Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: dc comics, shazam

Don't Call Her Ms Shazadam – Mary Marvel Is The New Shazam

Published Sat, 13 Nov 2021 12:57:09 -0600

Once upon a time Mary Marvel was the sister of Captain Marvel – back before trademarks were a problem. Now she is Mary Bromfield, sister of Billy Batson, and about to be the sole owner of the legacy of Shazam. DC Comics gave the info to their media partner, Polygon. The New Champions Of Shazam! is a new four-issue miniseries from writer Josie Campbell and recent Shazam artist Evan "Doc" Shaner.

"For a long time I just didn't have any interest in returning to anything Shazam related," Shaner told Polygon over video chat, "But I always thought Mary should be the lead of the book for a while; and that was the one time I would return if it ever happened."

With New Champion, that's exactly what is happening. Here's DC's official synopsis for the first issue:

Mary Bromfield has always struggled to determine who she is outside her family … kinda hard to do when you're all superheroes! Now, after Billy Batson's heroic sacrifice, the power of Shazam has vanished, and she's been left powerless.

Most heroes would be distraught, but not Mary. It's finally time for a voyage of self-discovery as she prepares for her freshman year of college and a civilian life. But nothing is ever truly normal for this young hero, because she's just been chosen as the new champion of Shazam! (At least according to a talking rabbit sent by her estranged brother Billy.) Will she embrace the power? Or will it die alongside this world's hope of survival against the mysterious magical forces waiting to take control?

"'Who Mary is' the very heart of this comic," Campbell, writer on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and DC's own Future State: Green Lantern #2, told Polygon over video chat. "Who she is, who she wants to be, and the roles that she's either been forced into or has willingly joined into. […] It's really shining a light on her and her wants and her desires — as somebody who was part of a superhero team, doesn't have her powers, gets them back, and then she's got a lot of choices suddenly displayed in front of her that she's gonna have to make real fast."

"It's been so long since she had her own book," Shaner added, "since before she was a DC property. We're hoping to have the fun and the creative energy behind so much of the early stuff that Binder did, but bring that to a more modern audience and try to make it more relatable to kids or young adults today."

How has this gone down among Polygon readers? A mixed bag but it did include the following;

Migol But what about their new Shazam themed hero with the awesome name. You know, Shazadam?
TheBacklogger Mary Marvel is the same age when she's transformed as she is when she's a mortal, right? Plus her first name is right there in her longstanding superhero name. Does this mean that everybody just knows her "secret identity"? She doesn't hide anything?
k3omg In the DC Universe everyone is face-blind ever since some Kryptonian baby slammed into Kansas, irradiating the world's corn supply.
aarswft Oh I'm sure this will have nothing but a pleasant response from people who haven't read a comic book in 20 years.
Critic You know folks like you made the same comments when Marvel made these same stupid moves in the early 2010. Changes and stories so horrible that nearly tanked Marvel Comics despite the success of the MCU. Those old fogeys who haven't picked up a comic in 20 years just don't get Iron Heart or Jane Thor… Real comic fans will keep buying the books. Well they didn't. And the argument that these inorganic and stupid swaps drives new readers to the comics is also completely unfounded. No one wants Mary Marvel to be Captain Marvel, and the people who do represent the smallest possible minority of an already tiny minority of Captain Marvel (Shazam) fans.
k3omg Fire. Everyone. At. DC. Editorial.