Vroom
Thank u kindly. I’m on the case like a young Bruce or a just arriving to Earth J’onn J’onzz.
1 Like
CaptThunder001
Absolutely, I don’t run this at all but I know from experience. I jump in & out of book clubs nonstop. All good people I know w/o a doubt they’ll be happy to have ya’.
1 Like
Guys, I REALLY enjoyed this week’s reading! Thank you for the selections. I always looked at Shazam as a copy of Superman pretty much, but one of the issues in First Thunder really went out of the way to accent their differences. I am just really blown away at the final issue, the final panel in fact. I think it ended perfectly. This week’s selection was the first Shazam I’ve ever read. Excellent stuff. I enjoyed them all and my favorite was First Thunder #4. I also really liked the older issues.
I do think Superman and Shazam compliment each other well. Superman as the guide/mentor and Shazam as the doe-eyed boy.
A couple of panels in that final issue tore my heart out.
1 Like
CaptT jump, jump, jump
Nothing tacky about it. I stick with Superman but bounce in and out of others. Everyone is always welcoming.
1 Like
Much as I enjoyed the first four particularly the thre issues with Ian Churchill. I just could not get into last four. Winnick went back to Eclipso, with diminishing results. The story was slower, and the art while cute at first just didn’t help propel the action. It was flat, and dull, and the two heroes puffy.
1 Like
@CaotThunder001 Pull up a seat and have fun, friend! As @djd and @msgtv said, all are welcome and at any time. Superman is for everyone, 24/7 
@djd No prob Bob. Happy to help.
@msgtv I’m of the same opinion on First Thunder. Between it and Lightning Strikes Twice, I’ve always been a bigger fan of LST as I find it to be better written and the art is much, much better. Joshua Middleton is definitely a good artist, but I prefer Ian Chruchill by, well, leaps and bounds.
2 Likes
@HurricaneDaddy Thank you so much! I’m happy you had such a great first time outing with Shazam.
I hope to see you stick around for the Superman Book Club, as the adventure has only just begun.
2 Likes
Alright then, busts out ALL the Shazam memorbillia
Superman: Man of Tomorrow #4. This was a Shazam story I’ve never read before, so discovering it here was an absolutely treat! The artwork works for the most part, even if there are a few moments where the characters are just a bit too shiny/uncanny valley-ish, but I feel like that’s largely due to the coloring. The story itself is fairly straightforward but fun, and I feel like it did a great job of letting both Supes and Cap be competent without putting the other down. I especially liked the crane sequence, as I was worried it was gonna be a “oh no! Cap messed up! Better call Supes!”-type of scene, but was happy when Cap immediately corrected his error. It’s a good way of showing he’s heroic but still young.
Plus, Bibbo and the Wizard getting into a fanboy argument at the end was just delightful!
3 Likes
@CaptThunder001 Bust out the Shazam love!
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow is the Triangle Era’s hidden gem. From fun stories like this week’s issue, to #7 where Maxima returned as a full fledged member of Superman’s rogue’s gallery, to #9 where a good number of Superman’s previous outfits were detailed (which was a great fit during the Superman Blue period) and beyond, it really was the Superman Quarterly That Could and Did.
2 Likes
Also, can we get a Bibbo and the Wizard road trip spin-off, please! I know it’s 20 years and a few continuities too late, but…
1 Like
“Clash”
Clash was actually my very first exposure to Captain Marvel/Shazam (that and the comic “Kingdom Come”). As such, much like the Dark Knight Returns, I’m always going to have a soft spot for the episode despite some flaws.
Yes, the episode absolutely nails Shazam. His innate belief in the goodness of others, his Big Speech at the end to League’s…Council of Elders, (I guess?), that whole sequence of him just walking down the halls of the Watchtower saying hi, it’s all perfect. And I completely buy that, after an episode of being scolded and given the cold shoulder, Billy would finally declare “enough!” and start wailing on Supes.
My problem with the episode largely stems with its portrayal of Superman. Now, if this was just an episode entirely from Billy’s POV wouldn’t be much of a problem. We as an audience would already understand why Supes doesn’t trust Lex, and it’s possible that a lot of Supes’ paranoia/jerkiness is just being exaggerated by Billy’s childlike perspective (the scene where Billy gets scolded for “endorsing” Luthor is a great example of this, with the League’s faces half-covered in shadow and just giving him cold stares. It feels less like “how they really are” and more “how Billy sees them right now.”)
Unfortunately the episode isn’t entirely from Billy’s POV, so we get scenes of Supes away from Shazam where he still comes off as angry and short-tempered and paranoid. I get Luthor being free and running for President would be a massive sore spot, but when BATMAN is calling you out on it, you’ve gone too far. It just feels like they pushed Superman in the angry direction a little too hard, and feels out of character for this version.
Still, THAT FIGHT SCENE! XD
1 Like
@CaptThunder001 I’m down for a Bibbo/Wizard: Road Trip one-shot.
The fight between Superman and Shazam in Clash was a humdinger and then some. It was beautifully animated in every way.
1 Like
They fought with bank vaults! Bank vaults! XD
1 Like
Imagine if that scene went like this:
Superman: “Captain Marvel, its time for you to go into the vault!” he smashes a vault on CM
Captain Marvel: “Yeah? Well here’s your safe deposit box, jerk!” smashes Superman with his vault
JLU kicks ass.
1 Like
Pinky and The Brain are the ones who want to take over the world.
Superman and Captain Marvel seemingly want to bash each other with bank vaults.
Of course, Pinky and The Brain getting into fisticuffs in a bank would be cute. Zort!
1 Like
I just read the first of the issues. You guys should have started with “Eclipso is the villain this week”, that alone would have hooked me!
1 Like
Second comic… that Eclipso is so sneaky!!! And of course this is why superheroes should never be married
…you never know when your wife might be possessed by Eclipso secretly!
1 Like