The Trials of Shazam

[BrianWilly]

Well, yeah, I'm sure it's the best thing ever if you didn't actually like or know anything about the characters before.

But that's really only a fraction of the problem. The other part has to do with how completely unimpressive these "new" characters are in the first place. Freddy, for instance. Freddy's entire personality could be boiled down right now to "stoic." And...that's it. He has no opinions, no traits, no defining characteristics beyond whatever it takes to move the plot bunnies along. Sure, he's heroic, and selfless, and all that, but that one-dimensional take just serves to make him less interesting, not moreso. He's supposed to be some sort of Chosen One destined savior of the Tenth Age, and he's just...stoic. He's supposedly the protagonist of this entire mythos, and yet we haven't checked in with how he actually feels about any of this since at least the fourth or fifth issue. And even then, he was just emo. Hell, his handicap -- which has been one of the key points and motivations of the character since day one, even in this series -- has been all but completely forgotten and ignored at this point. This series has taken more time to explore fcking Sabina's characterization, and Sabina is annoying. She's freaking Forerunner combined with Superboy-Prime.

Look at all the other reinventions and legacy heroes and reboots that have come up since OYL. The Atom, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Dr. Fate, the Spectre, the Question, the GL Corps, so on and so forth. Love 'em or hate 'em, you could cite incredibly detailed takes on any one of them outlining explicit drives and turning points and quirks and conflicts. And with Freddy? He's stoic. He's doing some trials to get his powers and things are happening to him. The end.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Is he even still disabled? I thought he was able to walk just fine now, what with him running around doing trials and all...

 

[BrianWilly]

...Magic?

Serious answer, and I'm sure you'll love this, is that Freddy can call a piece of the power of Shazam without actually transforming, and it makes it so he can walk without the crutches. It happened in the first part of the trial, before he got any of the gods' powers.

So for all intents and purposes he's not a cripple unless he wants to be.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Brilliant.

 

[BrianWilly]

To be completely fair, "A wizard did it" is far more of a facetious complaint than it isn't in a series about wizardry and whose protagonists are wizards.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The protagonists aren't really wizards, though. They're superheroes whose powers happen to come from magic. I guess it does still make more sense than not, but geez, what a way to throw out a character's only distinguishing feature with a plot contrivance.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

...Magic?

Serious answer, and I'm sure you'll love this, is that Freddy can call a piece of the power of Shazam without actually transforming, and it makes it so he can walk without the crutches. It happened in the first part of the trial, before he got any of the gods' powers.

So for all intents and purposes he's not a cripple unless he wants to be.

 

[storyteller]

Please please please get Captain Marvel off that rock. How about putting mary up there. I like how no one wants to talk about how a kid is the guy in charge of a giant rock for the rest of his life. They should be trying to get him off the rock and back into the game.

 

[cerealkiller182]

Im not that knowledge about Shazam but doesnt Billy have family that would be looking for him?

 

[Varient]

Please please please get Captain Marvel off that rock. How about putting mary up there. I like how no one wants to talk about how a kid is the guy in charge of a giant rock for the rest of his life. They should be trying to get him off the rock and back into the game.

asking for too much.

I exected a better story on freddy since he was the red-headed stepchild of the Marvel family,.. but "Meh" @ least they are writing him. I also expected a magic primer on how "Magic" was going to work with the Marvel family from now on but instead have to openly wonder why billy's hair has gone white and why Freddy MUST run these trials after years of loyal backup status.

V.

 

[sethcohen]

because it was better than winnicks first idea; giving freddy magicAIDS and making him and billy lovers while freddy maintains a relationship with mary...

 

[Anubis]

Im not that knowledge about Shazam but doesnt Billy have family that would be looking for him?

Not really.

 

[cerealkiller182]

Not really.

Whats the deal?

 

[Anubis]

Well, his moms and pops are dead. Mary is....doing her own thing in Countdown, and I believe there was a guy who was kinda the kids guardian, but Billy's seventeen. Old enough to be on his own in some states, so he is.

 

[BrianWilly]

Ah, no. At some point in their series Billy was adopted by Mary's family, the Bromfields, and maintained a good relationship with them.

So yes, they would expect to hear from him at some point.

Not that this series cares about what happened in the past, so whatever.

 

[Anubis]

Well, learn something new everyday. But still, 17, hair on his nuts, grown man who can turn into an even more grown man who is now just an old buff man.......yeah.

 

[BrianWilly]

hair on his nuts

Not the way I hear it

.

 

[fifthfiend]

Girl, you nasty.

 

[BrianWilly]

What, you never heard of "Twilight of the Superheroes"?

"Ah, Billy. Always the boy." - a reputable source.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Come to think of it, why aren't Mary's parents concerned about Mary? Have they appeared in Countdown to wonder what their daughter's up to while Mary's been out doing eeeeeevil?

 

[Darthphere]

I'd be more interested in Trials of Kazaam honestly. Someone, to photoshop!!!!

 

[sethcohen]

with shaq as the wizard and nick cannon as the freddy character?