Don't Fix What Was Never Broken

I have no interest is reading this 'new' grittier version of Captain Marvel that DC comics is putting out this month. Captain Marvel and his family of characters were always the furthest thing from darkness and that is why the concept still has a strong appeal for me. I love the way they have stuck to the childlike innocence of the character in the animated 'Young Justice' television program. It would be great to see a separate series with an animation style similar to that of Art Balthazar.


As a company, DC is changing a great deal to try and remain profitable as a company and relevant as an art form, and I can respect that. Unfortunately, it seems their creators and executives forget the kind of cultural power they truly wield. As I said, even if the average American doesn’t read comics, they are versed in the iconography and cultural symbolism that superheroes represent. People all over the world know what the Batman and Superman symbols are and what they mean. But when you begin to actualize ideas like, “What could make Superman kill?” in your stories, you alter the impact these characters have on our cultural landscape and they run the risk of losing that magical quality that let us connect with a part of ourselves we hide away from the harshness of the real world.



Captain Marvel may not be the iconic equivalent of Superman or Wonder Woman, but what he stands for is just as important. In Billy Batson, a child can see that even the great cruelties of the world around you can be overcome if you hold onto that spark of virtue and integrity; that you don’t have to compromise that goodness inside you if you have the strength of will and compassion. Some people may see the name change as just that. I see it as saying goodbye to the most virtuous little boy I have ever read.