I strongly urge you over the next couple of days and months to come to review the sales of both Trials [of Shazam, the 12-issue miniseries set in current continuity by Judd Winnick and Howard Porter] and [Jeff Smith's 4-issue miniseries, Shazam and the] Monster Society of Evil. Hopefully this analysis will prove me right that sales figures talk and it is a true litmus test of what the fans in this industry truly want for the direction of Captain Marvel. If anything I implore you to take my suggestion and make [Winnick's] story take part on an alternate earth in the newly re-vamped multiverse since no other characters except Zantanna has interacted with Billy.
Please bring back the characters we SHAZAM fans some who have been loyal to the characters for 30 plus years all know and love. Please remember how long it took before Justice Society finally made it big and remember what got them back on top. This can be done with Captain Marvel. Jerry Ordway proved so for 50 issues. Judd Winack’s rendition and vision is just not the right fit for this character.
I have to admit, I know which I’d rather read, and it will be interesting to see whether continuity beats creator in this particular sales battle…
January 31st, 2007 at 9:13 am
Sales is a tricky one here.
Price point’s going to be a big factor, as will waiting for a collected edition.
At the high price point, I know I’m going to probably wait for a hardcover(or preferably a softcover) TPB.
January 31st, 2007 at 10:23 am
I’m betting Trials of Shazam sells a LOT better.
January 31st, 2007 at 10:24 am
You just know that Winnick is going to give the hospitalized Mary Marvel a bad blood transfusion. Totally telegraphed.
January 31st, 2007 at 11:28 am
I’m usually a big fan of Winnick’s work. I enjoyed his GL run, and now enjoying GA. But I think he has really missed the boat on what makes Cap “tick.” Winnick has stated his averison to the silly aspects of the Shazam mythos, but I think that’s why it works. It’s the same reaosn I’d rather read Kyle baker’s Plastic Man, than Joe Kelly’s. Certian characters benefit from a degree of angst. And certain ones don’t. Cap and Plas are in that latter category.
January 31st, 2007 at 11:39 am
It’s weird; I loved the Joe Kelly Plastic Man’s lovechild storyline, and yet I loved Kyle Baker’s dripping-with-hate demolition of it.
January 31st, 2007 at 11:47 am
Some fans better be careful of what they wish for.
My pessimistic prediction – the sales on Winick’s book will trouce the sales on Smith’s. Winick’s book is “in continuity”, is linked to major DCU events, and is totally tuned to cater to the pre-existing comic-book store market.
Smith’s book is out of continuity, a stand-alone tale not tied to the DCU at all, and tuned to cater to the “wait for the trade/get it at the bookstore” market. The individual issues are more expensive and you just KNOW that DC is going to be putting out some nice hardcover collection of this stuff with extras and whatnot. Trials of Shazam, OTOH, will probably be collected into 2 separate trade paperbacks after the “big events” are memories and people are waiting for the next Captain Marvel ravmp.
Unless the comic-store frequenting public surprise me, Winick’s book will outsell Smith’s in the monthly issues. I suspect, though, that Smith’s take will have a longer shelf life than Winick’s in trade and will easily make DC plenty of filthy lucre in the long run.
January 31st, 2007 at 11:58 am
It’s weird; I loved the Joe Kelly Plastic Man’s lovechild storyline, and yet I loved Kyle Baker’s dripping-with-hate demolition of it.
That’s because Kelly and Baker are leagues ahead of Winick in terms of raw storytelling skill. A lot of comics characters are really flexible. A great writer could make a great Dark Captain Marvel story. You could easily argue that that is exactly what’s going on over in 52.
Winick isn’t a great writer, though.
January 31st, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I wouldn’t put all the blame on Winick. He can be a sold writer on occasion. I’m looking at editorial for the blame here. This direction is a mandate from above that will sink or swim the character and it looks like the fans will have to adjust to the change. Hey at least Cap wasn’t turned into a facist like some fun Marvel characters I can think of…
January 31st, 2007 at 3:08 pm
A facist believes in government by Zordon.
January 31st, 2007 at 4:03 pm
I love Jerry Ordway, but that Power of Shazam series was just awful. So freaking boring. It became just another average super-hero
February 1st, 2007 at 12:26 am
I’ve enjoyed Winnick’s work on Green Arrow and the Outsider’s but not on Green Lantern. He does preach too often on homosexual related social issues which makes his runs predictable. He has yet too really hit a big home run yet as writer.
That being said, I don’t think Joe Kelly has really done so either. Wildcats 3.0 was gettting there but DC pulled the plug and no one was reading it which is sort of a prerequisite. I think Kelly is the more developed writer at this point but seems to be at his best outside of working on major superhero characters.
Kyle Baker’s great but he’s never really done great work on mainstream hardcore superhero comics either.
February 1st, 2007 at 1:21 am
Joe Casey was the Wildcats guy, and Wildcats v2, Wildcats 3.0, and his Avengers work are all pretty much home runs. Godland, too.
Kelly has had Deadpool, JLA, and a pretty decentish run on Superman.
Kyle Baker doesn’t need a great superhero thing. Nat Turner was one of the best books to come out last year.