Official DC Community Book Club: The New Champion of Shazam!

General Discussion Comic Books
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The Ides of March have come and gone, but this month’s Official DC Community Book Club is just getting started!

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In celebration of the just-released Shazam! Fury of the Gods, we’re kicking off a new edition of the Official DC Community Book Club in the form of a STACKED 4-book series: The New Champion of Shazam! Starting on Monday, March 20 and running until Sunday, April 2, join us in this very thread for weekly discussion questions and general Shazam antics…Shazantics?

Remember, The New Champion of Shazam! #1-#4 will be free to read all throughout this 4-week-long book club, so head over to DCUI and get readin’!

Issue #1 Discussion Questions

  1. On the very first page of this book, Mary asks the reader the question: How do you define a person? How would you answer this question?

  2. From early in this first issue, we learn that there’s a lot of pressure on Mary to be many different things…a hero, a sister, a daughter, a high-achiever, and more. What are some examples from your life where you’ve struggled with expectations and pressures?

  3. Balancing family, college, a social life, and being a hero seems like a lot for Mary to handle. How do you see her managing as this story unfolds? What do you think will be her greatest challenges?

  4. Do you think it would be hard to be in Mary’s shoes? How would you go about balancing all the disparate pieces of Mary’s life?

  5. Has your answer changed at all to question 1, by the time you arrived at the end of this first book?

Issue #2 Discussion Questions

  1. When we first see Eugene in the second issue, he’s swarmed by other students who praise him for being a genius. Mary is surprised to see that Eugene has suddenly become popular! What do you think it takes to be the cool kid in school?

  2. Everyone lost their powers … except Mary. Because of this, Eugene expresses feelings of guilt for not being able to save their foster parents. Why do you think Billy solely gave Mary the powers? Do you think Eugene and the other kids are justified in their hurt feelings?

  3. Do you trust Mary’s new biology professor, Dr. G? Why or why not?

  4. Three new antagonists make their debut shortly after Mary investigates the car crash near her campus. They are quick to render her powerless using their scientific knowledge. With her powers being focused on electricity, do you think she stands a chance against them alone?

  5. Do you think having the public eye on Mary as a superhero will be beneficial in any way?

Issue #3 Discussion Questions

  1. Following her debut on the Philly 5 news channel, Mary finds herself the victim of some harsh digs on the internet … and less-than-flattering superhero names. If you’d just seen her on the news, what superhero name would you choose for her?

  2. “I’ve got this under control.” Typical Mary line, sure … but why do you think she insists on doing everything alone, even when her siblings are perfectly capable of helping without powers?

  3. What do you think of Dr. G now compared to when you first met her in Issue #2?

  4. Babel’s power involves rooting through peoples’ inner-most thoughts to pull out all the negative things they think about themselves. When he uses this tactic on Mary, he claims that he didn’t even have to read her mind because he just used the terrible things people are saying about her online. The more he does this to her, the more shocking the results are. Do you think the things Babel pulls from Mary are still only based on his brief research, or some of her actual thoughts?

  5. Why do you think Darla took Hoppy with her when she ran away, given that he’s now just a normal rabbit?

Issue #4 Discussion Questions
  1. Mary again asks the question of how one defines a person. This time, however, she asks the reader directly: How do YOU define yourself? What would be your answer for her?
  2. If you were a hero, do you think you’d follow more in Billy’s fighting style of action > thought, or Mary’s fighting style of thought > action?
  3. What did you think of Dr. G’s surprise familial reveal? :eyes: Were you expecting her to be related to them?
  4. If you could isolate any of the six main powers that make up SHAZAM, which one would you prefer to have?
  5. Why do you think Mary was able to catch a glimpse of Billy when no one else could see him?

As with every month, no DC Community Book Club is complete without some great digital perks!

Desktop Wallpapers
Mobile Wallpapers
Bookmarks

:00_shazam: SHAZAM! :00_shazam:

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This is so awesome!:star_struck:

SHAZAM!!!

:00_shazam:

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Shazawesome™:zap:

Been on my list. Guess it’s time to finally read it.

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I was so excited when this series first came out. It was fun having Mary as the Shamazily leader/matriarch for the five minutes it lasted.

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This one is actually pretty good.

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Nice! I just read this series. It’s cool that this is the choice for Book Club this time!

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The art for this looks incredible. Can’t wait to read up!

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Anytime Doc Shatner does work on anything Shazam related, it is amazing. I’ve also been wanting to read this for a while, so I guess now’s the time

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I’m on issue 3 right now and I’m really enjoying it.

One thing that I think has been a detriment to more recent Shazam stories is that we have this “Shazamily” but most of the time, the focus is still on Billy. I mean, we still hardly have proper superhero names for the rest of the family, for Wizard’s sake!

So I like that we’re not just focusing on Mary here, but Eugene, Pedro, Darla and more, I just hope they get proper superhero names someday.

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The first week’s Discussion Questions are now live! :00_shazam:

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  1. Simply, my first definition is what they are to me (brother, parent, friend, etc.). More broadly, I think a person is defined externally their actions; however, a person’s definition of self is likely more internally focused. These definitions could be aligned, but sometimes they could vary.

  2. I did well in school, so by the time I hit a road bump and really had to focus it was jarring. I had expectations for myself and wanted to succeed. My mom was supportive and encouraging, but then was worried she put too much pressure on me. She didn’t, and I passed.:slightly_smiling_face:

  3. I read this as it came out…

  4. Other than the hero bit, I think a lot of people have to find this balance. Family, school/work, and self need time and boundaries. My family didn’t call on my time as much as Mary’s (less siblings), but I think she needs to establish new expectations, including new ways to connect. Also, she’ll have to accept that she’ll miss stuff at home. If that’s not acceptable to her, then she’ll have to re-evaluate her priorities (which college, how far from home, how many classes at a time, etc.). For hero stuff, she should ask the Oracle! Or just talk to heroes who already achieved her goal (graduated from college).

  5. I don’t remember. I don’t think so. A person is really all of those things. Regardless of what I see or how I’d define them, that’s important to remember as I navigate balancing life. Otherwise, I could go crazy getting mad at the red car that cut me off because clearly the driver was a heinous villain that must be smited by the powers of road rage!!! Erhm.

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W1

  • On the very first page of this book, Mary asks the reader the question:How do you define a person? How would you answer this question?

A person is ultimately undefinable. They’re so complex it could never be a concrete answer. But if I had to I guess someone with beliefs dreams emotions. Something like that.

  • From early in this first issue, we learn that there’s a lot of pressure on Mary to be many different things…a hero, a sister, a daughter, a high-achiever, and more. What are some examples from your life where you’ve struggled with expectations and pressures?

Being the first of my brothers to go to college was something but my twin was there too so it wasn’t that bad. I guess the most pressure come from me over anyone else. But I remind myself it’s okay not being doing this or already being good at that. Just take it one step at a time.

  • Balancing family, college, a social life, and being a hero seems like a lot for Mary to handle. How do you see her managing as this story unfolds? What do you think will be her greatest challenges?

Definitely stressful for her. May lead to a breakdown or lashing out but to latter overcome it with the help of her family and friends.

  • Do you think it would be hard to be in Mary’s shoes? How would you go about balancing all the disparate pieces of Mary’s life?

It would be difficult. I don’t I’d balance it well either to be honest :sweat_smile:.

  • Has your answer changed at all to question 1, by the time you arrived at the end of this first book?

Not really. But May as it goes on.

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yess!!! i love the attention dc is giving mary and the other marvels!!! my only complaint is to ditch the new 52 origin

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onto the actual discussion lolol

  1. their actions
  2. in middle school i was in special ed, it pretty much never ended :skull:
  3. honestly the best part about mary marvel is she‘s very adaptable, she’ll find a balance eventually
  4. oh definitely, i barely got through college myself and i had nowhere near as much going on as she does. if i were her i would try not keeping everything to myself
  5. not really
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honestly i think they should just cut their losses and make them the new lieutenant marvels, i’d prefer that over reintroducing three more batsons when the new 52 trio barely has a personality :sob:

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Wheeeewf! Loaded question. At first I thought to say “measure them by their milestones”, but that doesn’t seem really fair … so maybe more like “measure them by their heart”. If a person has a good heart, it’s the #1 thing I’ll remember about them, no matter their failures.

Like Mary, college was definitely a prime example of that in my life. I didn’t end up graduating and lost a lot of friendships and had an even worse relationship with some family members for a few years while I was trying to define myself outside of having a formal education — I closed in on myself, imploded, exploded, rebuilt myself over and over again throughout several years. I’m VERY happy now, and I’m sure Mary will be able to figure everything out even sooner than I did!

I can see her quite literally having a planner for working out her school life on top of her hero life. I think her greatest challenge will be trying to keep her hero biz a secret from her roommates — or even crawling in through the window one late night, so brain fried from all the pressure that she forgets to Shazam herself back to Mary.

I honestly feel like I would’ve gone about it the exact same way. “Get someone else to do it, I’ve got my own life to live.”

I’d probably have to give up one or the other (college v. hero life) … I couldn’t carry on such a busy schedule for four straight years.

Not yet, but maybe in the future!

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I read this as it came out and enjoyed it, so I’ll give this a go.

Oh. I wouldn’t know how to answer it. I don’t even know how to define myself. Who am I?

Am I the person I see myself as on the inside? Am I the person people see from the outside? If so, how do I account for how different people see me in different ways?

Am I my actions? Just the good ones? Or, more likely, just the bad? What about the well-meant actions that had bad consequences and the ill-intended actions that had good ones?

Am I defined by the things I like and don’t like? Am I made up of things outside me or the emotions and motivations within?

The answer might be that I’m all those things which also makes me none of them. So, yeah, I’m not going to define anyone. That leads to too many questions.

Arguably, I’ve always struggled with expectations and pressures. I’m admittedly not good with either. Let’s go with an example I have enough distance from. I was raised, primarily, by a single mother. I was the oldest of three children in my household growing up. At a pretty young age I had to juggle helping take care of my younger siblings while going through school. Luckily, school came pretty easy to me, but then people expect big things from you (I showed them). I never really felt like “the man of the house,” and probably wasn’t. There was also that guilty feeling that comes with thinking you could be/should be doing more, but, hey, I was a kid. Sometimes the equation got rough and I imploded under the pressure. Nothing lasts forever, though. My siblings grew up and didn’t need taking care of anymore. I grew up and went on to college. Onto new pressures and new failed expectations!

Having read this before, I don’t want to give away too much. Suffice to say, superheroes have it hard when it comes to balancing personal lives with duty. It’s just not an easy lifestyle.

I would white-knuckle through while trying to do my best at everything until that ball of stress and resentment inside me explodes and I lash out/act out. …I wouldn’t recommend it, though.

…Did I answer question 1…?

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This week’s discussion questions are live!

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  1. I agree with @c02goddess.16092 people are defined by actions. You could make big speeches about helping the world but if you plan on doing more bad than good than you’re not really a good person.

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  2. Might be a little too personal. :smile: Comics are my escape from that nonsense. If I talk about those things, it’s with the characters in the comics. In any case, Mary direction in the new 52 and onwards is my favorite. She’s a adult and yet she’s facing this pressure from those heroic things that should make you feel good. Mary reminds me of my fav Luke Fox in that regard. He’s a great son who can’t help but let someone down when he becomes Batwing. Nobody can be a perfect hero and person if you want to live both lives.

  3. College will be hard for someone who is a overachiever, she’s good but distracted with her heroism. Mary can’t be making friends unless they know who she is and even than Mary still is missing out on her family as well. We can’t have it all.
    We desperately need Maxwell lord in that scenario.

  1. Reveal my identity. I’m serious. I think many people think that revealing your identity would make it hard to live but no it wouldn’t. Go read the first volume of 80s flash and see how easy it is to be a public superhero. People will get used to you and who knows maybe the college would want to assist you with being a superhero and still having enough time to be in college with accommodations.

  2. Not really no. I think it would be solid even after all the misadventures Mary Marvel found herself in.

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I’ve been really looking forward to reading this series. I’m glad I waited!
Here are my answers to the first issue’s questions:

  1. I think defining yourself is definitely a tricky thing. How you interact and relate to other people is a really big part of who you are, but you can also change or hide who you are to fit in, or do the opposite and base your personality all around not being like other people. I think finding what makes you comfortable with yourself and allows you to be honest with yourself and others is the best way to define yourself.
  2. I think everyone deals the expectations of others to some extent, especially family members. If someone cares about you, it’s only natural that they’d have hopes and expectations for you.
  3. If Mary was a bit more self-centered she’d have a much easier time of things. She clearly wants to live her own life on her own terms, but also can’t allow innocent people to be hurt.
  4. I definitely think it would be. Having power like she does would make it easy to feel like you were being selfish if you weren’t spending every waking moment out helping other people and stopping villains. She does also deserve to live her own life, which makes it very tricky.
  5. Reading the whole issue definitely makes this a more complex question. Mary is being defined in different ways by herself, Billy, Hoppy, her family, her roommates, the entire freshman class, and even the supervillain she fought.
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