Best Modern (Post-Crisis) Origin of Captain Marvel a.k.a. SHAZAM!

[kingaliencracker]

Exactly as the title/poll states. Which is the best modern origin of Captain Marvel aka Shazam?

- Roy Thomas' SHAZAM!: A NEW BEGINNING

- Jerry Ordway's POWER OF SHAZAM!

- Geoff Johns' SHAZAM!

[DragonsChi]

Very interested in seeing the results on this. Zackery Levi is pumping my interest in the character to the extreme right now. Zach seems like such a nice guy that you want to get into the character.

[Lee Stone]

The New Beginning, or rather Secret Origins #3, was very close to the original.
And I liked it.

[married guy]

I loved the Jerry Ordway run.
He gets my vote!

[kingaliencracker]

Very interested in seeing the results on this. Zackery Levi is pumping my interest in the character to the extreme right now. Zach seems like such a nice guy that you want to get into the character.

Well I'm going with ANB.

I loved Ordway's run. It's one of my favorite series of all-time. But I think Thomas worked hard on bringing Captain Marvel into the modern era without jettisoning too much of what made the character great. It's just unfortunate we didn't get a series to follow up the mini.

[MajorHoy]

Even though Roy Thomas has a true love/appreciation for the classic Golden Age characters / stories, I really didn't like his 4-issue Shazam! The New Beginning series from 1987.



NOTE: I don't know / can't remember if the Secret Origins #3 story from 1976 was really considered part of "A New Beginning" or not.
(Been a long time since I re-read that stuff.)
I don't know if that issue is included in a lot of the "A New Beginning" collections.

[Jim Kelly]

It's a poor choice among those three. I guess the Ordway original book (not the series that came after). But a word on that. I put off getting the book until it was released in paper back and I went to my local shop to ask if they had that on order, but the owner of the shop said he'd give me the hardcover instead for the price of the paper back, and pulled out a copy from behind the counter.

I liked that book, but when I was reading it I had the feeling it was suppposed to be set in the past and maybe the 1930s. It had that Indiana Jones feeling about it. When the ongoing series began, it became apparent that it was supposed to be in present day.

I'd much rather a Captain Marvel that was set during the Great Depression and going into the Second World War.

[Lee Stone]

Even though Roy Thomas has a true love/appreciation for the classic Golden Age characters / stories, I really didn't like his 4-issue Shazam! The New Beginning series from 1987.



NOTE: I don't know / can't remember if the Secret Origins #3 story from 1976 was really considered part of "A New Beginning" or not.
(Been a long time since I re-read that stuff.)
I don't know if that issue is included in a lot of the "A New Beginning" collections.

Minor correction: 1986.
There was a 1973 volume, of which the #3 issue is still important to 1986 collectors because both the characters in it (Wildcat & Wonder Woman) were skipped in the '80s run.

I had to look through both again, and while the New Beginnings looks a bit similar at first glimpse...
They have a few differences...

Secret Origins #3 is a faithful recreation of the original origin, with new dialogue added.

New Beginnings omits the subway. The tunnel is still there. Just no colorful, psychedelic subway.
There's also more of an attempt to introduce the villains, with both Sivana and Black Adam being thrown in.

And the most glaring is that Sivana's appearance in New Beginnings contradicts his appearance in the Secret Origins issue.

The Secret Origins issue appears to fall in that flux period between the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths and the first foundations of post-Crisis established with Man of Steel, Batman Year One and Legends.

In light of the evidence, I choose to undo my vote for New Beginnings and instead make a vote for "other", with that other being Secret Origins #3.
Unless its falling in the flux period disqualifies it as a 'modern' origin.
In which case, I'd go with whichever one was consistent and in canon with Jeff Smith's Monster Society of Evil.

[MajorHoy]

Minor correction: 1986.

Damn finger hit the wrong key first!

There was a 1973 volume

Got all those issues when they originally came out!

of which the #3 issue is still important to 1986 collectors because both the characters in it (Wildcat & Wonder Woman) were skipped in the '80s run.

I think Wildcat and Wonder Woman were victims of timing in the post-CoIE series since Roy had been trying to present all of the Golden Age origins in somewhat chronological order at one point. Wildcat's origin was originally in Sensation Comics #1 (cover-dated January 1942), but at least they did get around to the Gay Ghost (renamed the "Grim" Ghost for some reason ) in Secret Origins #42.

I had to look through both again, and while the New Beginnings looks a bit similar at first glimpse...
They have a few differences...

Secret Origins #3 is a faithful recreation of the original origin, with new dialogue added.

New Beginnings omits the subway. The tunnel is still there. Just no colorful, psychedelic subway.
There's also more of an attempt to introduce the villains, with both Sivana and Black Adam being thrown in.

And the most glaring is that Sivana's appearance in New Beginnings contradicts his appearance in the Secret Origins issue.

To me, another glaring difference was that Roy relocated the story to San Francisco.

[kingaliencracker]

It's a poor choice among those three. I guess the Ordway original book (not the series that came after). But a word on that. I put off getting the book until it was released in paper back and I went to my local shop to ask if they had that on order, but the owner of the shop said he'd give me the hardcover instead for the price of the paper back, and pulled out a copy from behind the counter.

I liked that book, but when I was reading it I had the feeling it was suppposed to be set in the past and maybe the 1930s. It had that Indiana Jones feeling about it. When the ongoing series began, it became apparent that it was supposed to be in present day.

I'd much rather a Captain Marvel that was set during the Great Depression and going into the Second World War.

I think this was why Ordway ignored TNB and instead did a quasi-reboot. He wanted there to be a retro, nostalgic feel to the Shazam-verse.

As I stated, I loved Ordway's run but I had a few issues with the actual GN. I didn't like Theo Adam business nor how young Billy Batson was.

While Thomas' TNB wasn't perfect, I thought it was a very sensible retelling. I'm still on the fence regarding Johns' run thus far.

[Adekis]

I'm pretty fond of The Monster Society of Evil, personally. I'm not big on the idea of Captain Marvel literally having the personality of a child, and barring a couple weird moments, Jeff Smith's take does a good job of keeping Billy and Marvel separate in a way that's almost universally done away with post-Crisis.



I realize it's not in the poll, but I think that's a fairly glaring omission.

[Nomads1]

Love all of them, but Ordway's Power of Shazam holds a special place in my heart.

Peace

[maxmcco]

I'm pretty fond of The Monster Society of Evil, personally. I'm not big on the idea of Captain Marvel literally having the personality of a child, and barring a couple weird moments, Jeff Smith's take does a good job of keeping Billy and Marvel separate in a way that's almost universally done away with post-Crisis.



I realize it's not in the poll, but I think that's a fairly glaring omission.

I'm liking Johns' take a lot so far, but Jeff Smith set up such a rich world to explore. Talky Tawny (yes, he changed the spelling from Tawky) was in ifrit and I loved that he also appeared as a black cat. That continuity was loosley continued in the Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! (minus Billy and Cap being two separate beings). I met Smith at a convention about 4 years ago and he stated he would have liked to have done a followup. Too bad that didn't happen.

[maxmcco]

I'm pretty fond of The Monster Society of Evil, personally. I'm not big on the idea of Captain Marvel literally having the personality of a child, and barring a couple weird moments, Jeff Smith's take does a good job of keeping Billy and Marvel separate in a way that's almost universally done away with post-Crisis.



I realize it's not in the poll, but I think that's a fairly glaring omission.

I'm liking Johns' take a lot so far, but Jeff Smith set up such a rich world to explore. Talky Tawny (yes, he changed the spelling from Tawky) was an ifrit and I loved that he also appeared as a black cat. That continuity was loosley continued in the Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! (minus Billy and Cap being two separate beings). I met Smith at a convention about 4 years ago and he stated he would have liked to have done a followup. Too bad that didn't happen.

[Adekis]

I'm liking Johns' take a lot so far, but Jeff Smith set up such a rich world to explore. Talky Tawny (yes, he changed the spelling from Tawky) was in ifrit and I loved that he also appeared as a black cat. That continuity was loosley continued in the Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! (minus Billy and Cap being two separate beings). I met Smith at a convention about 4 years ago and he stated he would have liked to have done a followup. Too bad that didn't happen.

That would have been great, yeah. I never read "Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam," not that I avoided it on purpose or anything, I just never saw it in a bookstore or anything, but it looked solid enough. Too bad it abandoned my favorite element of "Monster Society," the Billy/Cap duo. I bet a Smith version of Captain Marvel, Jr would have been fun.