Newsarama Wizard World article

so, Vaneta Rogers from Newsarama put together a "floorbuzz" article about all the stuff that was heard and talked about on the floor at LA Wizard World.

here's our little snippet from when Dan Didio and Darwyn Cooke came by . . .

---- " . . . . Another face in the crowd who wasn't an official appearance at the show was Darwyn Cooke, who couldn't talk to us about any of his projects as we caught him talking with Dan Didio and Bob Wayne in Artist's Alley. In fact, we were asked to kindly walk away far enough to not be within hearing distance, so something is obviously brewing for Cooke at DC. However, we did hear Didio invite Cooke to stick around at the con for the Countdown panel later that day, which he did, and he announced that he'd be doing an issue of Jonah Hex with Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. For Cooke's comments, we have full coverage of the panel.

We also snapped a picture of the three of them as they posed with Mike Kunkel, the Herobear and the Kid creator who is doing DC's upcoming kid's title Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam. Kunkel showed Didio the hand-made decoder he made to give away to one lucky fan at the show. For every personal appearance Kunkel is doing this year, he's hand-making a one-of-a-kind decoder to give away at each show.

" What's a decoder, you ask?"
(So did we.)
"Back in the old days, there was a code that was in the comic so you could find these secret messages. And we're going to do it for our version of Captain Marvel too. It's like Christmas Story. So somewhere in one of the books, it will say, 'drink your Ovaltine,'" he laughed. "I will use the code in different spots in the issues and give the kids the opportunity to find the code."

The creator was giving out bookmarks that had the code on it, although the code can be figured out pretty easily because it's basically the alphabet turned backwards. But the nostalgic-looking, one-of-a-kind decoder makes it quick and easy to decode it, so fans can get a chance to win it if they see Kunkel at San Diego Comic Con, Free Comic Book Day at Atomic Comics in Phoenix, or a number of other cons he's hoping to attend this year.

We also overheard the creator talking to Didio about the scheduling for the new series, which we confirmed later with Kunkel as being July. "That's what we're shooting for," Kunkel said. "You already heard what it is. You heard Dan and I saying it will be monthly and will be ongoing. We want it out before San Diego Comic Con, so it will be either the first or second week of July and I'm totally excited about it."

What will happen in the first couple issues of Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam?
"The first story arc is actually the return of Black Adam," Kunkel said. "It introduces him in the world and his relationship with Billy. Theo Adam is a young punk bully kid. And it's also Billy and Mary's world. It's what it's like to have these powers and be a kid. If you were given this magic word, what would you do with it? So it's all of our sort of imaginations and what we would do with it."

What's his favorite thing in the first couple issues he's finished? "One of my favorite things in it is Billy being Captain Marvel, but not in a situation where you'd expect him to be Captain Marvel. That's all I can say about it," he said.

"I think what I love about all of it is that I'm getting the chance to let you know the characters. So when he's Captain Marvel, he's still Billy, but you know Billy much better. He may have the wisdom of Solomon when he's Captain Marvel, but he still has the brain of a kid, so he has the impulses of a kid. He's not dumb and he's not dopey, but imagine you had all the knowledge in the world, but you still made a bad decision.

It's fun. And I love his relationship with Mary. It's basically my son and daughter. So that I'm enjoying." ----- "


well, i guess the word is out now more officially about the release date . . . :) :) :) :) :)

yessssssssssss. we are planning on Billy Batson and Magic of Shazam #1 to come out the first or second week of July. of course, that would mean that it is in the MAY PREVIEWS. how conveeeeeeeeeenient that it is previewed in the month with my favorite # . . . 5.

and i CAN'T wait! i look forward to sharing this new ongoing series for all of you to enjoy.
:)
take care and all the best.

SHAZAM!
m . . . :)