SHAZAM TPB I'd like to see
Jul. 10th, 2024 12:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jkcarrierSo yeah, one of my hobbies is mocking up covers for comic books that never existed (see the "Lost Issues" tag for more). Or in this case, a trade paperback collection that will probably never exist.
Back in the 1940s, SHAZAM (or Captain Marvel, as he was known then) had a run of stories where he would visit a different city in each issue. The stories would highlight famous landmarks and featured local media celebrities in an obvious attempt to curry favor and get print/radio coverage. It must have been successful, since the series ran for 21 issues in a row.
I was amused to see that one of the cities visited was my home town of Cincinnati. Billy Batson arrives by train at Union Terminal, and takes a leisurely stroll over to Crosley Square to visit radio station WLW (which you could totally do, as they're maybe 30 minutes apart on foot). It's a lot of fun, and if I'd seen it as a kid, it would've blown my mind to see my city in a comic, so I can see why these were popular.
In the 1970s, SHAZAM became a live-action tv show, with Billy/Cap and an older chaperone named "Mentor" tooling around Southern California in a Winnebago, solving small-town problems and helping misguided teenagers in typical '70s tv style. The comic books decided to follow suit, and sent Billy off on another multi-city tour of the USA to celebrate the Bicentennial. Unlike the tv show, the comics storyline featured some of Captain Marvel's big villains, including Dr. Sivana and Black Adam, so that was cool.
Anyway, I thought these "road trip" stories would make a for a fun trade paperback collection. It's a pretty niche concept, and maybe 3 other people besides me would buy it. But practicality is not a concern when I'm just making things up for funsies.
I copied the trade dress from DC's "DC Finest" imprint, which is a new line of TPBs highlighting particular eras in a character's history: Batman Year One/Two, Flash's first Silver Age appearances, Catwoman's first solo series, etc. None of these books have actually come out yet, but I found some fairly hi-res previews online, so I was able to mock up a reasonable facsimile. Some of the fonts aren't quite correct, but I was able to get pretty close. The collection's name, "Highways and Byways", comes from the opening narration from the SHAZAM! tv show: "...travelling the highways and byways of the land..."
Anyway, here's my mock-up cover, and the list of contents:
The Minneapolis Mystery!
Captain Marvel Adventures #24
June 1943
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
16 pages
Doom to Detroit
Captain Marvel Adventures #25
July 1943
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
14 pages
Sabotage in Seattle!
Captain Marvel Adventures #26
August 1943
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
13 pages
Capt. Marvel Makes a Movie Hit! (Hollywood)
Captain Marvel Adventures #27
September 1943
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
12 pages
Phantom of the Frisco Fog!
Captain Marvel Adventures #28
October 1943
Writer: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
15 pages
Knighthood Flowers Again (Portland)
Captain Marvel Adventures #29
November 1943
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
14 pages
The $40,000,000 Denver Plot!
Captain Marvel Adventures #30
December 1943
Writer: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
12 pages
Captain Marvel in Buffalo!
Captain Marvel Adventures #31
January 1944
Writer: Rod Reed
Artist: Pete Costanza
Cover by C.C. Beck
12 pages
Deep in the Heart of Dallas
Captain Marvel Adventures #32
February 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
14 pages
The Omaha Adventure!
Captain Marvel Adventures #33
March 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
12 pages
Capt. Marvel in Oklahoma City
Captain Marvel Adventures #34
April 1944
Writer: Unknown
Penciller: C.C. Beck
Inker: Pete Constanza
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
11 pages
Action in Indianapolis!
Captain Marvel Adventures #35
May 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
11 pages
The St. Louis Cup
Captain Marvel Adventures #36
June 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
Battle of the Bubbles (Cincinnati)
Captain Marvel Adventures #37
July 1944
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciller: C.C. Beck
Inker: Pete Costanza
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
The Chattanooga Ghost
Captain Marvel Adventures #38
August 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
10 pages
The Man Who Inherited Pittsburgh
Captain Marvel Adventures #39
September 1944
Writer: Unknown
Penciller: C.C. Beck
Inker: Pete Costanza
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
The Mayor For A Day (Boston)
Captain Marvel Adventures #40
October 1944
Writer: Unknown
Penciller: C.C. Beck
Inker: Pete Costanza
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
The Adventure of the Two Heroes in Dayton, Ohio
Captain Marvel Adventures #41
November 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
8 pages
Captain Marvel in St. Paul, Minnesota
Captain Marvel Adventures #42
January 1945
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
The Black Spot Gang of Chicago!
Captain Marvel Adventures #43
February 1945
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
Washington's Haunted Embassy!
Captain Marvel Adventures #44
March 1945
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
11 pages
The Bicentennial Villain
Shazam! #25
September-October 1976
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
6 pages
The Case of the Kidnapped Congress
Shazam! #26
November-December 1976
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Cover by Ernie Chan and Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
Fear in Philadelphia!
Shazam! #27
January-February 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker: Vince Colletta
Cover by Ernie Chan and Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
The Return of Black Adam (Boston)
Shazam! #28
March-April 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
Ibac Meets Aunt Minerva! (Buffalo)
Shazam! #29
May-June 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
Captain Marvel Fights the Man of Steel (Pittsburgh)
Shazam! #30
July-August 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artists: Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker: Vince Colletta
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Letterer: Ben Oda
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
The Rainbow Squad (Columbus)
Shazam! #31
September-October 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
Mr. Tawny's Big Game (Detroit)
Shazam! #32
November-December 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Tenny Henson
Inker: Bob Smith
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
The World's Mightiest Race (Indianapolis)
Shazam! #33
January-February 1978
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Tenny Henson
Inker: Vince Colletta
Special Assist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Letterer: Erick Santos
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
The Fuhrer of Chicago
Shazam! #34
March-April 1978
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Alan Weiss
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Colorist: Cornelia Adams
Letterer: Ben Oda
Cover by Alan Weiss
17 pages
Back in the 1940s, SHAZAM (or Captain Marvel, as he was known then) had a run of stories where he would visit a different city in each issue. The stories would highlight famous landmarks and featured local media celebrities in an obvious attempt to curry favor and get print/radio coverage. It must have been successful, since the series ran for 21 issues in a row.
I was amused to see that one of the cities visited was my home town of Cincinnati. Billy Batson arrives by train at Union Terminal, and takes a leisurely stroll over to Crosley Square to visit radio station WLW (which you could totally do, as they're maybe 30 minutes apart on foot). It's a lot of fun, and if I'd seen it as a kid, it would've blown my mind to see my city in a comic, so I can see why these were popular.
In the 1970s, SHAZAM became a live-action tv show, with Billy/Cap and an older chaperone named "Mentor" tooling around Southern California in a Winnebago, solving small-town problems and helping misguided teenagers in typical '70s tv style. The comic books decided to follow suit, and sent Billy off on another multi-city tour of the USA to celebrate the Bicentennial. Unlike the tv show, the comics storyline featured some of Captain Marvel's big villains, including Dr. Sivana and Black Adam, so that was cool.
Anyway, I thought these "road trip" stories would make a for a fun trade paperback collection. It's a pretty niche concept, and maybe 3 other people besides me would buy it. But practicality is not a concern when I'm just making things up for funsies.
I copied the trade dress from DC's "DC Finest" imprint, which is a new line of TPBs highlighting particular eras in a character's history: Batman Year One/Two, Flash's first Silver Age appearances, Catwoman's first solo series, etc. None of these books have actually come out yet, but I found some fairly hi-res previews online, so I was able to mock up a reasonable facsimile. Some of the fonts aren't quite correct, but I was able to get pretty close. The collection's name, "Highways and Byways", comes from the opening narration from the SHAZAM! tv show: "...travelling the highways and byways of the land..."
Anyway, here's my mock-up cover, and the list of contents:
The Minneapolis Mystery!
Captain Marvel Adventures #24
June 1943
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
16 pages
Doom to Detroit
Captain Marvel Adventures #25
July 1943
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
14 pages
Sabotage in Seattle!
Captain Marvel Adventures #26
August 1943
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
13 pages
Capt. Marvel Makes a Movie Hit! (Hollywood)
Captain Marvel Adventures #27
September 1943
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
12 pages
Phantom of the Frisco Fog!
Captain Marvel Adventures #28
October 1943
Writer: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
15 pages
Knighthood Flowers Again (Portland)
Captain Marvel Adventures #29
November 1943
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
14 pages
The $40,000,000 Denver Plot!
Captain Marvel Adventures #30
December 1943
Writer: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
12 pages
Captain Marvel in Buffalo!
Captain Marvel Adventures #31
January 1944
Writer: Rod Reed
Artist: Pete Costanza
Cover by C.C. Beck
12 pages
Deep in the Heart of Dallas
Captain Marvel Adventures #32
February 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
14 pages
The Omaha Adventure!
Captain Marvel Adventures #33
March 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
12 pages
Capt. Marvel in Oklahoma City
Captain Marvel Adventures #34
April 1944
Writer: Unknown
Penciller: C.C. Beck
Inker: Pete Constanza
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
11 pages
Action in Indianapolis!
Captain Marvel Adventures #35
May 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
11 pages
The St. Louis Cup
Captain Marvel Adventures #36
June 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
Battle of the Bubbles (Cincinnati)
Captain Marvel Adventures #37
July 1944
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciller: C.C. Beck
Inker: Pete Costanza
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
The Chattanooga Ghost
Captain Marvel Adventures #38
August 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
10 pages
The Man Who Inherited Pittsburgh
Captain Marvel Adventures #39
September 1944
Writer: Unknown
Penciller: C.C. Beck
Inker: Pete Costanza
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
The Mayor For A Day (Boston)
Captain Marvel Adventures #40
October 1944
Writer: Unknown
Penciller: C.C. Beck
Inker: Pete Costanza
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
The Adventure of the Two Heroes in Dayton, Ohio
Captain Marvel Adventures #41
November 1944
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
8 pages
Captain Marvel in St. Paul, Minnesota
Captain Marvel Adventures #42
January 1945
Writer: Unknown
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
The Black Spot Gang of Chicago!
Captain Marvel Adventures #43
February 1945
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: C.C. Beck
Cover by C.C. Beck
10 pages
Washington's Haunted Embassy!
Captain Marvel Adventures #44
March 1945
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: Unknown
Cover by C.C. Beck
11 pages
The Bicentennial Villain
Shazam! #25
September-October 1976
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
6 pages
The Case of the Kidnapped Congress
Shazam! #26
November-December 1976
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Cover by Ernie Chan and Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
Fear in Philadelphia!
Shazam! #27
January-February 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker: Vince Colletta
Cover by Ernie Chan and Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
The Return of Black Adam (Boston)
Shazam! #28
March-April 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
Ibac Meets Aunt Minerva! (Buffalo)
Shazam! #29
May-June 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
Captain Marvel Fights the Man of Steel (Pittsburgh)
Shazam! #30
July-August 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Artists: Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker: Vince Colletta
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Letterer: Ben Oda
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
The Rainbow Squad (Columbus)
Shazam! #31
September-October 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Kurt Schaffenberger
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
Mr. Tawny's Big Game (Detroit)
Shazam! #32
November-December 1977
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Tenny Henson
Inker: Bob Smith
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
The World's Mightiest Race (Indianapolis)
Shazam! #33
January-February 1978
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Tenny Henson
Inker: Vince Colletta
Special Assist: Kurt Schaffenberger
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Letterer: Erick Santos
Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger
17 pages
The Fuhrer of Chicago
Shazam! #34
March-April 1978
Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
Penciller: Alan Weiss
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Colorist: Cornelia Adams
Letterer: Ben Oda
Cover by Alan Weiss
17 pages
