Shazam: The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal Review

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Shazam: The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal ReviewMost people seem to love the Chipp Kidd's work or hate it. I'm in the former category, and THIS book just knocked me out.
A word of warning: If you're looking for yet another recounting of the history of the original Captain Marvel, look elsewhere--this is not the book for you. There are plenty of excellent histories to be had, and a subscription to PC Hamerlinck's FCA is a great way to supplement them.
However, if you're looking for a gorgeous collection of photos of the incredible range of Captain Marvel and Marvel Family ephemera that Fawcett and its partners produced during the 13 golden years those characters were in print, stop wasting time reading this review and place your order NOW. This is a must-have.
I've long been fascinated by the incredible range of merchandising that Fawcett did for these characters--an idea decades ahead of its time--and here are stunningly detailed photos of the best of it, including some of the rarest stuff, repros of original designs for some pieces, and even side-by-side comparisons of original art pages and published comics.
This is what I'd hoped the DC Vault and Marvel Vault books would be. While Shazam!: The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal doesn't include facsimile reproductions like the Vault books, it shows so much more of the Marvel Family and Fawcett merchandise than either of the former does of their subjects that it just blows them away.
This is a book I'll be returning to it again and again, a visual feast. Heck, the quality of the photos and the amount of detail has me thinking about attempting my own facsimiles or reproductions of some of the items, since that's probably the only way I'm ever going to have examples of the really rare and really cool stuff. I'm already trying to decide whether to use Sculpey or Play-Doh to try my hand at one of those Cap syroco figurines...
Shazam: The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal OverviewShazam made his debut in Whiz Comics in 1940, and outsold his biggest competitor, Superman, by 14 million copies a month. It wasn't long before a variety of merchandise was licensed—secret decoders, figurines, buttons, paper rockets, tin toys, puzzles, costumes—and a fan club was created to keep up with the demand. These collectibles now sell for outrageous prices on eBay or in comic book stores and conventions. Seventy years later, an unprecedented assortment of these collectibles are gathered together by award-winning writer/designer Chip Kidd and photographer Geoff Spear. Join Kidd, Spear, and the World's Mightiest Mortal in this first, fully authorized celebration of ephemera, artwork, and rare, one-of-a-kind toys, and recapture the magic that was Shazam!Praise for Shazam!:"Superman has always gotten more press, but Captain Marvel may be the greatest expression of comics' optimism: A young boy says a magical word and turns into the World's Mightiest Mortal. Chip Kidd and Geoff Spear's gorgeous new book, Shazam! The Golden Age of the World's Mightiest Mortal (ABRAMS) pays tribute to the hero's bright colors and medium-spanning stories, all lovingly displayed in Kidd's signature style . . . It's a coffee-table book that provides a glimpse into a world where the powers of the gods are just an acronym away." -The Onion's A.V. Club "VERDICT: Despite the quite reasonable price, this features typical ABRAMS art and production quality. Fans will grab this Marvel-ous piece of Americana faster than you can say 'Shazam!'" -Mike Rogers, Library Journal Express "A handsome follow up to Bat-Manga!" --ComicsAlliance.com "This is a collector's dream: Page after page of Captain Marvel art, premiums, posters, toys, and ephemera from the biggest-selling superhero of all time . . . This book is a true time capsule and worthy of any comic fan's bookshelf."--USATODAY.com "Shazam! allows its rich imagery to tell the exciting story of this superhero. Between Kidd's glorious layout and Spear's highly detailed photography, the reader can feel the excitement and fabric that would eventually lead Captain Marvel to outsell Superman during the glorious Golden Age of comics!" --Comic Book Resources "Shazam! beautifully documents the creation and success of Fawcett's Captain Marvel franchise . . . Indeed, for non-Captain Marvel enthusiasts, the book may be most interesting as a compendium of historical documents, a glimpse not just of a bygone pop phenomenon but also of a larger cultural ethos." -Forward.com


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Justice League International, Vol. 2 Review

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Justice League International, Vol. 2 ReviewThere was a time, back in the late '80s, when Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire were on top of the comic book world, when their title JUSTICE LEAGUE - soon changed to JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL - ruled the roost. Giffen and DeMatteis rapidly developed their own wildly popular sub-genre, the dizzy screwball comic book. This style struck a chord with the fans and was so fresh and distinctive that no one else (including Giffen and DeMatteis, in later projects) was able to quite recapture its brand of magic. But, thankfully, these Justice League stories are again available in all their nuttiness.
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL, Volume 2 reprints issues #8-13, Justice League Annual #1, and Suicide Squad #13. As layed out in issue #7 (Justice League International Vol. 1), the United Nations had just granted international status to the Justice League, now become the Justice League International. This trade collection opens with the very funny "Moving Day," as the League establishes embassies in New York, France, and Russia, and has a rough time doing it. The next two issues are the tie-ins to the Millennium crossover event, with issue #9 unveiling the Manhunter traitor to the team and #10 chronicling the heavy-hitting assembly of superheroes which invades the Manhunters' homeworld.
Issues #11 and 12 are devoted to Maxwell Lord's disturbing origin. Issue #13 begins the two-part crossover with the Suicide Squad, as Nemesis is captured and held prisoner in Russia. Well, you just know field team leader Colonel Flag isn't about to let his teammate stew in stir. So the Squad goes on a break-out mission. And when the President deploys the JLI to Russia, well, it is on! Except that if you're familiar with the roster on both teams, then you know it's not that clear cut. There are friends and allies on both teams, and it's fun seeing some engage in tepid fisticuffs, while others end up embracing. Captain Atom and Nightshade actually end up having a tickle fight. Having said that, Suicide Squad #13 is particularly noteworthy for the vicious, no-holds-barred tussle between Bats and Colonel Flag.
Bill Willingham, creator of the Elementals, provides nice artwork for Justice League Annual #1, in a tale of strange mind possession as the League members are weeded out, one by one. Keith Giffen, lest people forget, can draw a little bit as well as write. In several issues, he illustrates story segments focusing on the Guardians of the Globe, the international team the JLI had just dethroned. He also handles full interior artwork in JLI #13. But I won't mention that I've always found Giffen's pencils to be static-y (ooops).
In this span of issues, Giffen and DeMatteis are still telling fairly straightforward stories, although they've already begun to hone in on that wacky wavelength. "Moving Day" happens to be the most lighthearted story here, a day in the life in which nothing much goes right for the team as they move into their various embassies. The writing team strikes gold right away with Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, whose buddy chemistry would provide collosal dividends for the life of the series. In fact, if there were a heart and soul to this title, it has to be the goofy friendship between Booster and Beetle. Meanwhile, Guy Gardner is still in his bonked-on-the-head nice guy mode. The Black Canary is still on her feminist trip. We first learn of J'onn J'onnz's obsession with Oreo cookies. We get a glimpse of Green Flame and Ice Maiden, who would soon become integral members of the League, as Fire and Ice. And what of Batman? The eternally grim Bats continues to be a perfect foil for all the loopiness. The nice Guy Gardner and new member Rocket Red, Dmitri, especially wear on his nerves. Captain Atom is also on board. He manages to tick off Mr. Miracle. I got a chuckle out of that sequence.
Oh, and yet another member quits.
How big of a following did JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL garner? Enough to spawn several spin-off comic books. In its heyday, the Justice League was featured in JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE, JUSTICE LEAGUE QUARTERLY, and JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE. I mean, there was even a Justice League Antarctica!
Tongue-in-cheek and harebrained the stories tended to be, but Giffen and DeMatteis were writers enough that they make you care for their characters. The banter may have been excessive at times, but, frankly, the dialogue here was more realistic than some of the stuff you read in other, more conventional comic books. This incarnation of the League connected with me and a busload of other readers; from 1987 to the early '90s, it was like hanging out at a college dormitory with my best buds.
Kevin Maguire's distinctive, fantastic artwork serves as a counterpoint to Giffen and DeMatteis's brand of loony. Maguire's expressive faces and poses emphasize the writers' punchlines and give life to the action sequences. In fact, it's very fair to say that without Maguire's realistic renderings, the humor wouldn't have gone over so well.
Anyway, Justice League International Vol. 3 and Justice League International Vol 4 are just around the corner. The wackiness continues.Justice League International, Vol. 2 Overview

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Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee Review

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Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee Review2010 has seen some great comic artists with their art books getting published. There's Alex Ross, Joe Quesada, Adam Hughes and now Jim Lee. What a fantastic year!
Jim Lee's Icons is a bargain for the price. It's hardcover with 296 pages of amazing artwork printed on good paper. Just one look at the cover and you can tell that it's really good. Publisher Titan Books has done a very good job with the printing and construction.
The amount of work featured is stunning.
Right from page 1, it's a non-stop flow of beautiful artwork featuring the superheroes of DC Comics and WildStorm -- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. There are sketches, inks, layouts and full coloured illustrations. Many are printed at full page size, some across two pages, showing off all the intricate line work, grain left by the pencil hatches, details in the characters and background. You won't see any work from his days at Marvel though.
I spent a while on each page marveling at the quality of work, thinking about his dedication to comics. It's really inspiring.
You probably won't get as many page-pausing moments with other art books in 2010.
Highly recommended.
(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstorm Art of Jim Lee Overview

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