ALEX ROSS' "ECHOES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL"
(aka Echoes of Shazam!)In the Spring of 2019, Alex Ross debuted a painting he'd done on an 11" x 17" piece of paper. Considering how small a space this is, it's absolutely gorgeous. We immediately set out to determine every character on the "canvas". After creating the first list and coming up about 19 characters short, we went to the community of comics fans on Facebook. Their contributions are listed at the bottom. There are over 100 individual characters in this painting, which is astounding, considering how small the paper was. Over the course of 2 months, we'd identified all but one of the characters (#13 below). The list was finally completed a year and 5 months later, when a new list was published in Alter Ego #166 (Twomorrows Publishing) and the final character was revealed to be a creation of Alex Ross, himself (no wonder we couldn't find him!). We hope you find some enjoyment in perusing the comprehensive list:
Here's a key to all of the characters depicted in the above illustration, compiled by yours truly with the name of the character, a description of how they changed into the hero and the media from which it originates [Comics, Television, Film, Real Life, ] (contributor list below):
KEY TO THE CHARACTERS: "ECHOES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL"
TOP CENTER:
1. Shazam, the wizard (Top Center, dominating the background) [Comics - Fawcett/DC - the Original]
2. Elvis' jet upper left with the Marvel Family logo & TCB (Taking Care of Business) [Real Life]
FRONT & CENTER:
3. Captain Marvel & Billy Batson (a la CC Beck, front and center) [Comics - Fawcett/DC - the Original]
4. Carol Danvers CM (next to Cap & Billy) [Comics - Marvel]
5. MF Ent. Captain Marvel (Prof. Roger Winkle "Split!", "Xam!" - next to Carol Danvers) [Comics - MF Enterprises]
RIGHT OF THE WIZARD SHAZAM, STARTING AT THE TOP:
6. Thunderbunny (Bobby Caswell places his hands in the impressions on a box, which transforms him into the alien Thunderbunny) [Comics - Charlton/Red Circle/WaRP]
7. Captain Marvel from "The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!" [Television - Animated]
8. Lightning/ Thunder (Synthetic Lifeform, changes from Lightning to Thunder) [Comics - DC]
9. Mar-Vell (Universe X version) [Comics - Marvel]
10. Shazzan (giant genie from Saturday Morning cartoon, see 14) [Television - Animated]
11. SheZow (Guy Hamdon, "You Go Girl!", with magic ring) [Television - Animated]
12. Fatman the Human Flying Saucer (Van Crawford drinks chocolate drink and becomes human flying saucer) [Comics - Lightning]
13. "The Red Giant" - As was indicated in my search for the source of this character, I identified him as a "Flaming, Jolly Green Giant-looking guy". As it turns out, Alex Ross identified the character in Alter Ego #166 (Twomorrows Publishing) as an unpublished creation of his own - a "Captain Marvel-like" adversary who was, in fact, based on the Jolly Green Giant! [Comics - Never Published]
14. "The Flying Man" and Wizard, from Turkish "KiLiNK"films, (sometimes known as the "Turkish Superman - complete with "S" symbol - but owes a greater debt to Captain Marvel). Uçan Adam was "gifted" powers by a Wizard (next to him) and changes when he says the magic word "Shajam!". [Film - Live Action]
15. Chuck, Nancy and Kaboobie the flying camel (when Chuck & Nancy connect the two halves of the talisman on their rings, they summan Shazzan) [Television - Animated]
16. Shaloman (inanimate rock, "Oy vey!", shouted by others) [Comics - Mark 1]
17. Original Mar-Vell [Comics - Marvel]
18. Amalgam Captain Marvel (on our left of Mar-Vell in his original Kree togs) [Comics - DC/Marvel]
19. Darna, aka Varga (Narda swallows a magic white stone & shouts "Darna") [Comics & later Live Action Television]
20. Captain Thunder, Billy & Mary Batson, Freddy Freeman, Eugene Choi, Pedro Peña, Darla Dudley and Tawky Tawny the Tiger (“Shazam!” foster kids *all* turn into the Flashpoint version of Cap) [Comics - DC]
21. Captain Flash (Prof. Keith Spencer "Claps Hands") [Comics - Sterling]
22. Captain Barbell (Tenteng/Enteng, "Captain Barbell!" while lifting a magic barbell) [Comics & later Live Action Television]
23. Pureheart the Powerful (Archie Andrews, "PH Factor") [Comics - Archie]
24. The Fly (Tommy Troy, "I wish I were The Fly" with magic fly ring) [Comics - Red Circle]
25. Captain Tootsie (using a style strikingly similar to C.C. Beck's, Tootsie Roll Industry's pitch-man in comics form) [Comics - Toby/Minoan]
26. The hooded iteration (Shazam!) [Comics - DC]
27. Dynamo (uses the Thunderbelt to give him invulnerability and super-strength, from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents) [Comics - Tower]
28. Mazahs (Shazam backwards - from Forever Evil) [Comics - DC]
29. Lord Marvel (in all white from Trials of Shazam) [Comics - DC]
30. Freddy Freeman version (with long hair from Trials of Shazam) [Comics - DC]
31. Genis-Vell (Alex Ross Redesign) [Comics - Marvel]
32. Mar-Vell of Earth-X (kid holding Captain America's shield) [Comics - Marvel]
33. Adam Warlock (originally "Him", the symbol is the main connection) [Comics - Marvel]
34. Robby Reed (Dial "H" for Hero, changes to different heroes with the dial) [Comics - DC]
35. Kingdom Come Captain Marvel [Comics - DC]
36. Captain Marble and Billy Battyson (Billy takes "Old Doc Shazam's Elixir" containing "Smaltz herring, Hedgehog quills, Axel grease, Zebra livers, Avocado seeds, Mashed garlic) - cowering behind Kingdom Come Captain Marvel's leg - a parody by "Get Lost" magazine, drawn by Ross Andru) [Magazine Parody]
37. Genis-Vell ("Nega-Bands", w/ Rick Jones) [Comics - Marvel]
38. Etrigan, The Demon (Jason Blood, "Change! Change! O form of man! Free the prince forever damned! Free the might from fleshy mire! Boil the blood in the heart for fire! Gone! Gone! O form of man, And rise the demon Etrigan!!") [Comics - DC]
39. Champion (a young Shazam, “Vlarem!” [an anagram for “Marvel”] - strength of Voldar, the wisdom of Lumiun, the speed of Arel, the power of Ribalvei, the courage of Elbiam, the stamina of Marzosh) [Comics - DC]
40. Kevin Matchstick (from Matt Wagner's Mage - symbol on t-shirt - in his hands, a baseball bat becomes magic weapon and focuses his strength) [Comics - Matt Wagner/Comico/Image]
41. Madman (symbol is the same - except for the period, which resembles the Shazam! comics logo at the top of this page) [Comics - Image]
42. Omac (Buddy Blank, changed by a beam from Brother Eye, a computer AI satellite) [Comics - DC]
43. Captain Marbles (& Billy Spafon "Shazoom" from Superduperman) [Comics - Mad, later Magazine]
44. The Gentleman (from Astro City, looking like Fred MacMurray) [Comics - Kurt Busiek/Image/Homage]
45. His daughter, Tillie Armstrong (looking like Judy Garland, she conjurs him while dreaming)
46. Captain Marvel Bunny (Hoppy, says "Shazam!") [Comics - Fawcett/Charlton/DC]
47. A Mego Captain Marvel [Toy from Real Life]
LEFT, STARTING AT THE TOP:
48. Ultraman (Science Patrol Officer Shin Hayata holds the Beta Capsule to the sky and turns into Ultraman) and Ultraseven [Television - Live Action]
49. Powerman/Powerbolt (bolt of lightning struck him as a child and gave him powers) [Comics - Eclipse]
50. Captain Marvel (Filmation, w/ kid on his back) [Television - Animated]
51. Thundergirl (Molly Wilson, "Alakazam!") [Big Bang Comics - Image]
52. Mighty Mightor (holds magic club in air, sometimes shouts "Mightor!") [Television - Animated]
53. Spectreman (an alien in diguise as human Jôji Gamô, who says "Ryōkai" and the Overlord of the Neutron Star changes him to Spectreman) [Television - Live Action]
54. Superior (Simon Pooni in wheelchair, "One Magic Wish") [Comics - Icon]
55. Eightman/8 Man (Detective Yokoda/Hachiro Azuma smokes "energy" cigarettes to change. With Sachiko Seki & supporting characters) [Manga - Anime]
56. Prince Planet (Bobby calls out "Peeeeee Pazow" and changes into Prince Planet) [Television - Anime]
57. Young Samson and Goliath (slams wristbands together, saying "I need Samson Power" or "Time for Samson Power" to change) [Television - Animated]
58. Sinbad Jr. and his Magic Belt (Sinbad Jr. tightens his magic belt, causing the diamond-shaped buckle to flash like lightning and gains the strength of 50 men) [Television - Animated]
59. He-Man (Prince Adam raises his sword and calls out "By the power of Greyskull" and changes into He-Man) & Battle Cat (Cringer) [Television - Animated]
60. Forever People & the Infinity-Man (“Taaru!” & Mother Box - Beautiful Dreamer, Big Bear, Mark Moonrider, Vykin and Serifan) [Comics - DC]
61. Billy/Cap as Shazam (seated) [Comics - DC]
62. Thunder (Ceecee Beck, 10-year-old from 90th century planet Binderaan, says "Captain Marvel" & lightning transforms her into a 17-year-old possessing the classic Marvel Family powers - from Legionnaires/LOSH) [Comics - DC]
63. Son-O-God (Benny Davis, "Jesus Christ!" from National Lampoon, looks like Jesus & kid w/ glasses next to him) [Magazine Parody]
64. Mighty Man (Bobby Berman/Ann Stevens, taps wrists together) [Comics - Image]
65. Prime (kid Kevin Green grows a super-powerful body when trouble arises) [Comics - Malibu/Marvel]
66. Thor/Dr. Donald Blake (Blake slams his walking stick on the ground and changes into Thor) [Comics - Marvel]
67. Captain Thunder (& Willie Fawcett, "Thunder!" while rubbing his magic belt) [Comics - DC]
68. Isis (Andrea Thomas, "Oh, Mighty Isis!") [Television - Live Action]
69. Marvelman/Miracleman (Micky Moran "Kimota!") [Comics - UK]
70. Ben 10 (The Omnitrix that Ben wears on his wrist allows him to transform into various alien life forms. With Grandpa Max) [Television - Animated]
71. Captain Super of "Earth-2" (Earth-3, originally. Summons lightning in unknown manner - Crime Syndicate other-dimensional version of the Original Captain Marvel - unknown alter-ego) [Comics - DC]
72. Kirby Captain Marvel (as Alex mentions, lots of Kirby/Captain Marvel connections) [Comics - DC]
73. Gomer Pyle (says "Shazam" with country accent: "Shazayum!") [Television - Live Action]
74. Billy & Captain Marvel/Shazam (from Say My Name - Shazam) [Comics - DC]
75. Monica Rambeau (Captain Marvel/Photon) [Comics - Marvel]
76. Kid Miracleman/Kid Marvelman (Johnny Bates, “Kimota!”) [Comics - UK/Eclipse]
77. Mar-Vell, final costume & cosmic awareness, ("Nega-Bands", also w/ Rick Jones) [Comics - Marvel]
And the raft of television, movie & comic book versions of Captain Marvel/Billy (I think every actor who played Captain Marvel & Billy on television and the movie serial version, as well, are represented, here):
78. Brie Larson's version w/ Zachary Levi [Films, Marvel and Warner Bros]
79. Tom Tyler as Cap & Frank Coghlan, Jr. as Billy [Film Serial]
80. Jackson Bostwick as Cap, Michael Gray as Billy, John Davey as Cap, Garrett Craig as Cap [Television - Live Action]
81. Brandon Molale, Actor who wanted to play Captain Marvel [Would-Be Live Action]My thanks to the following members of Facebook Comics Groups who helped identify characters that, on my own, I either could not or may not have - they helped move the process along while my time was being consumed by simply accumulating and verifying characters for the list. In parentheses are the characters they helped identify:
Allen Berrebbi (Thundergirl from Big Bang Comics)
Chad Walters (@ChadWalters on Twitter - The Flying Man & Wizard)
Chris Sanders (Son-O-God, Spectreman)
Hugh H. Davis (Champion)
James Reed (Kid Marvelman)
Joe Sewell (Eightman/8 Man, Amalgam Captain Marvel, Superior)
Marlin Muhe (Superior, Flashpoint Captain Thunder, Filmation Captain Marvel, Brandon Molale)
Matt Hickman (Captain Flash, Super Power Hour Captain Marvel)
Pól Rua (Captain Barbell)
Roy Johnson (Lightning/Thunder)
Rudy Panucci ("Get Lost" Captain Marble & Billy Battyson)
Todd Riggs (Powerman/Powerbolt)
Tory Jeremiah D'Anna (SheZow)
Wayne Garml (Thunder Legionnaires/LOSH)Facebook Groups:
The Captain Marvel Club
Earth-S: Home of "The Original" Captain Marvel
DC Comics Fans 1956-1986
Public Domain HEROESI hope you enjoyed this explanation and clarifications of these characters - I enjoyed bringing it to you!
Long live the World's Mightiest Mortal!
Pax, harmonia,
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