Fantasy Theater

SHAZAM TPB I'd like to see

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 05:50:47 GMT

So 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:
( Read more... )

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New Gladiators #22a: The Pentacle Plot

Wed, 01 May 2024 13:53:16 GMT

Episode 22a:
"The Pentacle Plot"
Played on 4/27/2024

Roll Call:
Arcane Ice
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #21: To Serve and Protect

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 03:28:44 GMT

Episode 21:
"To Serve and Protect"
Played on 4/20/2024

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #20: Intercrime

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 05:31:44 GMT

Episode 20:
"Intercrime"
Played on 4/13/2024

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #19: Wheel of Destruction

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 04:59:13 GMT

Episode 19:
"Wheel of Destruction"
Played on 3/23/2024
Resources used:
Wheel of Destruction - DC Heroes module by Matthew J. Costello
Opponents Unlimited - Villains & Vigilantes module by Stefan Jones, art by Jeff Dee
Additional images by:
D.A. Trampier
David C. Sutherland III
wikipedia.org
cincinnati.com
ew.com

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #17b: Seed of Destruction / #18: Pre-Emptive Strike

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:52:19 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 17b:
"Seed of Destruction"
Played on 3/16/2024
Resources used:
Mutants & Masterminds Annual #2 - Seed of Destruction (M&M module written by Steve Kenson, art by ?)
Super-Crooks and Criminals (Villains & Vigilantes module written by Ken Cliffe, art by Patrick Zircher)
Crisis at Crusader Citadel (V&V module written by Jeff Dee and Jack Herman, art by Jeff Dee)
Enter the Gene Pool (V&V module written by James Satter, art by James Bishop)
Additional art by David Jernigan and Erica Freeze

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

New Gladiators
Episode 18:
"Pre-Emptive Strike"
Played on 3/16/2024
Resources used:
Pre-Emptive Strike (Villains & Vigilantes module written by Stephen Dedman, art by Sean Knight)
From the Deeps of Space (V&V module written by Stefan Jones, art by Bill Reinhold)
Opponents Unlimited (V&V module written by Stefan Jones, art by Jeff Dee)
Additional images by Google Earth and Wikipedia

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #17a: Seed of Destruction

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 02:30:51 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 17a:
"Seed of Destruction"
Played on 3/2/2024
Resources used:
Mutants & Masterminds Annual #2 - Seed of Destruction (M&M module written by Steve Kenson, art by ?)
Super-Crooks and Criminals (Villains & Vigilantes module written by Ken Cliffe, art by Patrick Zircher)
Crisis at Crusader Citadel (V&V module written by Jeff Dee and Jack Herman, art by Jeff Dee)
Enter the Gene Pool (V&V module written by James Satter, art by James Bishop)
Additional art by David Jernigan and Erica Freeze

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #16: No News of a Thaw

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 04:57:59 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 16:
"No News of a Thaw"
Played on 2/24/2024
Resources used:
Champions Presents #1 - No News of a Thaw (Champions module written by Phil Masters, art by Fredd Gorham)
Super-Crooks and Criminals (Villains & Vigilantes module written by Ken Cliffe, art by Patrick Zircher)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #15: The Pack

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 20:08:17 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 15:
"The Pack"
Played on 2/10/2024
Resources used:
"Shadows of the City" (Champions module by Scott Sigler)
"Intercrime: Hostile Takeover" (V&V module by Jeff Dee)
"Market Forces" (V&V module by Stephen Dedman)
"Mercenaries" (V&V module by Darren Tenor)
"To Dream, To Conquer, To Rule" (V&V module by Steve Effler, Dan Jones and Foster Coker)
"Vigilantes International" (V&V module by Ken Cliffe)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #14: Troubleshooter

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 05:39:14 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 14:
"Troubleshooter"
Played on 2/3/2024
Inspired by:
"Alone Into The Night: Troubleshooter" (Villains & Vigilantes module by Ken Cliffe)
"Super-Crooks and Criminals" (V&V villains book by Ken Cliffe)
"Most Wanted, Volume 1" (V&V villains book by Jack Herman)
"Organized Crimes" (V&V module by Ken Cliffe)
"Mercenaries" (V&V villains book by Darren Tenor)

Roll Call:
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #13: The Knights of Cincinnati

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 02:17:57 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 13:
"The Knights of Cincinnati"
Played on 1/27/2024
Inspired by:
"The Knights of Beverly Hills" (Enforcers module by Gary Bernard)
"Enemies at Large" (Villains & Vigilantes villain book by Stewart & Steve Wieck)
"Mercenaries" ((Villains & Vigilantes villain book by Darren Tenor)
"Most Wanted, Vol. 1" (Villains & Vigilantes villain book by Jack Herman)
"Project Lawbreaker" (Villains & Vigilantes villain book by Dan Jones, Foster Coker, & Steve Effler)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

Savage Time #3: Strangers in a Savage Land!

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 04:51:14 GMT

The Savage Time
Episode 3:
"Strangers in a Savage Land!"
Played on 07/01/23
Inspired by:
Savage Tales #1 by Stan Lee and John Buscema
Avengers #105 by Steve Englehart and John Buscema
(and various other Ka-Zar/Savage Land comics)

Roll Call:
Ant-Man
Batman
Booster Gold
Storm
The Wasp
Wolverine

Two new heroes join the fray:
( Read more... )
Game recap:
( Read more... )

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Savage Time #2: Somewhere Stands...Skull Island

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 03:06:10 GMT

The Savage Time
Episode 2:
"Somewhere Stands...Skull Island!"
Played on 06/17/23
Inspired by:
Tales to Astonish #96-97 by Raymond Marais, Bill Everett, Roy Thomas & Werner Roth
Amazing Spider-Man #103-104 by Roy Thomas & Gil Kane
Astonishing Tales #18-20 by Mike Friedrich, Dan Adkins, Jim Starlin, Marie Severin & Werner Roth
Superboy #204 by Cary Bates and Mike Grell
(and various other Ka-Zar/Savage Land comics)

Roll Call:
Batman
Booster Gold
Storm
Wolverine
( Read more... )
To be continued...

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Savage Time #1: A Fast Descent Into Hell

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 22:50:16 GMT

Since one of our regular players is out of town for a few weeks, I volunteered to run a "one-shot" to fill the gap. For a change of pace, I asked the remaining players to pick a low-to-medium powered Marvel or DC superhero, and I built an adventure around their choices.

The Savage Time
Episode 1:
"A Fast Descent Into Hell"
Played on 06/10/23
Inspired by:
Marvel Fanfare #1 by Chris Claremont & Michael Golden
Astonishing Tales #3-4 by Gerry Conway & Barry Smith
Uncanny X-Men #115-116 by Chris Claremont & John Byrne
(and various other Ka-Zar/Savage Land comics)

Roll Call:
Batman
Booster Gold
Storm
Wolverine

The introduction I wrote to explain how everyone got together:
( Read more... )
The recap of the actual adventure:
( Read more... )
To be continued...

comments

New Gladiators #12b: Pawns of Time

Sun, 14 May 2023 23:57:00 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 12b:
"Pawns of Time"
Played on 05/13/2023
Inspired by:
"War Heroes" (V&V Sourcebook by B.K. Adams)
"Monster Manual" (1st Edition AD&D Manual by Gary Gygax)
"Gamma World" (1st Edition Rulebook by James M. Ward and Gary Jacquet)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #12a: Pawns of Time

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 19:27:21 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 12a:
"Pawns of Time"
Played on 12/10/2022
Inspired by:
"Pawns of Time" (DC Heroes module by Steve Crow & Cris Mortika)
"Assassin" (Villains and Vigilantes module by Thomas Dowd)
"Sands of Time" (Villains and Vigilantes module by Stewart Wieck)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #11b: Mother's Milk

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 19:04:58 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 11a:
"Mother's Milk"
Played on 12/03/2022
Inspired by:
"Mother's Milk" (Godsend: Agenda module by Matt B. Carter)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #10b: The Arcana Bombs, #11a: Mother's Milk

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:43 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 10b:
"The Arcana Bombs"
Played on 11/19/2022
Inspired by:
"The Breeder Bombs" (Marvel Super Heroes module by Jeff Grubb)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

Episode 11a:
"Mother's Milk"
Played on 11/19/2022
Inspired by:
"Mother's Milk" (Godsend: Agenda module by Matt B. Carter)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #10: The Arcana Bombs

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 01:21:28 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 10:
"The Arcana Bombs"
Played on 11/12/2022
Inspired by:
"The Breeder Bombs" (Marvel Super Heroes module by Jeff Grubb)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #9: Enter the Dragon's Claw

Sun, 06 Nov 2022 21:47:40 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 9:
"Enter the Dragon's Claw"
Played on 11/5/2022
Inspired by:
"Honor: Enter the Dragon's Claw" (V&V module by Ken Cliffe)
"Search for the Sensei" (V&V module by Joseph W. Liotta)
"Great Bridge 2" (V&V Sourcebook by John P. Adams)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

New Gladiators #8: Season of the Witch

Sun, 30 Oct 2022 15:31:02 GMT

New Gladiators
Episode 8:
"Season of the Witch"
Played on 10/29/2022
Inspired by:
"Terror By Night" (V&V module by Steve Crow)
"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" (1982 film)

Roll Call:
Claw Master
The Dude (with Donny Kerabatsos)
Hulk
Sonic Boom
Walter Sobchak
Weather Wizard
( Read more... )

comments

The Lost Wonder Woman Tabloid

Sat, 23 Oct 2021 22:27:51 GMT

Welcome to the second of my "Lost Issues of the 1970s", where I create mock-ups of comic books that I wish had been published during my childhood, but weren't.
( Read more... )

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DC Villains #39: Apokolips Now

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 02:45:04 GMT

DC Villains
Episode 39:
"Apokolips Now"

Roll Call:
Bucky
Captain Republican
Chemical Lad
Mr. Roboto
( Read more... )

comments

DC Villains #38: Edge of Darkness

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 02:07:27 GMT

DC Villains
Episode 38:
"Edge of Darkness"
Inspired by Lois Lane #118-119 by Robert Kanigher

Roll Call:
Bucky
Captain Republican
Chemical Lad
Mr. Roboto
( Read more... )

comments

DC Villains #37: Ride or Die

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 02:48:01 GMT

DC Villains
Episode 37:
"Ride Or Die"

Roll Call:
Bucky
Captain Republican
Chemical Lad
Mr. Roboto
( Read more... )

comments