http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/000428628.cfm
EXCLUSIVE: THE EMERGENCE OF FREDDY FREEMAN
Marvel Jr. takes over Captain Marvel's mantle in Judd Winick and Howard Porter's 'Trials of Shazam!'
By Brian Warmoth
Posted June 7, 2006 10:30 AM
Judd Winick is handing out three promotions in Augusts Trials of Shazam! , and all of them are going to redefine the DC Universe for the foreseeable future.
Captain Marvel Jr. is no longer going to be called Captain Marvel Jr., said Winick. This will be 12 issues about Freddy proving himself to be worthy of these powers and proving himself as in by the trials of Hercules.
Billy Batsons upgrade will be another key part of the story, as he takes on the role of the former wizard Shazam.
The next step is concentrating again on Marvel, stated Winick, who says that Billy Batsons character will remain the same, only kicked upstairs to management.
Yet most surprising of all may be Winicks wider ambitions in the bookto re-examine Shazams nature as a magical being in the DCU and delve into the roles of gods represented in his name.
There are gods of magicSolomon, Hercules, Mercury, Winick explained, and at the same time there are also the gods of Olympus which exist in the same universe for Wonder Woman. Were going to make a line in the sand that says, These are two different sets of characters. There is a Zeus, and there is a Mercury that exist in Wonder Woman.
The formula comes down to Winicks desire to modernize magic in addition to Captain Marvel, taking an approach he likens to one part Neil Gaiman and one part Alan Moore and closer to James Robinsons take on Starman.
Im kind of a Goth kid, and Id like to tap into that.