Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-Review by Professor Popinjay

(2019)

I did some homework on this one because I didn’t know a whole lot about Shazam going into the film and when it came to writing about it, I wanted to have some substance behind my thoughts, even if I don’t regurgitate all the research. Hopefully I won’t… regurgitate, I mean.

My main question centered around seeing a black and white “Marvel Family” when I was a kid. I remembered it had something to do with Shazam but I didn’t see the whole show (only part of an episode actually). So what was this about and why is it not called Captain Marvel anymore? Most will know the Captain Marvel from the Marvel universe, Carol Danvers played by Brie Larson. But doesn’t Shazam (formerly Captain Marvel) belong to DC properties?

Artist C.C. Beck and writer Bill Parker created Captain Marvel (Now known as “Shazam!”) in 1939, published by Fawcett Comics. Eventually Fawcett Comics tanked and a while after that, DC bought up the rights to Captain Marvel but not before Marvel Comics became well established. No longer able to call him Captain Marvel, DC changed his name to that of the wizard who gave him the powers so-to-speak, which also happened to be the name Cap Marv was meant to say to transform from mild mannered Billy Batson into what we all know today as SHAZAM! There it is in a nutshell. It’s kind of confusing still.

Random Regurgitation: Shazam is actually an acronym for Solomon-Hercules-Atlas-Zeus-Achilles-Mercury. That’s something you know now. Not sure how the non-fictional King Solomon feels about being wrapped up with these mythical dudes but it is what it is.

But I also remember a whole family of Shazamers, a Shazamily. What’s their deal? Well, my memory must be playing tricks on me because I can find NOTHING about the “Marvel Family” in 1940’s era live action films. But there definitely was a 12 part Captain Marvel/Shazam/Billy Batson Serial (Not to be confused with Marvel’s Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers). Supposedly, it’s the first superhero to be adapted for live action film and for a while, he was bigger than Superman. This might be an unpopular opinion but, personally, I think he’s far more interesting too.

Eventually Fawcett Comics started incorporating all manner of extra Shazam/Captain Marvel Characters. There’s:

Mary Marvel- Apparently not allowed to be a Captain as a woman in the 1940s.

Captain Marvel Jr. -No explanation as to why he is a Captain other than presumably having a penis. Also, no explanation as to why he is a Junior. Billy Batson changes from boy to man when he says “Shazam!” Freddy Freeman would say “Captain Marvel!” and be himself but not have polio, I guess? Not a whole lot of motivation to ever stop being Captain Marvel Jr. Though it makes for a pretty convincing secret identity.

Uncle Marvel- Apparently turning into a bulky adult version of one’s self only applies to Billy Batson. Uncle Dudley has to stay an old balding overweight man. Nothing wrong with being an old balding overweight man besides not being a young rugged svelt stud but, eh, what’re ya gonna do?

There’s also a pink Marvel bunny named Hoppy and a Tiger guy named Tawky. Seems like everyone but Gomer Pyle would get powers from saying Shazam! Billy probably should have kept that little word to himself.

These “family members” (sans the Bunny and Tiger guy) would evolve into what we saw in the 2019 film. Not actually evolve, mind you. They turned into a bunch of orphans. I don’t mean someone suddenly un-alived these guys’ parents. I mean, story-wise, whoever the writers were at the time, changed the story to make new or similar characters, all of them orphans, who had similar or the same name as the previously mentioned characters. God, this is confusing!

In the movie these characters each become a Shazam person, they each become the adult paragons of masculine and feminine physique, and they each get their own color. Give them various colored motorcycle helmets and they’d be the Power Rangers.

Random Regurgitation: Star Girl, a teenage superhero (who also has her own live action show 2020, not to be confused with Disney’s Star Girl 2020), had a crush on the adult Shazam version of Billy Batson. This met with some controversy but didn’t really stick because even the young non-Shazam version of Billy Batson was of relatively similar age with Star Girl and the relationship (had a relationship ever actually developed) would have been entirely appropriate anyway. 

I liked Mark Strong as the villain. It’s nice to see him breaking out of his typecasting as the sweetheart of a man who just loves and hugs everyone all the time. I’m kidding. Mark Strong is playing the same part he always plays… evil. But he is fun.

I thought the kids would enjoy this because it involves kids but there’s some pretty scary monsters peppered throughout this film. So be forewarned.

It was fun and probably the best depiction of Shazam since the 1940s serials which stand in high regard by some.

The greatest use ever of Shazam, however, has to be “Kingdom Come”, a comic by Alex Ross and Mark Waid. If you’re not familiar with Alex Ross’ work, every single cell is like a freaking Norman Rockwell painting! It’s magnificent. Even if you’re not into comics, you should read “Kingdom Come”. It is utterly UH-mazing. Superman becomes reclusive, the grandchildren of past heroes and villains blur the line between justice and all out super-powered gang warfare and they’re destroying the planet in the process. That’s when the original heroes, aged but still formidable, join forces once again to put an end to the mayhem. But a capitalizing Lex Luther might have something to say about it too. It’s soooooo goooood!

There is a sequel to the 2019 film which I know little about other than hearsay that it wasn’t that great. I’ll check it out eventually. They (gnomes) were also trying to set up a Black Adam rivalry. Even though they did get the film off the ground, that rivalry between Shazam and Black Adam has still not and may never happen because of reasons.

In the animated world there’s lots of Shazam, a lot of it fairly recent. From the looks of it, I can tell Bruce Tim is involved (of Batman: The animated series fame) and if he’s involved so am I.