SHAZAM! is a call to action for Billy Batson to let loose..
CAPTAIN MARVEL!!
^This.
Don't get me wrong. I like what DC/Geoff Johns is trying to do with the characters, but a classic take on SHAZAM! would do well, IMO. And, if I had the ability to do so, this would be the hypothetical timeline for the Marvel Family:
1941: Billy Batson becomes Captain Marvel.
1953: Marvel Family disappears, along with Fawcett City, thanks to Doc Sivana's "Suspendium Trap".
1986: Thanks to the mysterious "crisis", the Marvel Family and Fawcett City reappears. (Note: I would weave a way to incorporate Doc Shaner's "Convergence: Shazam!" storyline into the mix, with a few changes, ie. the cause for Fawcett City's disappearance). I would also have it that the lingering effects of the Suspendium Trap has a) created a timeless feel to the city, and, b) continues to slow the aging effects of the city (both of which attracts the attention of modern-day super-villains).
1987: Captain Marvel joins the Justice League (later becoming a reserve member).
2005: The Specter goes on a rampage against the world of Magic, and attacks both Fawcett City and the Rock of Eternity, resulting in the permanent death of the Wizard Shazam. Thus, ends the Marvel Family.
2006: Billy, after undergoing a trial or worthiness, becomes the Wizard's replacement as "Shazam", guardian of a new "Rock of Eternity". A new Marvel Family is assembled by Freddy Freeman (as the new "Captain Marvel"). Meanwhile, Mary Batson goes "solo" as "Black Mary" for "reasons".
2011: Thanks to outside machinations from the entity known as "Dr. Manhattan", the timeline is corrupted, essentially "rebooting" the history of the Marvel Family, which now is called "The Shazam Family", consisting of Billy, Freddy and Mary, and now includes Pedro Pena, Darla Dudley and Eugene Choi. Also, the Wizard is formerly an aboriginal thunder god-turned-magus named Mamaragan, aka "Shazam".
And there you have it. Everything, save for "Shazam: A New Beginning", as well as the kids version of the Shazam! comic, is incorporated, in one form or another. Peace.
The time displacement works for the 90s and 2000s stuff. But honestly, they could just retcon the modern ones as being descendants of the originals. Maybe Billy's Dad that we're seeing in the current run is also called William Batson... and was Captain Marvel (he does look like Shazam. And his first name hasn't been mentioned, has it? The wiki is assuming it's the same as the pre-Flashpoint one, Clarence Charles "C.C." Batson V, who would in fact be Billy's grandfather in this scenario). Perhaps he had a daughter before Billy. That's Mary, but something similar to the classic origin for her happens and she gets taken away and he's led to believe she's dead (hence why Mr Batson isn't also claiming to be her father). He left (maybe not by choice, and giving the impression he'd died) and his wife later died, causing Billy to be put into the foster system. Mary ended up adopted by the Bromfields (relatives of the ones who adopted classic Mary?), who turn out to be abusive, so she runs away. Billy bounces from home to home, and then they eventually both get fostered by the Vasquez family. Freddy would be a distant relative of the previous Freddy. The son of a long lost cousin or something.
Last edited by Digifiend; 11-08-2019 at 05:51 AM.
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The solicitation for #11 sounds fun. Loving the look of the new Monster Society. I see some familiar faces here, any guesses on some of these? I'm not sure if some of them are brand new or revamps of older characters
Shazam #11.jpg
The obvious ones are of course Adam, Mr. Mind and Sivana. I also recognize King Kull, Mr. Atom and the Crocodile Men (who look fused together), and that bat thing might be Jeepers, whom I know nothing about except his name on wikipedia. Not sure about the witch, the black woman with the playing card motif, that gross looking thing with the tentacles behind her, or the small child (?) to the bottom left. That guy next to "Jeepers" might be the Mad Poet, who was name dropped in issue 2. All of them have great designs and I'd love to see more of them if we can actually get this series on the reg
i thought that the kid next to Mr. Atom was King Kid...
After I posted that I kind of thought that too. or at least connected to him.
Evil-Eye and Goat Man seem like strong possibilities!
We definitely don't need Nippo anymore, but I do wonder where the other two are. This may also not be the full membership though, like I said Mad Poet was mentioned and doesn't appear to be present. Captain Nazi was a member too right?
That witch at the top might be some riff on the Wicked Witch of the West, since the Wozenderlands seem to be a combination of Oz and Alice's Wonderland. A storybook witch would fit very nicely into the Marvel Family's rogues gallery.
Classic art by C.C. Beck from Shazam! #1 (February, 1973).