent him as a modern day Neo Nazi who idiotically stumbled into his powers. While the Marvels would be traveling around, triumphing over and laughing at the idiocy of various dark tropes in comics, Captain Nazi would be using his powers to bring about something far darker than any comic: reality, as tens of thousands of Neo Nazis end up as his followers.

It would be a good old story of heroes punching Nazis the way heroes should, but amidst the positivity leave a message that if left unchecked, this hatred will grow so long as humans exist.

Also, get Mary back on the JLI. Nothing to do with the rest of that, I'd just really like to see her and Fire hang out more.

[Photon Torme]

When you put it that way I do honestly question how well the Fawcett characters fit into the DC Universe all this while.

Always thought Sivana was kind of a good fit strangely enough but noone else. Oh there was an ok story or 2 but The Batsons and Freddy never really belonged.

[The Dying Detective]

Always thought Sivana was kind of a good fit strangely enough but noone else. Oh there was an ok story or 2 but The Batsons and Freddy never really belonged.

Well not to mention Captain Marvel and his family have their special traits being diluted by Superman's very existence. What are these okay stories anyway?

[Photon Torme]

Well not to mention Captain Marvel and his family have their special traits being diluted by Superman's very existence. What are these okay stories anyway?

Didn't say memorable stories

[Assam]

Didn't say memorable stories

Just off the top of my head:

-Power of Shazam was an all around strong series.
- Billy, Freddy and Mary were enjoyable parts of JSA, Teen Titans and JLI books respectively.
- Black Adam's character development throughout JSA and 52 made him one of the best 'villains' in the DCU, his story in the latter being one of DC's best.
- Various other team-ups.