#I am also very excited to write more about the Fawcett News team!

[cerealboxlore]

For the WIP ask game!

There are so many intriguing choices! You're pretty good at coming up with fun and catchy titles!

I think I'll pick Killer Frequency

Hi, Wolf! Haha! I just can't help myself when it comes to new fic ideas, if only I had that kind of drive to actually finish them aa! Thanks, making the title for a fic is one of the best parts!

Alrighty, well, Killer Frequency is an idea of mine that came from a game I really enjoy, of the same name. The premise of that game is that a radio show host in a small town is the only source of help to call when a serial killer goes on the loose, and it's up to him to save the town and himself before it's too late. I went bouncing up and down the walls for that game, so I figured, I should combine this with my other hyper-fixation! Billy already is a radio show host and constantly has people trying to kill him, this is a perfect fit!

For my fic, the plot surrounds Billy Batson investigating a serial killer cold case with the help of the Fawcett News team (Sterling Morris, Helen Fidelity, Whitey Murphey, Joane Jameson, and Cissie Sommerly). Billy and Cissie aren't officially helping with the case, but whenever those two are brought into the office, they insist on helping in any way they can. Mr. Morris also couldn't find a babysitter in time.

They figured an old famous case like this would make for a good segment on their radio show, bringing in new and old fans of good journalism stories. They even joked on air that they would "solve the case once and for all" Never once did any of them anticipate one of the viewers calling into the show would be the killer themselves; promising to pay them a visit, real soon.

Danger would become eminent, as Fawcett City goes under a blackout/power outage. All emergency service calls are offline, with no internet, and no lines can get through. Whoever this killer is, or whatever they are, they seem to be rather keen on letting old dogs lie.

With it apparent that a serial killer is on the loose in Fawcett, heading straight to them, the Fawcett news team and Billy have to figure out the culprit and save the lives of the Fawcett people and theirs, before it's too late...

It's a bit of a mess, but it's a favorite of mine! I'm really excited to finish this one and ramble on more about it. Please, if you want to know more, let me know. I will not shut up about it!!

[zjarondinelli]

Echoes Not Heard: Alex Ross' "Echoes of Shazam!" and the Absence of a Certain Big Blue Boy Scout

I recently had the pleasure to have this piece published as a part of the “POP: Culture & Comics” website #SneakPeekWeek! The site has come down (temporarily) until it’s grand launch on Monday April 22, 2019, so I wanted to make it available here on my CV/blog in the meantime. Thanks for checking it out:

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This past Friday, exactly one week before the North American theatrical release

of the SHAZAM movie, Alex Ross has provided what Nerdist.com calls "his

definitive take on the cultural impact of the character." [1] "In this illustration..."

Diaz writes, "[Ross] goes beyond the comic book universe to trace the influence

of Shazam! on a broader pop culture scale, depicting over 100 characters from

comics, movies, and television." [2] Not only does it feature characters,

regardless of publisher, that have been called "Captain Marvel", but it also

depicts characters who have been heavily influenced by him and his stories. If

you haven't yet seen Ross' work, take a look below:

                                         Echoes of Shazam! (2019)

As you might expect from an artists of Ross' caliber, the painting is spectacular.

Foregrounded in the image is the original Captain Marvel & Billy Batson,

represented in the classic-style of co-creator and Chief Artist of Fawcett's

represented in the classic-style of co-creator and Chief Artist of Fawcett's

flagship Captain Marvel Adventures, C.C. Beck, surrounded by all of the 

CaptainMarvels and other characters who have taken inspiration from him and 

his journey's over the years. [3] Immediately recognizable characters like Marvel

Comics' Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, Alan Moore's Marvelman, the original

Thor (who many might forget was originally Dr. Don Blake, a man who became

the God of Thunder when he slammed his cane on the ground), He-Man,

Ultraman, Captain Super (the Crime Syndicate version of Captain Marvel), and 

so many more are there to celebrate the power of Shazam.

While it is certainly true that all of these characters, in one way or another, have

taken inspiration from the "Big Red Cheese" and that the painting is an 

ambitious one that clearly demonstrates Ross' adoration for the character, there 

is a notable absence among the characters that populate this work of art. And if 

this is to be a definitive take on Captain Marvel/Shazam's pop culture influence, 

as Ross, Diaz and Nerdist.com have suggested, then this missing character is 

an egregious one. So, I have to ask...

Where, oh where, is Superman?

                                           Superman by Curt Swan

Now, I'm sure many of you have already done the math... Superman debuted in

Action Comics #1 which was published in 1938. The original Captain Marvel

debuted in Whiz Comics #2, first published a full two-years later in 1940. You 

may even be aware of the lawsuit filed by DC Comics (then National Periodical

Publications) against Fawcett that claimed copyright infringement against

Captain Marvel. On the surface, none of this gives the impression that 

Superman was inspired in any way by Captain Marvel. Yet, despite how it looks, 

here I am suggesting that one of the greatest comics artist's of out time missed 

an opportunity to reflexively recognize how the "Big Red Cheese" significantly

improved Siegel & Shuster's "Big Blue Boy Scout". In fact, I would go as far as 

to improved Siegel & Shuster's "Big Blue Boy Scout". In fact, I would go as far 

as to suggest that that the Superman as we know him today only exists 

because of Fawcett's Captain Marvel.

To understand why Superman belongs in Ross' "Echoes of Shazam!", we first 

need to talk about one of the greatest Golden Age comics writers of all-time: 

Otto Binder.

                                                     Otto Binder

Otto Binder began writing for Fawcett comics in 1941, taking over the Captain 

Marvel stories after original co-creator, Bill Parker, joined the military in 1940. 

Under Binder's pen, Captain Marvel quickly became the most popular comic 

book superhero published at that time. According to scholars Bradford Wright 

and Christopher Murray, Billy and Captain Marvel's popularity stemmed from 

their ability to provide young readers with a way to "imagine what it might be 

like to possess magical powers". [4] Billy, a boy as young as many of his 

readers, could become a hero with a single word; kids no longer had to project 

themselves into the bodies of adults for adventure, they could simply call for 

magic from the skies and become the hero they had always dreamt about.

It was this level of popularity and success that eventually led National to file 

their lawsuit against Fawcett. The lawsuit, which would drag on for years and is 

better discussed in a different article, would ultimately be settled in 1952 when 

Fawcett (who no longer wanted to continue their fight against National) agreed 

to stop publishing Captain Marvel comics.

While this might have signalled the end of the best-selling comics hero of the

1940s, it also opened the door for Otto Binder to begin another comics project. 

In 1954, Binder took on writing duties for the Superman group of titles at 

National, and would change the face of the character forever.

During his time working on the Superman titles, Binder contributed to the

introduction of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and debuted one of Superman's

deadliest villains (who will soon be appearing on Krypton: Season 2), Brainiac, 

as well as the Bottle City of Kandor in Action Comics #242 (1958). Around the 

same time, he also introduced fan-favourite villain/anti-hero, Bizarro, in 

Superboy #68 (1958) as well as Bizarro World in Action Comics #263 (1960). He 

would further introduce other important elements to the Superman mythos 

including The Phantom Zone, Lucy Lane, Beppo the Super Monkey, and even 

Jimmy Olsen's famous signal-watch.

While all of these new characters are important and signal Binder's contribution

to the Superman mythology, they don't really explain why Captain Marvel

impacted Superman or why Superman should be in Ross' "Echoes of 

Shazam!". For that, we have to look to Binder's two greatest additions to the 

Superman universe: Krypto the Super Dog and Supergirl.

One of the most enduring and popular elements of Binder (and Beck's) time on

Captain Marvel was the introduction of the Marvel Family.

                                 Cover to The Marvel Family #1 (1945)

Originally introduced by Binder and Beck in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 

(1942), the Marvel family was one of the most popular elements of Captain 

Marvel's mythos. In stark contrast to many other heroes being published at that 

time, Captain Marvel had a whole family to help him on his adventures and 

demonstrated to young children the importance of having support from those 

who love and care about you. Billy knew he couldn't always do it alone; a 

meaningful lessons for young children. 

Joining Billy/Captain Marvel in those original team-up adventures with the 

Marvel Family was Freddy Freeman/Captain Marvel Jr., who had been originally 

introduced in Whiz Comics #25 (1941), and Mary Marvel (as well as some other 

less notable family members, like Uncle Marvel). Within a very short time of the 

family's introduction, they become on of the most popular and best selling 

comics of the Golden Age. [5]

In an article for Polygon.com about Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles, Meg 

Downey states, "The Marvel Family’s success went on to inspire copycats of 

their own — DC (then known as National Comics) replicated the process for 

their entire trinity, complete with costume-wearing animal companions, super 

babies, wonder tots, and long lost elderly relatives." [6] What Downey fails to 

mention is that, for Superman at least, the one who developed this "Superman 

Family" was the writer of Captain Marvel himself, Otto Binder.

Only one year after he began working with Superman, Binder introduced Krypto

the Super Dog in Adventure Comics #210 (1955). Besides Siegel and Shuster's 

own Superboy, Krypto served as the first step towards the building of the 

Superman Family as we know it today. The next one, would come in the form of 

Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl in Action Comics 

#252 (1959).

Together with Superman, an increased focus on Lois Lane (his Lois Lane comic 

for Showcase #9 in 1957 set the stage for her own on-going publication shortly

thereafter) and Jimmy Olsen (Binder launched Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen in

1954), the Superman family would continue to grow and demonstrate that the

Family Formula pioneered with Captain Marvel all those years before, was still a

winner. So to is this demonstrated by the characters lasting importance to

Superman even today.

Recent comics (Tomasi, Gleason, Jurgens, and even Bendis' runs) have

emphasized the importance of family to Superman. Jon Kent (the son of

Superman and Lois Lane) has become  one of the break-out stars of the current 

DC Universe, the return of Connor Kent within the pages of Young Justice 

(2018) has been met with resounding excitement, Supergirl is riding high after 

Melissa Benoit's successful CW television series has far surpassed 

expectations and Krypto has even been gallivanting alongside her in her solo 

comics series.

Simply put, the Superman that we know today would not be who he is without 

his family. There is no denying that Superman's "family", like the extended "Bat-

Family" are completely indebted to the success of Otto Binder's work with

Captain Marvel. When Fawcett abandoned the fight against National, Binder

brought the formula that had made Captain Marvel and his family so successful

and applied it to the original comic book superhero. Without the contributions 

of Binder, the family characters that have come after his tenure at DC simply

wouldn't exist. He not only set the stage for them within Superman comics, he 

did so even earlier within the Captain Marvel stories. This is the contribution 

that Captain Marvel and Shazam gave to Superman, and why he belongs in 

Ross' "Echoes of Shazam!" painting.

The "Big Blue Boy Scout" owes a pretty massive debt to the "Big Red Cheese"

because, in no uncertain terms, he gave him his family.

Ross' "Echoes of Shazam!" is nothing short of amazing. It is an artist's passion

project for a character that he clearly loves and cares about. By demonstrating

the missing piece of the painting, I do not intend to diminish it's power or 

suggest that it fails in it's mission; it certainly doesn't. What it does do though is 

miss the opportunity to recognize the contributions of a character that Ross 

clearly loves so much on one of DC Comics' most visible and popular heroes. It 

would have been a small, but meaningful vindication for Captain MArvel's 

wrongful demise at the hands of National/Superman.

We may not see that in Ross' work here, but SHAZAM! does hit theatres this 

Friday. Maybe we'll finally see the "Big Red Cheese" overshadow the "Big Blue 

Boy Scout".

Sources:

[1] Diaz, Erica. "Alex Ross' 'Echoes Of Shazam!' Pays Tribute to Every Captain

Marvel Ever (Exclusive)". Nerdist.com. 3.29.19. Available at

https://nerdist.com/article/alex-ross-echoes-of-shazam-every-captainmarvel-

ever-exclusive/.

[2] ibid.

[3] Cremins, Brian. Captain Marvel and the Art of Nostalgia. University Press of

Mississippi. 2019.

[4] Wright, Bradford and Christopher Murray qtd. in Cremins, Brian, p. 16.

[5] Downey, Meg. "There's No Incredibles Without the Golden Ages First Superhero

Family". Polygon.com. 6.17.18. Available at

https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/17/17473058/the-incredibles-2-

connectionscaptain-marvel-comics.

[6] ibid.