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Sunday, May 28, 2017

Is This Big News...or Not?

In their regular announcement of their releases for May 31, DC has announced a highly-detailed, premium action figure under the trademark "Shazam!" Here is a picture:



...here is the link:
/http://dccomicsnews.com/2017/05/26/dc-comics-pull-box-for-5-31-17-new-comics-and-merchandise/

...and here is the text
ONE-12 COLLECTIVE DC SHAZAM AF $99.99
When young Bill Batson speaks the word “Shazam!” a magical lightning bolt transforms him. Embodied with the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the invulnerability of Achilles and the speed of Mercury he is now Shazam, the world’s mightiest mortal. This One:12 Collective figure features over 32 points of articulation, and its 1:12 scaled, accurate real fabric uniform has some amazing details with sculpted accents and a poseable cape. The figure also includes: hyper-realistic regular head, alternate smiling head and yelling “Shazam!” head; interchangeable hands (pairs of fists, flying and grabbing hands); an attachable lightning bolt; and two of Shazam’s greatest foes – Mr. Mind and Mr. Atom. Packaged in a deluxe, fifth panel window box with a translucent acetate slipcover.

Did you notice something?

It is not so much that the name "Captain Marvel" is not used, but that the hero is named as "Shazam."

DC does not use the name of the hero in any way that could be construed as a violation of Marvel Comics' trademark of the name "Captain Marvel, and since issue #13 of their comic book "SHAZAM!" This has led to awkwardness of having to explain that the hero's name is Captain Marvel and not Shazam. In the last years before the establishment of DC's "New 52" reboot, DC basically gave up and gave the powers of the hero, which had belonged to Billy Batson, to Freddy Freeman, the former Captain Marvel, Jr," and gave him the name "Shazam."

Then the New 52 began and DC completely re-cfreated the origin and makeup of the hero marketed under the trademark "Shazam!" and called him Shazam. This character had significant changes to his costume, his origin, and his powers, although he was still Billy Batson and still said the magic word. But shortly thereafter, they also established that there were a total of 52 universes, and in one of them there was a hero much like the original Captain Marvel named...Captain Marvel.

This action figure is costumed much like the original Captain Marvel's very first costume, which had been repopularized by Jerry Ordway in his 1994 reboot of the character "The Power of Shazam." The Earth-5 version is costumed slightly differently in line with the outfit worn by the hero through most of his 1940-1953 run in Fawcett comics and every appearance from 1972 to 1992 in DC Comics.


So the question is: Is this a typo, a mis-proofed piece of copy, or has DC actually ret-conned the name of this iconic hero they own?

What do you think?

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