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Episode 1538 Talkback - Spotlight on SHAZAM! in the Golden Age, Part One
Adam_Murdough
Posts: 506
With one magic word, the complexion of superhero comics was changed forever in 1940 by the introduction of that mythically-empowered champion of justice and decency, the original Captain Marvel! Now, 75 years later, CGS pays homage to the World's Mightiest Mortal in a new series of historical Spotlights! Comics scholar Shazama Cum Laude Adam Murdough leads this discussion of Captain Marvel's first two years in comics, from Billy Batson's first utterance of 'Shazam!' to the origin of Captain Marvel, Jr. (2:30:37)
Listen here, folks!
Listen here, folks!
Comments
My own first exposure to the Captain is most likely similar to that of Chris and Shane in that I seem to recall watching episodes of the SHAZAM!/Isis show in my youth. I also remember reading SHAZAM! #1 which I think reintroduced him back into DC continuity but those memories are fuzzy at best and my copy long buried in a long box somewhere. I do however remember his many appearances in DC Comics Presents Annuals which remain some of my absolute favorites to this day.
I'm really quite looking forward to hearing about the legal battle in full in the future. I know very little of it aside from what is commonly known, so that will be a fun and educational episode.
Looking forward to the next part with great fervor, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Just kidding, guys. Nice job.
Re: Mac Raboy, though he was born in New York, his parents were originally eastern Romanian Jews with the surname Raboi, which in Romania would be pronounced “rah-BOY,” with a rolled R.
It's funny you mentioned his worked looked carved, because when he was in high school he took WPA (Works Progress Administration) art classes where he learned wood engraving and print making. I've seen a few of his wood engraving prints, and they're quite good.
His Captain Marvel Jr. stories had a Peter Pan quality to them, I think. Junior fighting Nazis always makes me think of Pan fighting Hook and crew. Otto Binder once said that Raboy always complained that there were too many action scenes, and that, “He wanted beautiful fairyland scenes for Captain Marvel Jr. to float through.”
Of course, Raboy left comics in 1947 or ’48. He took over the Flash Gordon newspaper strip in ’49 and drew it until he died in 1967 from cancer. As an admirer of Alex Raymond, that was probably as close to a dream job as he came. I don't know if he had the mindset for a fine artist, but he could definitely have done well as an illustrator.
One of the main differences with the Golden Age stories and those from recent years is that Billy Batson and Cap were distinctly different people. Captain Marvel did not have the mentality of child in an adult's body.
CGS listeners should check out the 1940s serial (the 1st time a comics superhero was done in live action):
I've come to an appreciation of the Marvel Family withing the last 10 years, or so. However, when I was much younger I had a friend who's Mom would buy him any comic he wanted. I discovered Captain Marvel through the Square Bound 100 Page books and Treasury editions that DC released in the 70's. I remember not liking the "modern" stories at all. However, the Golden Age reprints drew me in. When I got older and could afford back issues, those books were top on my list.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-gallery-display/2012/07/joe_millionaire.jpg
One minor nitpick from an old English major: Fat, Tall, and Hill Billy should be referred to as the "Lieutenants Marvel" and not "Lieutenant Marvels." DC made this error in the recent Multiversity issue. It's similar to "Attorneys General" or "Mothers-in-Law."
Didn't realize how closely the New 52 version stayed to the original origin story, with the underground Subway, etc.
Murds enthusiasm and knowledge of this time period is amazing.
My own discovery of the Captain and his family is similar to most folks around here, thanks to Filmation. But although I enjoyed the live action show as a kid, the one that really stuck with me was the animated version that aired alongside Hero High as part of the short-lived series "The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!". Those cartoons get so much right - you not only get Cap, Mary, and Junior, but also Uncle Dudley, Tawky Tawny, the Sivanas, Mr. Mind, Ibac, Black Adam... cousin Freckles even shows up for an episode (no Lieutenants, though). It's a Filmation cartoon, so you'll recognize pretty much all of the voices and the background music, but it's all kinds of good and easily the most accurate representation of the original comics until probably those episodes of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. They've never been released officially on DVD and I have never even seen them from bootleg DVD dealers at cons (I always ask), but you can find a lot of them on YouTube.
Anyway... I loved the show and cartoon but kind of forgot about them after awhile until I stumbled across Roy Thomas's attempt to revive the franchise after COIE, Shazam: The New Beginning. It's not the best version of the characters, but credit to Roy where it's due for trying hard, and it's the series that made me remember how much I loved the characters and it led me to start tracking down what appearances I could, especially the 70s series and, once it started, Jerry Ordway's The Power of Shazam OGN and subsequent series.
Looking forward to the future episodes!
Oy.
http://www.capetelevision.com/support/now-playing-on-roku
Another great episode, and another great character to Spotlight @Adam_Murdough Thanks!
Tom Tyler was also a champion weight lifter. The scenes from Adventures of Captain Marvel where he's picking people up and throwing them were done without the help of wires, pulleys, etc.
I like to think of them as the same. However, when you consider the transformation to an adult and the abilities of the members of Cap's pantheon they will act like 2 very different people. A good example would be Hickman's run on FF and how he handled the relationship between Franklin Richards the child and FR the time travelling adult. The same individual coming from two very different places.