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Description
I made these model sheet character designs of news radio announcer Billy Batson, his sister Mary Bromfield Batson, Mary's wealthy foster mother Miss Iphegenia Bromfield and the president of Shazam Inc. "uncle" Dudley Dudley, based on the Golden Age Bill Parker, Otto Binder, Charles Clarence "C.C." Beck, Marc Swayze, Jack Binder and Mac Raboy Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel comics. For the Marvel family to be truly authentic and faithful it should be faithful to creators Bill Parker and Otto Binder's vision with Billy as a news radio announcer and his sister Mary Batson living with Mary's wealthy foster mother Miss Bromfield and Dudley as the president of Shazam Inc. a call in business of the Marvel family's services for a slight fee with proceeds going to charity. Their slogan "When in trouble call Shazam Inc." Miss Bromfield and Dudley should meet and could possibly get together and get married. I used Asa Butterfield as my model for Billy Batson, (in a new movie I'd cast him). I used Judy Garland as my model for Mary Batson because Charles Clarence "C.C." Beck used Judy Garland as his model for Mary (in a new movie I'd cast Jane Levy). I used Helen Traubel as my model for Miss Bromfield (I'd cast Henriette Mantel today) and I used Oliver Platt as Dudley, since he has the W.C. Fields look which Otto Binder based Dudley on. To be truly faithful and authentic, DC should go back to the roots of the characters, including their retro fashion and art deco decor.

I don't say the Marvel family needs to take place in the '30s, '40s or '50s. I think of the Ridley Scott Blade Runner approach, the Jay Bernstein Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer approach, the Tim Burton Batman approach, the Bruce Timm Batman: The Animated Series approach, the Chuck Russell Mask approach, the Frank Miller Sin City and Spirit approach - which combines modern technology (even futuristic in Blade Runner), etc. with '40s and '50s style, fashion, buildings and car designs, etc. keeping the classic characters authentic in style, without limiting them to outdated technology. Mixing modern with retro.

The Marvel family comics originally had a balance of whimsical humor elements like Beautia and Dudley and chillingly serious threats like Captain Nazi and Hitler. Eventually Fawcett created an Editorial Advisory Board for reinforced wholesomeness that every writer and artist had to follow due to the early complaints by book critics and parents groups about the violence and killings in early superhero comic books, so Otto Binder's whimsical writing became more and more silly and generic like a parody mockery of the Marvel Family and Sivana. Fawcett and Binder went overboard in the '40s in comedy parodies with W.C. Fields parody Dudley in a Captain Marvel costume, the Lieutenant Marvels Hillbilly Marvel, etc. and replacing Sivana's daughter Beautia with the ridiculous Sivana family. The Marvel family comics should return to a balance of whimsical humor elements like Beautia and Dudley and chillingly serious threats like Captain Nazi and modern Hitler's like Putin and Trump and Jong-Un through DC's equivalents Luthor and Ra's Al Ghul, etc.

Frankenstein is the doctor, not the monster. Shazam is the old wizard, not the superhero Captain Marvel. DC renaming Captain Marvel Shazam is stupid, and Marvel Comics are assholes for not letting DC call Captain Marvel by his name Captain Marvel on a cover or a title. DC's solution should be to just name their Captain Marvel title Whiz Comics. And if Marvel Comics wont let DC use the word Marvel anymore, then just refer to him as the Captain, Cap or C.M., but not Shazam, Shazam is the old wizard, always was and always should be. And theirs nothing wrong Captain Marvel living on the same Earth as Superman, there is room enough for both of them and they should be friends, not enemies. Captain Marvel isn't a Superman rip-off. Captain Marvel is uniquely different. Wonder Woman has more in common with Captain Marvel than Superman. Beck explained, "We decided to give our reader a real comic book, drawn in comic-strip style and telling an imaginative story, based not on the hackneyed formulas of the pulp magazine, but going back to the old folk-tales and myths of classic times. For example, Parker created the word “Shazam” from the first letters of the seven gods’ names. He created the word “Sivana” by combining the name of the Indian god Siva with the word Nirvana. This gave his work more lasting value than other Golden Age comic characters and stories had, as the elements in Parker’s stories were already familiar features in our culture. Bill Parker’s initial script gave no description of the ancient wizard, Shazam. I drew him as a combination Moses-Merlin-good magician figure, sort of a benign semi-Biblical character. After giving his powers to Billy, old Shazam disappeared for good in the original story. Later, Shazam was revived, appeared in spirit form or was seen in flashback scenes."

Charles Clarence "C.C." Beck co-created Captain Marvel and drew Captain Marvel first in the '40s and '50s for Fawcett and the early '70s for DC in a cartoonish style so there became a controversy at DC and among purist fans about artists drawing Captain Marvel unlike Beck's style. But there's nothing unauthentic and wrong with drawing Captain Marvel more detailed and realistic than Beck's art style. It was wrong for DC in the 1970s to make Beck the house style for Captain Marvel. Beck drew Captain Marvel for too long and his art style became more and more simplistic, generic and bland. Captain Marvel was first drawn with realistic details in Master Comics #21 (1941) and 23 (1942) by Mac Raboy, America's Greatest Comics #2 (1942) by Mac Raboy, and written by Bill Woolfolk. Marc Swayze and Jack Binder were the artists on Mary Marvel in Wow Comics. Mac Raboy was the regular artist on Captain Marvel Jr. in Master Comics, Captain Marvel Jr. and Marvel Family. Beck explained, "Fawcett created a whole line of Captain Marvel spinoff characters that were drawn by other artists in styles quite unlike mine. Captain Marvel’s great success was due not to the way he was drawn but to the stories he appeared in. Mac Raboy was a frustrated fine artist forced to make his living in comic books. He had little use for cartoonish tricks and distortions and always drew as realistically as possible, being a great admirer of such artist as Hal Foster and Alex Raymond. Mac was the illustrator of the Captain Marvel Jr. stories for many years, then took over the syndicated Flash Gordon Sunday page." cartoonician.com/an-interview-…
By the '70s and '80s Beck became a stereotypical grumpy old man, embittered and seemed to have felt personally insulted by artists at DC drawing Captain Marvel in a realistic manor unlike his own. I agree that DC usually hasn't handled the Marvel family well at all, and their reboots have typically been awful, but there have been some good Captain Marvel comics from DC with quality art.
Alan Weiss first drew Captain Marvel in SHAZAM! #34 (1978) "The Führer of Chicago" written by E. Nelson Bridwell. Alan Weiss drew the cover for Amazing World of DC Comics #17 (1978). Don Newton said, "Finally they bring him up to date. I've felt for sometime, that the "funny" Captain Marvel belonged to the forties and just doesn't come off now. I trust the stories will now be in keeping with the art." www.donnewton.com/ccbeck.asp
Don Newton first first drew Captain Marvel in SHAZAM! #35 (1978) "Backward, Turn Backward, O Time in Your Flight!" written by E. Nelson Bridwell, which also happens to be the final issue of the SHAZAM! book. Although the SHAZAM! book was cancelled, Captain Marvel was moved into World's Finest Comics #253 (1978) for 10 pages each month until 1982. In World's Finest #259 (1979) Don Newton also drew a Green Arrow/Hawkman story, "Stake Out Earth" written by Gerry Conway. www.donnewton.com/dc-1978.asp
Jerry Bingham drew Captain Marvel in Secret Origins #3 (1986) "Secret Origin of Captain Marvel" written by Roy Thomas, a faithful adaptation/retelling of Captain Marvel's original origin from Whiz Comics #2 (1940) "Introducing Captain Marvel" by Bill Parker and Beck. John Byrne drew Captain Marvel in Legends (1986) written by Len Wein. Alex Ross drew Captain Marvel in Kingdom Come (1996) written by Mark Waid. Alex Ross drew SHAZAM!: The Power of Hope (2000) written by Paul Dini.

Description
I made these model sheet character designs of news radio announcer Billy Batson, his sister Mary Bromfield Batson, Mary's wealthy foster mother Miss Iphegenia Bromfield and the president of Shazam Inc. "uncle" Dudley Dudley, based on the Golden Age Bill Parker, Otto Binder, Charles Clarence "C.C." Beck, Marc Swayze, Jack Binder and Mac Raboy Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel comics. For the Marvel family to be truly authentic and faithful it should be faithful to creators Bill Parker and Otto Binder's vision with Billy as a news radio announcer and his sister Mary Batson living with Mary's wealthy foster mother Miss Bromfield and Dudley as the president of Shazam Inc. a call in business of the Marvel family's services for a slight fee with proceeds going to charity. Their slogan "When in trouble call Shazam Inc." Miss Bromfield and Dudley should meet and could possibly get together and get married. I used Asa Butterfield as my model for Billy Batson, (in a new movie I'd cast him). I used Judy Garland as my model for Mary Batson because Charles Clarence "C.C." Beck used Judy Garland as his model for Mary (in a new movie I'd cast Jane Levy). I used Helen Traubel as my model for Miss Bromfield (I'd cast Henriette Mantel today) and I used Oliver Platt as Dudley, since he has the W.C. Fields look which Otto Binder based Dudley on. To be truly faithful and authentic, DC should go back to the roots of the characters, including their retro fashion and art deco decor.

I don't say the Marvel family needs to take place in the '30s, '40s or '50s. I think of the Ridley Scott Blade Runner approach, the Jay Bernstein Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer approach, the Tim Burton Batman approach, the Bruce Timm Batman: The Animated Series approach, the Chuck Russell Mask approach, the Frank Miller Sin City and Spirit approach - which combines modern technology (even futuristic in Blade Runner), etc. with '40s and '50s style, fashion, buildings and car designs, etc. keeping the classic characters authentic in style, without limiting them to outdated technology. Mixing modern with retro.

The Marvel family comics originally had a balance of whimsical humor elements like Beautia and Dudley and chillingly serious threats like Captain Nazi and Hitler. Eventually Fawcett created an Editorial Advisory Board for reinforced wholesomeness that every writer and artist had to follow due to the early complaints by book critics and parents groups about the violence and killings in early superhero comic books, so Otto Binder's whimsical writing became more and more silly and generic like a parody mockery of the Marvel Family and Sivana. Fawcett and Binder went overboard in the '40s in comedy parodies with W.C. Fields parody Dudley in a Captain Marvel costume, the Lieutenant Marvels Hillbilly Marvel, etc. and replacing Sivana's daughter Beautia with the ridiculous Sivana family. The Marvel family comics should return to a balance of whimsical humor elements like Beautia and Dudley and chillingly serious threats like Captain Nazi and modern Hitler's like Putin and Trump and Jong-Un through DC's equivalents Luthor and Ra's Al Ghul, etc.

Frankenstein is the doctor, not the monster. Shazam is the old wizard, not the superhero Captain Marvel. DC renaming Captain Marvel Shazam is stupid, and Marvel Comics are assholes for not letting DC call Captain Marvel by his name Captain Marvel on a cover or a title. DC's solution should be to just name their Captain Marvel title Whiz Comics. And if Marvel Comics wont let DC use the word Marvel anymore, then just refer to him as the Captain, Cap or C.M., but not Shazam, Shazam is the old wizard, always was and always should be. And theirs nothing wrong Captain Marvel living on the same Earth as Superman, there is room enough for both of them and they should be friends, not enemies. Captain Marvel isn't a Superman rip-off. Captain Marvel is uniquely different. Wonder Woman has more in common with Captain Marvel than Superman. Beck explained, "We decided to give our reader a real comic book, drawn in comic-strip style and telling an imaginative story, based not on the hackneyed formulas of the pulp magazine, but going back to the old folk-tales and myths of classic times. For example, Parker created the word “Shazam” from the first letters of the seven gods’ names. He created the word “Sivana” by combining the name of the Indian god Siva with the word Nirvana. This gave his work more lasting value than other Golden Age comic characters and stories had, as the elements in Parker’s stories were already familiar features in our culture. Bill Parker’s initial script gave no description of the ancient wizard, Shazam. I drew him as a combination Moses-Merlin-good magician figure, sort of a benign semi-Biblical character. After giving his powers to Billy, old Shazam disappeared for good in the original story. Later, Shazam was revived, appeared in spirit form or was seen in flashback scenes."

Charles Clarence "C.C." Beck co-created Captain Marvel and drew Captain Marvel first in the '40s and '50s for Fawcett and the early '70s for DC in a cartoonish style so there became a controversy at DC and among purist fans about artists drawing Captain Marvel unlike Beck's style. But there's nothing unauthentic and wrong with drawing Captain Marvel more detailed and realistic than Beck's art style. It was wrong for DC in the 1970s to make Beck the house style for Captain Marvel. Beck drew Captain Marvel for too long and his art style became more and more simplistic, generic and bland. Captain Marvel was first drawn with realistic details in Master Comics #21 (1941) and 23 (1942) by Mac Raboy, America's Greatest Comics #2 (1942) by Mac Raboy, and written by Bill Woolfolk. Marc Swayze and Jack Binder were the artists on Mary Marvel in Wow Comics. Mac Raboy was the regular artist on Captain Marvel Jr. in Master Comics, Captain Marvel Jr. and Marvel Family. Beck explained, "Fawcett created a whole line of Captain Marvel spinoff characters that were drawn by other artists in styles quite unlike mine. Captain Marvel’s great success was due not to the way he was drawn but to the stories he appeared in. Mac Raboy was a frustrated fine artist forced to make his living in comic books. He had little use for cartoonish tricks and distortions and always drew as realistically as possible, being a great admirer of such artist as Hal Foster and Alex Raymond. Mac was the illustrator of the Captain Marvel Jr. stories for many years, then took over the syndicated Flash Gordon Sunday page." cartoonician.com/an-interview-…
By the '70s and '80s Beck became a stereotypical grumpy old man, embittered and seemed to have felt personally insulted by artists at DC drawing Captain Marvel in a realistic manor unlike his own. I agree that DC usually hasn't handled the Marvel family well at all, and their reboots have typically been awful, but there have been some good Captain Marvel comics from DC with quality art.
Alan Weiss first drew Captain Marvel in SHAZAM! #34 (1978) "The Führer of Chicago" written by E. Nelson Bridwell. Alan Weiss drew the cover for Amazing World of DC Comics #17 (1978). Don Newton said, "Finally they bring him up to date. I've felt for sometime, that the "funny" Captain Marvel belonged to the forties and just doesn't come off now. I trust the stories will now be in keeping with the art." www.donnewton.com/ccbeck.asp
Don Newton first first drew Captain Marvel in SHAZAM! #35 (1978) "Backward, Turn Backward, O Time in Your Flight!" written by E. Nelson Bridwell, which also happens to be the final issue of the SHAZAM! book. Although the SHAZAM! book was cancelled, Captain Marvel was moved into World's Finest Comics #253 (1978) for 10 pages each month until 1982. In World's Finest #259 (1979) Don Newton also drew a Green Arrow/Hawkman story, "Stake Out Earth" written by Gerry Conway. www.donnewton.com/dc-1978.asp
Jerry Bingham drew Captain Marvel in Secret Origins #3 (1986) "Secret Origin of Captain Marvel" written by Roy Thomas, a faithful adaptation/retelling of Captain Marvel's original origin from Whiz Comics #2 (1940) "Introducing Captain Marvel" by Bill Parker and Beck. John Byrne drew Captain Marvel in Legends (1986) written by Len Wein. Alex Ross drew Captain Marvel in Kingdom Come (1996) written by Mark Waid. Alex Ross drew SHAZAM!: The Power of Hope (2000) written by Paul Dini.