Help Me Comic Geeks! You're My Only Hope! (Alex Ross - Echoes of Captain Marvel)

BGPhilbin

Good morning, all -

I've been a listener since 2005 and I love the podcast. This is *sort of* on topic with the latest Spotlight on Shazam! in the Bronze Age, but figured it belongs here, due to the nature of my request.

A couple of months back, Alex Ross released his "Echoes of Captain Marvel" colored pencil drawing (looks painted - it ain't). Here's a large version:
https://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/echoes_of_shazam_web1200.jpg

This drawing is on an 11" x 17" piece of copier paper (I know, right??) - it was originated in regular pencils, then made a copy on which he layered colors using markers and colored pencils.

There's a YouTube video he posted that explains its genesis - but there's no key to the characters. That's where this post comes in.

I'm trying to identify every character. And have. Except for 2.

1. Huge Fire Guy on far right (sort of behind Shazzan, the giant genie). He looks quite different & I can't place him.
https://community.cbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=83787&d=1561418620

2. Wizard lookin' dude & Captain Nice/Spy Smasher lookalike on Huge Fire Guy's shoulder.
https://community.cbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=83788&d=1561418646

Is there anyone out there who might be able to help identify these two?

I'll also post the full list in the comments below, so you can see the work that's gone into this thus far.

Anyone have any ideas? Let me know - thanks!!

Pax, harmonia,

Brian G. Philbin
Webmaster MetropolisPlus.com

BGPhilbin

FOR THE RECORD - all 80 characters/groups and alter egos identified thus far:

TOP CENTER:
Shazam, the wizard (Top Center, dominating the background)
Elvis' jet upper left with the Marvel Family logo & TCB (Taking Care of Business)

FRONT & CENTER:
Captain Marvel & Billy Batson (a la CC Beck, front and center)
Carol Danvers CM (next to Cap & Billy)
MF Ent. Captain Marvel (Prof. Roger Winkle "Split!", "Xam!" - next to Carol Danvers)

RIGHT, STARTING AT THE TOP:
Thunderbunny
Captain Marvel from "The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!"
Lightning/ Thunder (Synthetic Lifeform, changes from Lightning to Thunder)
Mar-Vell (Universe X version)
Shazzan (giant genie from Saturday Morning cartoon)
SheZow (Guy Hamdon, "You Go Girl!", with magic ring)
Fatman the Human Flying Saucer (Van Crawford)
Chuck, Nancy and Kaboobie the flying camel (from Shazzan)
Shaloman (inanimate rock, "Oy vey!", shouted by others)

Original Mar-Vell
Amalgam Captain Marvel (on our left of Mar-Vell in his original Kree togs)
Darna/Varga (Narda)
Captain Thunder, Billy & Mary Batson, Freddy Freeman, Eugene Choi, Pedro Peña, Darla Dudley and Tawky Tawny the Tiger (“Shazam!” foster kids turn into Flashpoint Captain Thunder)
Captain Flash (Prof. Keith Spencer "Claps Hands")
Captain Barbell (Tenteng/Enteng, "Captain Barbell!" while lifting a magic barbell)
Pureheart the Powerful (Archie Andrews, "PH Factor")
The Fly (Tommy Troy, "I wish I were The Fly" with magic fly ring)
Captain Tootsie
The current, hooded iteration (Shazam!)
Dynamo (from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents)
Mazahs (Shazam backwards - from Forever Evil)
Lord Marvel (in all white from Trials of Shazam)
Freddy Freeman version (Long hair from Trials of Shazam)
Genis-Vell (Alex Ross Redesign)
Mar-Vell of Earth-X (kid holding Captain America's shield)
Adam Warlock
Robby Reed (Dial "H" for Hero)
Kingdom Come Captain Marvel
Captain Marble and Billy Battyson (Billy takes "Old Doc Shazam's Elixir" containing "Smaltz herring, Hedgehog quills, Axel grease, Zebra livers, Avocado seeds, Mashed garlic) - cowering behind Kingdom Come Captain Marvel's leg - a parody by "Get Lost" magazine, drawn by Ross Andru)
Genis-Vell ("Nega-Bands", w/ Rick Jones)
Etrigan, The Demon (Jason Blood, "Change! Change! O form of man! Free the prince forever damned! Free the might from fleshy mire! Boil the blood in the heart for fire! Gone! Gone! O form of man, And rise the demon Etrigan!!")
Champion (a young Shazam, “Vlarem!” [an anagram for “Marvel”] - strength of Voldar, the wisdom of Lumiun, the speed of Arel, the power of Ribalvei, the courage of Elbiam, the stamina of Marzosh)
Kevin Matchstick (from Matt Wagner's Mage)
Madman
Omac (Buddy Blank, changed by a beam from Brother Eye, a computer AI satellite)

Captain Marbles (& Billy Spafon "Shazoom" from Superduperman)
The Gentleman (from Astro City, looking like Fred MacMurray - and his daughter, Tillie Armstrong, looking like Judy Garland)
Captain Marvel Bunny (Hoppy)
A Mego Captain Marvel

LEFT, STARTING AT THE TOP:
Ultraman (Hayata) and Ultraseven
Powerman/Powerbolt (from Power Comics, Eclipse)
Captain Marvel (Filmation, w/ kid on his back)
Thundergirl (from Big Bang Comics)
Mighty Mightor (holds magic club in air, sometimes shouts "Mightor!")

Spectreman (Jôji Gamô)
Superior (Simon Pooni in wheelchair, "One Magic Wish")
Eightman/8 Man (Detective Yokoda/Hachiro Azuma w/ Sachiko Seki & supporting characters)
Prince Planet (and Bobby)
Young Samson and Goliath (slams wristbands together to change)
Sinbad Jr. and his Magic Belt
He-Man (Prince Adam) & Battle Cat (Cringer)
Forever People & the Infinity-Man (“Taaru!” & Mother Box)
Billy/Cap as Shazam (seated)
Thunder (Ceecee Beck from Legionnaires/LOSH)

Son-O-God (Benny Davis, "Jesus Christ!" from National Lampoon, looks like Jesus & kid w/ glasses next to him)
Mighty Man (Bobby Berman)
Prime (Kevin Green)
Thor/Dr. Donald Blake
Captain Thunder (& Willie Fawcett, "Thunder!" while rubbing his magic belt)
Isis (Andrea Thomas, "Oh, Mighty Isis!")

Marvelman/Miracleman (Micky Moran "Kimota!")
Ben 10 (and Grandpa Max)
Captain Super of "Earth-2" (Earth-3, originally)
Kirby Captain Marvel (as Alex mentions, lots of Kirby/Captain Marvel connections)
Gomer Pyle ("Shazayum!")
Billy & Captain Marvel/Shazam (from Say My Name - Shazam)
Monica Rambeau (Photon) CM
Kid Miracleman/Kid Marvelman (Johnny Bates, “Kimota!”)
Mar-Vell, final costume & cosmic awareness, ("Nega-Bands", also w/ Rick Jones)

And the raft of television, movie & comic book versions of Captain Marvel/Billy (I think every actor who played Captain Marvel & Billy on television and the movie serial version, as well, are represented, here):
Brie Larson's version w/ Zachary Levi
Tom Tyler as Cap & Frank Coghlan, Jr. as Billy
Jackson Bostwick as Cap, Michael Gray as Billy, John Davey as Cap, Garrett Craig as Cap
Brandon Molale, Actor who wanted to play Captain Marvel

AS MENTIONED ABOVE ONLY 3 UNIDENTIFIED CHARACTERS TO GO!

GREAT THANKS go to Marlin Muhe, Hugh H. Davis, Todd Riggs, Chris Sanders, Rudy Panucci, Matt Hickman, Pól Rua, Roy Johnson, Tory Jeremiah D'Anna, Allen Berrebbi, Wayne Garml, Joe Sewell and James Reed for their help identifying 26 different characters in this project that I could not on my own!

[Deleted User]

Not sure what the trio in question is, but judging from the "Alex Ross Painted TM" style he did them in, they might be part of the Project Superpowers series, meaning they are retooled golden age characters.

Also: Man, that is one crazy doodle! I'm in awe!

BGPhilbin

@Tonebone - good call! I'll take a look around at those renderings this weekend. That's Dynamite's "Project Superpowers". They're all PD characters and if I find any of them there, I'll have a little something to say to my friends over at the Public Domain Heroes group on FB!

Thanks for the idea!

BGPhilbin

@Tonebone - sorry to say that Project Superpowers yielded no results. Let me know if you have any other ideas, as I'm glad to run down any lead!

mwhitt80

Well I have been watching magnum pi on Amazon and still plowing through the royal pains on Netflix

nweathington

Imagine if Magnum had Shazam powers. He’d probably transform into a giant moustache. Not sure what his magic word would be. It would have to be the initials of people with fantastic facial hair, obviously. Suggestions?

nweathington

Alex goes through the complete list in the latest issue of Alter Ego (#166 for those playing at home). The Project Superpowers guess was close — the giant red guy is the Red Giant, a character Alex created as an adversary for Cap who has never been published. The two remaining figures on the Red Giant’s shoulder are Superman and Shajam from a 1960s Turkish movie, Superman vs. Kilink. This Superman has basically Cap's origin, wears a modified Batman costume, and is named Superman. Shajam is their version of the wizard.

Kings_Colors

That is completely mind-blowing!

I would like to see Zot! added as well, just because he adheres to the dress code.