May 16, 2008

• Shazam!

  Back in the good old 1970s, I was a rabid young fanboy of a show called the Shazam! / Isis Power Hour. It was a Saturday morning, live-action super-hero show, that was actually on a bit later. I remember when it aired that it was like the last thing on the telly before either boring sports programs, or, way back, Space 1999. I knew after I’d watched it that it was about time to go outside and play or something.

  Shazam! Was based on the Fawcett comic book by the same name, with the hero Captain Marvel. They were bought by DC years later, who actually brought back the characters from the original comic. The comic itself debuted around the same time as Superman, and they were very similar in their powers, appearance, and, since this was the Golden Age of comics, they both frequently fought Nazis. In the 1970’s, they made a live action tv show, updating it a bit, having Billy Batson (the boy who turns into Captain Marvel when he says the magic words) drive around in an RV with his “Mentor.” It’s not as creepy as it sounds. The 1970’s hair and styling alone is worth the kitsch value.

  Isis, on the other hand, was completely conceived for television, and was later actually made into a comic book character when DC Comics began to explore the Shazam! Stuff again. Very unusual case for it to work backward like that. Nonetheless, the character managed to survive in one form or another and is still at large in comic-land. The character was a chemistry teacher who found an empowered scarab on a dig in Egypt. When she dons it and recites a particular enchantment, she turns into an avatar of the Egyptian goddess herself, with lots of powers. Isis, Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, and (to a lesser extent, they 1970’s-tastic Michael Gray, Billy Batson, above – I swear he looks like a much younger Richie in some pictures) were totally my single-digit year crushes.

  I believe both shows' seasons are now on DVD.  I am sorely tempted.

  • 6:02 pm
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