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Would U Buy It #53: "Superman/ Shazam: Lightning Strikes Twice"

By cbishop 12 Comments

DateWUBI # 53:View:Attached to Forum:Back/ Next
11/18/10Superman/ Shazam: Lightning Strikes Twice(Blog) (Forum)Billy Batson(Back) (Next)

We all have trade paperback (TPB) collections we'd like to see. Here's one of mine:

Proposed Title:Superman/ Shazam: Lightning Strikes Twice.
Alternate Title:
  1. Superman/ Shazam
  2. Superman/ Shazam: Lightning Strikes Twice and Other Stories
Collecting 8 Issues:
  • Power of Shazam! #20, 46.
  • Superman (1987) #102, 216.
  • Action Comics Annual #4.
  • Action Comics #768, 826.
  • Adventures of Superman #639.
Covers: (click to enlarge)
Gallery
Gallery image 1 Gallery image 2 Gallery image 3 Gallery image 4 Gallery image 5 Gallery image 6 Gallery image 7 Gallery image 8 Gallery image 9 Gallery image 10
TPB Cover: Power of Shazam! #46
TPB Cover: Power of Shazam! #46

I recently presented another Superman/ Shazam TPB idea, "DC Comics Presents: Superman and Shazam!", that covered earlier issues where the two had appeared together. At the time, I found that there was a definite cut-off between the issues in that suggested collection, and the issues in this one, so I decided to split them up. Like the earlier collection, these issues are shown in chronological order, and that's how I'd put them in the collection. I actually think this collection has better sales potential than the DCCP collection, because it pertains to the modern depictions of Superman and Captain Marvel (well, before Freddy Cap, anyway).

It works out nicely that it begins and ends with stories of Captain Marvel fighting an eclipsed Superman, which is why I went with the title Lightning Strikes Twice - the title of the story arc in the last three issues of the collection. Also, Lightning Strikes Twice is a nice "sequel" type of title to the first Superman/ Shazam collection, First Thunder.

If Superman didn't still have his Clark Kent shirt on, Action Comics #826 would be a nice shot for the cover. Power of Shazam covers are always beautiful, but I'd go with #46 over #20, because it is an homage to the cover of Superman #276, where Superman was charging Captain Thunder.

Would you buy it? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for reading.

More WUBI:

Back/ Next#Which WUBI will it be:
Back:52.Superman: Dark Knight Over Metropolis.
Next:54.Manhunter: Saints and Sinners.

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Thanks again!

Superman/ Shazam: Lightning Strikes Twice
Superman/ Shazam: Lightning Strikes Twice

12 Comments

12 Comments

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Supreme Marvel

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cbishop

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@Supreme Marvel: Wow, I didn't know that it led into Day of Vengeance.  Cool.  Thanks for the info.  Btw, love the screen name. :)
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Theodore

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hey that looks awesome!
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cbishop

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I think it'd be a cool collection too, but only for a dollar? lol

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Emperor Gonzo Noir

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Supreme Marvel

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@Emperor Gonzo Noir said:
" I think they should have put the original Superman/Captain Marvel team-ups from Power of Shazam in with the Superman/Shazam First Thunder trade "
That was Joshua Middleton's work. I think people would rather have the 4 issues as one package than have something not related to it's story and direction.
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Primmaster64

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Sure

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cbishop

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@Emperor Gonzo Noir said:
"I think they should have put the original Superman/Captain Marvel team-ups from Power of Shazam in with the Superman/Shazam First Thunder trade "

@Supreme Marvel said:
" @Emperor Gonzo Noir said:
" I think they should have put the original Superman/Captain Marvel team-ups from Power of Shazam in with the Superman/Shazam First Thunder trade "
That was Joshua Middleton's work. I think people would rather have the 4 issues as one package than have something not related to it's story and direction. "

Nah, not at all!  I'm always up for an extra in the trade!  It's like extra fries in the bottom of the fast food bag... just when you thought there was no more, you get more. Mm. lol 
 
I think one of the big fails in TPB's is when Marvel does a What If that relates to a story, but doesn't include it in the story's TPB.  Like What If? Civil War should have been in the Civil War TPB... like an alternate ending on the DVD.  DC's doing the same thing, when they rewrite their history, and fail to include prior tales in the trade paperbacks.  First Thunder is a perfect example of that.  What makes a story like that cool, even though we've really seen their first meeting(s) before, is that it harkens our nostalgia back to those older stories.  Having them in the TPB does two things: 1) It makes the TPB all that much sweeter, and 2) It shows that DC knows what they're doing.  When they acknowledge the older stories in the TPB, they're showing the fans that they intended to do a cool reinvention of what went before, not a slick repackaging of something old, pretending it's new.  It makes the reinvention (i.e. First Thunder) something that a fan is a lot more willing to accept and spend money on, than the story by itself, which they know they've seen somewhere before.
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roadbuster

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Edited By roadbuster

It's been a while but I vaguely recall there being distinctly contradictory things from each of these different appearances... which shouldn't matter since it's a themed collection (like Superman vs The Flash TBP) but I remember it bugged me at the time that Eclipso storyline came out.  I'd probably get this one.

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Emperor Gonzo Noir

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@cbishop: Well to be fair, What if? Civil War came out a couple years after the series went to trade
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cbishop

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@Mainline said:
"It's been a while but I vaguely recall there being distinctly contradictory things from each of these different appearances... which shouldn't matter since it's a themed collection (like Superman vs The Flash TBP) but I remember it bugged me at the time that Eclipso storyline came out.  I'd probably get this one. "

I thought about that, but I decided to not let it bother me.  I just want a collection of Supes/Cap stories.  And I think it's cool that it worked out to have Eclipso stories on both ends. :)
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cbishop

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@Emperor Gonzo Noir said:
" @cbishop: Well to be fair, What if? Civil War came out a couple years after the series went to trade "

I only give 'em half credit for that.  They knew they were going to do a What If for Civil War - their trend in the last several years has been to do one for every event that comes along, and even to reach back to the 1980's to do What If's for those events too.  I think they either should have done the What If sooner, or put the trade off until they had that issue to include with it.  However, they didn't do that, so it doesn't matter what I think.  At the very least though, they should include it in a new printing.  That's a double-edged sword though, because then those fans that bought it the first time around feel cheated, or like they're being baited into buying the same thing over again.  Which is half dumb, when you think about it, because the fans who bought the first TPB probably bought the single issues, as well.  That's not always true, but often.