With the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury, young Billy Batson utters their assembled group into one magic word, "SHAZAM!", and he instantly transforms into Captain Marvel, the world's mightiest mortal! (And the DC New 52's biggest jerk of a kid and hero in the history of comics... Seriously, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, you couldn't do ANY better?) But the trick about Captain Marvel... NOT SHAZAM, BUT CAPTAIN MARVEL!!!... is that being part of the Wizard Shazam's crusade for justice is not just a solo act. Nope, you get to manage a family of similar heroes by your side, so let's take a look at the highs and lows of such times!
From left to right in this particular picture we have the good Captain Marvel. Next in line, clad in the blue variation of the outfit is Freddy Freeman, ordinarily a crippled newspaper hawker, who when he utters the name of his personal hero, "CAPTAIN MARVEL!!!", he transforms into Captain Marvel Jr.! (If I were in Freddy's shoes, I would've at least insisted in a lesser rank for a name, instead of being the de-facto "Junior" version of my hero!) The lovely lady next in line is Mary Batson. She gets a pass for the magic word category by also saying the acronym "SHAZAM!", and she is transformed into Mary Marvel. (Being our lead character's biological sister does have benefits, but her acronym holds a different meaning. Let's see if I can copy... er, I mean "memorize"... this correctly: grace from Selene, strength from Hippolyte, skill from Adriane, swiftness from Zephyrus, beauty... (That's a POWER?!?) from Aurora, and wisdom from Minerva.) Our next line entrant is a charity case. Yes... Let's be honest; Uncle Dudley only was considered part of the family because of his good-hearted nature, and probably because he guilted Billy Batson into being included. So, with no attributes of power, or words of power, but with a LONG-WINDED outfit change, Dudley becomes Uncle Marvel! ... And he just tags along. Can't wait for his action figure. BUT at the very right, we have the man that started it all, the sage wizard himself, Shazam!
Now, I remember in Jerry Ordway's "Power of Shazam", the Wizard was explained to have been the originator of the general divine assemblage power concept, but damned if I can remember his amalgamated namesake. (It WASN'T Shazam, I can tell you that.) But the origin goes that centuries later, after a failure to pass on his legacy and power... which we'll talk about later... he encounters a homeless Billy Batson, takes him back to the Rock of Eternity, transfers his power to Billy... and passes from this mortal coil. Thus, Shazam serves as a spiritual mentor to the Marvel Family. But I'm sure you're well-versed in these more recognizable members of the family. Now, why don't we take a look at some other members that you... and even I... may not be terribly familiar with!
While not a super-powered member of the family, you can't deny that having a bipedal talking tiger as a friend is pretty darned special! Let me introduce you to Tawky Tawny. ... Yes, that's his name, just roll with it. Sadly, this picture does not display him in his stunning tweed jacket of normal outfit, but Tawny was an integral part of the Marvel Family for a long time. He sort of operates as the more tolerable comedic relief character that Uncle Dudley was intended to be. ... Except I find the very oddball concept of a zoo tiger that wants to associate himself more with humanity a LOT more entertaining than a glory-hogging tubby elderly citizen. Go figure!
No, you didn't drink some spiked punch. Yes, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny did exist. He was created as part of the "funny animal" comic book fixation of the 40's, and was essentially Captain Marvel... only as a pink cartoon wabbit. But the weird thing is this didn't make me want to tear my hair out in puzzlement. Granted, that may be because I haven't read enough of Hoppy's original adventures, but he HAS figured in a spectacular "DC Comics Presents" two-issue crossover with the Marvel Family, and I thought his appearance was pretty entertaining. Maybe enough to make me want to backtrack his previous adventures, and maybe to see if Hoppy put in any additional appearances after his brushing capes with the Man of Steel, Superman! Now, on the other side of the spectrum of characters I'm not very familiar with... but DO NOT want to explore just on sheer principle...
You may notice three schmucks in this musical interlude that you have not previously met. Allow me the... ugh... displeasure of introducing you to the "Lieutenant Marvels". As previously performed for the introduction to the Marvel Family, from left to right: Fat Billy(Because being overweight is a superpower), Tall Billy (Because being tall and lanky is a superpower), and Hill Billy (Because being proud of being a redneck is a superpower... thus making some Country artists more powerful than we originally reckoned.) From what I read, they were all named Billy Batson, and should they say "SHAZAM" in unison, they are gifted with the same powers Captain Marvel possesses. You know, I'm all for adding to the ranks of a super team, but the wisdom of Solomon allowed THIS to happen? Quite honestly, the only time I've ever ran across the Lieutenants was in the Marvel Family profile in an issue of DC's "Who's Who". And for my sanity, it's probably for the best that's the only exposure I've had to the characters. And people complained about the dilution of the Kryptonian legacy in the Silver Age...
But all families have a certain member that isn't welcome at holiday gatherings. Whether it be due to an argumentative nature, or they drink the entire family under the table... OR they use the powers they were granted to attempt superiority over mankind. Remember a little failed experiment on the part of the Wizard Shazam I mentioned before? Time for you to meet the black sheep of the Marvel Family...
Teth-Adam would later become Black Adam. When Cameron was in Egypt land, Shazam sensed potential in Teth, and granted him the very mystic powers that were under his command. The issue about some people is when they're granted with a vast wellspring of powers and abilities, they tend to get a little bossy. Such is the case with Teth, who became a tyrant to his people, until the Wizard removed him from this very sphere. (Whether he was blasted into outer space, or had a mystical amulet be principle in removing his powers, it all depends on what DC Universe version you're reading at that time.) But in either case, Black Adam manages to return to threaten the Marvel Family, and the world at large. Even being the evil version of the Marvel spectrum, the magic word "SHAZAM" works just the same for Teth. And he even managed to found his own "Black Adam" family during the events of the "52" event, with a Mary Marvel in the form of Isis, a Captain Marvel Jr. in Osiris, and EVEN a Tawky Tawny in the crocodile man Sobek. (Thankfully Black Adam didn't feel the need to hire in his own Uncle Dudley to slow down the works.)
A lot of this information about the Marvel Family is really more set in the past, because like all families, they have their up and down periods, and I feel for the past 10 or so years, the Marvel Family has REALLY undergone a lot of "downs". The Wizard dies as part of the "Day of Judgment", Captain Marvel is forced to become the Wizard, CM Jr. attempts to become a full Captain Marvel, and poor Mary Marvel is forced to become a tool for Darkseid's conquest of Earth for "Final Crisis". (And she doesn't earn any points for becoming a Hot Topic Goth/Punk Rocker for that period, as well.) The only family members that really DID fare well during such dark times were Black Adam, and even Tawky Tawny got some solid licks in for "Final Crisis". The less said about the "New 52" version of Cap... er, I mean "Shazam"... the better. (I'm dead serious: I hated that book. HATED. THAT. BOOK.) But if today's entry taught us anything, it's that even the mightiest of mortals cannot always operate alone, and while sometimes your family can be weird... or downright homicidal... they ARE your family, and they make you what you are!
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