Captain Marvel is cast!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the role of Captain Marvel (or Shazam II, depending on who you ask) has been cast.  Zachary Levi won the role.  He is someone I never considered, and seems to be a choice out of left field. Such a casting strategy hit it big back in the 1980s when Michael Keaton was cast against type as The Batman, so hopefully this too will capture lightning in a bottle, if you pardon the expression.  According to Umberto Gonzalez, the other four finalists for the role were my top choice Derek Theler, plus Zane Holtz, Billy Magnussen, and Jake McDorman. We should be getting other casting news soon, and hopefully confirmation if this indeed will be a Captain Marvel movie, or a Curse of Shazam movie. David F. Sandberg has said on a couple occasions, of the two camps of fans, the classic Fawcett fans, and the Geoff Johns/Curse fans, one camp will be disappointed in the movie.

UPDATE:  Levi posted a statement where he calls the character Captain Marvel.

Honored and greatly humbled to be a part of the #dcuniverse by bringing the original Captain Marvel to life. I am beside myself with gratitude, not only for this opportunity, but also the incredible outpouring of love and support from so many of you out there in the world. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in the gym for the rest of forever. 🙏 (amazingly cool art courtesy of @bosslogic) #Shazam

A post shared by Zac Levi (@zacharylevi) on Oct 28, 2017 at 9:37am PDT

UPDATE: On October 31, 2018, it was announced Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam movie has hired comedy writer-producer Adam Sztykiel to pen the script, leading to speculation it will have a comedic tone, like Johnson's recent projects Baywatach, Jumanji, and Central Intelligence.

Andy Fish's Batman '66 prequel

As most of my readers know, I was somewhat critical of DC's Batman '66 series, in that I felt it followed too much in the footsteps of the awful third season, and did not try hard enough to capture the spirit of the excellent first season. I was also very vocal about DC getting comic book artist-writer Andy Fish, who is a 1966 Batman fan who sees the series much as I do in regards to what worked, and why it went off the tracks, to work on the comic book version. Well, so far, DC hasn't wised up yet, but Mr Fish is posting his own independent Batman '66 prequel, Sinister Sideshow of Dr Scorpio, which can be read on several platforms, including batmanbyandyfish.blogspot.com.

Set in 1964, Dick Grayson has just become Bruce Wayne's ward, and it looks like Batman is new to his crusade against crime.  One of the best surprises so far happens in episode 3, where it is revealed Captain Marvel is Gotham's pre-Batman protector.

Andy, who is also a superhero serial buff (and as an aside, also be sure to check out his serial inspired 1940s take on Batman, The Death Ray of Hugo Strange which can be read at the same website), has based this take on Captain Marvel on the 1941 serial, which explains how he is a bit older, and has been in action before Batman.  He appears to be drawn as a combination of Tom Tyler and Fred MacMurray.
I am looking forward to see how the relationship between Batman and Captain Marvel develops. I would like to see an actual DC comic book series with this premise. Considering how Inspector Basch was set up in the pilot episode to be a recurring character that never panned out, I am curious to see if Andy will give a backstory to that character. I can't wait to read more chapters and I urge all the readers of this blog to check it out.

Review: Three Stooges Halloween Stoogetacular

The latest in American Mythology's series of Three Stooges one-shots is the second with a Halloween theme.  It features two new stories and a reprint from the 1960s. The new stories are both written by S.A. Check and drawn by Brendan and Brian Fraim. The first story is a period piece set in the 1800s, and is more in the spirit of the classic two-reelers than the stories in some of the immediate previous issues. The boys are traveling peddlers trying to sell their new invention, a brush that cleans teeth, when they come across a Hammer Studios inspired Dr Frankenstein, and his creature, who looks a lot like Shemp. The second story is done in the style of the boys more experimental shorts, like Cuckoo on a Choo Choo and Gypped in the Penthouse where the Stooges are not a team.  This one also features Shemp in a much more substantial role.  The focus is on Larry's bizarre travels. I really like having Shemp making appearances in these stories.  Perhaps we can also get some appearances by Ted Healy and maybe even a Joe Besser cameo.  We don't need Joe DeRita, since he is featured in the reprints. Speaking of the reprints, the one in this issue is typical in that it has a very good script, but the art is on the crude side.  This issue earns an A-.