John August

Projects

On the topic of old things sucking

Projects, Rant, Shazam

My post on Captain Marvel/Shazam! generated a lot of comments, both on this site and AICN, primarily because of a single observation…

If I were writing a dissertation on the evolution of the Captain Marvel character, [hardcover anthologies] would be invaluable. But I’m not. So every time I read one of these, I’m struck with the same realization I encounter trying to watch The Honeymooners or a black-and-white movie: Wow. Old things suck.

Was I deliberately exaggerating to make a point? Yes.

Was I baiting readers to write in? Sure.

Was I serious? Sort of.

There’s obviously an abundance of old things which not only do not suck, but are in fact spectacular: great works of literature, music, art, and movies which deserve to be called classics — and not just because they’re in black and white. We study them, we emulate them, because they are just so damn good.And yet, when we emulate them too closely, the results are invariably disappointing. That’s a good topic for someone’s dissertation, so I won’t try to address it in a footnote.

[kane]That said, for every great old masterpiece, there are a lot of non-masterpieces. And what frustrates me is when society insists on elevating and fawning over these non-masterpieces simply because they were part of some mythical Golden Age. To me, that includes The Honeymooners. Sorry. I can understand why it was groundbreaking, and the enormous challenge of creating a live show, and why it was seminal. But I don’t care. It doesn’t connect for me whatsoever, and I’m too honest to fake any interest in it.

Thus, to me, it sucks. Everyone is free to have his own opinion, at least until the corporate sponsors find out.Read the fine print on the parking garage stub. It’s a contract.

I could have softened the blow by saying, “Many old things suck” or “Some old things suck.” But that wouldn’t be true to my experience. When I watch a classic film and have that holy shit, this is just as good as everyone says experience, that’s the glorious exception. That’s when I’m happy I’ve deliberately set my expectation meter low for anything older than I am.

Setting aside the implicit ontological paradoxes, most people I know would be curious to travel back in time. They’d love to meet historical figures, marvel at extinct animals, and experience daily life in an earlier age. But I’ve yet to meet someone who wants to travel back in time to watch TV. Imagine, you could watch The Honeymooners in its proper context, live, as it was made. Wouldn’t that be the best thing ever? No?

Of course it wouldn’t, because you live in 2007. The world has changed a lot since the days of Ralph Kramden threatening domestic violence against his wife, and you can’t pretend it hasn’t.Yes, I know he was kidding. There’s a fascinating apologia on the topic, but you wouldn’t see Kevin James getting away with it today.

And yet, time travel is exactly what some fans want out of an adaptation — to create a movie as it would have existed in an earlier era. To me, that’s foolish. You can watch The Honeymooners on DVD, safe in its nostalgic bubble, but to slavishly recreate the experience is cultural masturbation.

And yes, I said “masturbation” just to bait comments.

A Captain Marvel Reader

Projects, Shazam

Hope CoverEver since I [announced](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/the-big-red-cheese) that I’m writing Shazam!/Captain Marvel, I’ve gotten some great questions and comments from longtime fans of the character, many with detailed pleas to include a specific cherished piece of the mythology.

But when I tell people face-to-face that I’m writing a Captain Marvel movie, I often notice a specific micro-reaction. Their eyes go up and to the left as they try to remember, who the hell is Captain Marvel? Half the time, they come up with Captain America instead.

So, in the interest of spreading general knowledge about Captain Marvel and why he kicks ass, I thought I’d share a reading list. Don’t worry; there’s no test. In fact, consider this a gentle education (or re-education) on why some of the best writing today is inked and colored.

Getting over comic anxiety

One reason adults can be scared off from comics is that the universes in which superheroes live tend to be incredibly complicated and interconnected. It’s the same reason I haven’t started watching Battlestar Galactica — I feel like I need to catch the first few seasons on DVD.

But it’s even more bewildering than that. You can think of any comic book series (Batman, Superman, JSA) as being roughly equivalent to a television series, with each issue serving much like an episode.Indeed, Joss Whedon is doing exactly that with his Buffy: Season 8. By this analogy, DC and Marvel Comics are like television networks — the difference being that *all their shows cross-over constantly.* Imagine if in order to follow Lost, you also had to keep up to speed with Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty and According to Jim.

You’d want a guidebook. A cheat sheet.

DC EncyclopediaFor the DC Universe in which Captain Marvel lives, the most helpful resource I’ve found is the [DC Comics Encyclopedia](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/075660592X/103-6872397-4470203).There’s a similar [Marvel Encyclopedia](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756623588?ie=UTF8&tag=johnaugustcom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0756623588) available as well. I just ordered it today, so I can’t vouch for it. It includes artwork and bios on pretty much every significant player (hero and villain) in the DC universe.Arguably, multiverse, but I don’t want to dip my toes into that debate. Suffice to say that Captain Marvel and his compatriots used to exist on an alternate Earth (one that didn’t have Superman et al.), but got folded in due to a massive cosmic event. Naturally, one consequence of the book’s breadth is its lack of depth. A few paragraphs can’t explain why a given character is important or relevant, and tends to overemphasize vintage characters who will never play a significant role in future storylines. (Old West gunslingers, I’m looking at you.)

Still, it’s invaluable. I’ve been paging through this book for the last two years,True confession: It’s my bathroom reader. constantly discovering new connections and relationships. The term “mythology” is overused in popular culture, but it really applies to superheroes. They’re our Greek gods and demigods, and their stories are just as tangled, fascinating and unlikely.Off topic, but what is the proper name for the religion that worships the classic Greek (or Roman) gods? Pan-Hellenism? That’s a church I’d like to visit.

Getting up to speed on Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel was originally published by Fawcett Comics, and for a time outsold Superman — in fact, it was a copyright infringement lawsuit that led to Fawcett ceasing publication.The lawsuit seems absurd today, because the two overlapping powers — strength and flight — are pretty much ubiquitous among today’s superheroes. DC Comics bought out the rights to the character in 1991, but for legal reasons can’t promote the comic book using the Captain Marvel name. From the [Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Marvel_(DC_Comics):

Because Marvel Comics trademarked their Captain Marvel comic book during the interim between the original Captain Marvel’s Fawcett years and DC years, DC Comics is unable to promote and market their Captain Marvel/Marvel Family properties under that name. Since 1972, DC has instead used the trademark Shazam! as the title of their comic books and thus the name under which they market and promote the character. Consequently, Captain Marvel himself is sometimes erroneously referred to as “Shazam.”

Power CoverA fairly classic genesis story for Captain Marvel can be found in Jerry Ordway’s [The Power of Shazam!](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1563891530/103-6872397-4470203) It’s semi-period and kind of Mummy-like (a lot of Egyptian tomb business), but manages to evoke a vintage feel without the vintage dullness.

While he rarely has his own series, you find Captain Marvel sprinkled throughout the DC world. He’s particularly helpful when you need someone to go head-to-head with Superman. Captain Marvel isn’t vulnerable to kryptonite, and holds up better than the Man of Steel against magic.

First Thunder CoverA good place to start is Judd Winick’s [First Thunder](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1401209238/103-6872397-4470203), which posits the first real encounter between these titans, and nicely contrasts not only the two heroes but their corresponding villains, Lex Luthor and Dr. Sivana. The book smartly moves beyond the smash-and-bash action to raise interesting questions: Is it fair to put this much responsibility on a young kid? Which identity is your “secret identity?” And what would Superman have done without the Kents to watch over him?

[Day of Vengeance](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1401208401/103-6872397-4470203) (also by Judd Winick) features a very different Marvel/Superman matchup, as the Man of Steel finds himself possessed by the demon Eclipso. It’s a good battle, and it makes use of one of the Marvel family’s less-defined abilities: the magic thunderbolts which come when you call, “Shazam!” These thunderbolts can seemingly do anything. I keep waiting for some unhinged environmentalist to figure out he can use them to power the world’s electric grid — *but at a deadly price!*

Kingdom Come coverIf you want bleak, look no further than Mark Wald’s [Kingdom Come](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1563893304/103-6872397-4470203), in which the grown up Billy Batson is basically Lex Luthor’s pawn, a superpowered goon to protect the evil mastermind from Superman. Between this and [Watchmen](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1401207138/103-6872397-4470203), one is left with the impression that superheroes don’t get better with age.

JSA and Black Adam

Captain Marvel can be found in many Justice Society of America books, but an even larger presence is Black Adam, who is sometimes an ally and often an adversary. Black Adam was the original champion chosen by the wizard Shazam, and is ostensibly as powerful as The Big Red Cheese. But he’s brutal and charismatic, which is why fans love him no matter which side he’s on.

Geoff Johns, who was gracious enough to listen to my pitch before we went in to New Line, has two books featuring Black Adam to check out: [Black Reign](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1401204805/103-6872397-4470203) and [Black Vengeance](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1401209661/103-6872397-4470203). The storylines continue into this past year’s [52](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1401213537/103-6872397-4470203).

For a one-off making good use of the Rock of Eternity (home base of Captain Marvel), check out [Virtue and Vice](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1401200400/103-6872397-4470203). Featuring both the JSA and the Justice League, it’s a sampler platter of powers and what-if scenarios, but well worth a look.

Monster Society CoverAmong current series, Judd Winick’s [Trials of Shazam!](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/1401213316/103-6872397-4470203) finds Billy Batson taking over for the wizard, and overseeing the training of his replacement. Meanwhile, Jeff Smith’s [Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil](http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=6829) is goofy and whimsical, a great alternative to the weary darkness of many comics today.

Why I’m not including the vintage collections

DC publishes hardcover anthologies that gather up decades’ worth of Captain Marvel comics. If I were writing a dissertation on the evolution of the Captain Marvel character, these would be invaluable. But I’m not. So every time I read one of these, I’m struck with the same realization I encounter trying to watch The Honeymooners or a black-and-white movie: Wow. Old things suck.

Yes, I know that will piss off the vintage comics fans, who insist that the original incarnations are the purest forms of a character. But what you quickly realize is that old-time comic books were awkwardly written, crudely drawn, and bewilderingly inconsistent with their rules. They were making up the art form as they went along, and today’s comic books are better for the accumulated wisdom.

Vintage fans are free to disagree. There’s a vast but finite amount of comic books to last them through their days.My brother is big into classic rock. I once pointed out to him that everything he will ever like has already been recorded. Which seems depressing, but will undoubtedly happen to most of us.

Beyond that, are there great books I’m leaving off, either intentionally or accidentally? Almost certainly. The comments are your chance to add to the reading list.

Goodnight Moon, Hello Movie

Check the date, News, Projects

I’m happy to finally be able to announce the next thing I’m writing after Shazam!/Captain Marvel — an adaptation of one of the best-selling children’s books ever: [Goodnight Moon](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/detail/0694003611/103-7231239-6222202), by Margaret Wise Brown.

[book](http://astore.amazon.com/johnaugustcom-20/103-7231239-6222202?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=28)Anyone who’s ever had a baby has probably read this book, so it’s no surprise that Hollywood’s been trying to adapt it for years. [Robert Bolt](http://imdb.com/name/nm0004122/) wrote a draft, as have [Waldo Salt](http://imdb.com/name/nm0759029/) and [Andrew Kevin Walker](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001825/) (his version had [Tom Tykwer](http://imdb.com/name/nm0878756/) attached.) So will this new incarnation be the one that finally gets it made? Hard to say.

There are certainly plenty of heavy-hitters involved: [Gore Verbinski](http://imdb.com/name/nm0893659/) is directing, Joel Silver is producing, and Lucasfilm has signed on to handle the visual effects. The movie will be shot largely greenscreen, like 300, with extensive motion capture to handle the Little Bunny and the Kittens.I fully recognize the irony in using greenscreen to create the Great Green Room.

Probably the most innovative and challenging aspect is the casting of the Quiet Old Lady: [Jessica Tandy](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001788/), who passed away in 1994. Using reference photos and forensic measurement (obtained with permission of her estate), she’ll be digitally recreated, a pixel-perfect reproduction.Tandy’s voice won’t be a particular challenge. True to the book, the Quiet Old Lady only whispers one line: “Hush.” The hope is that the R&D involved in building her for this movie will enable her to be re-used in future movies.I’ve actually read a script for a sequel to Driving Miss Daisy, which was obviously never shot. They’re talking about doing it in digital 3D, but it’s unclear whether that’s really going to happen. The infrastructure might not be there, and I’d question whether little kids are going to be willing to wear special glasses. No matter what the format, count on a great Danny Elfman soundtrack to accompany the visuals.

The movie is set up at Walden (who did Narnia) for 20th Century Fox. Given the number of zeroes in the budget, one would expect it to be a summer or Christmas release, but it’s obviously a long ways off.

Before you ask, I have no who we’re casting for the other roles. Right now, I’m focusing on how to turn an 18-page board book into a 100-minute family-friendly blockbuster.

**UPDATE (4/2/07): For future readers looking through the archives, please make sure to check the date: April 1, 2007. Which is also known as [April Fools’ Day](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools’_Day).**

Renumbering when moving a scene

Formatting, Projects, QandA, The Nines

questionmarkLet’s say you are doing revisions and are dealing with scene numbers, and a scene gets moved up/down. How do you format the scene number?

Say scene 70 moves up in front of scene 69. Do the numbers read: 68, 70, 69? Or: 68, 68A, 69, 70 OMITTED.

Technically the scene still exists, i.e. was not omitted. What to do?

— Johnny

The second form is correct, though my AD’s prefer to use the letter before a scene number, for reasons I explained in an [earlier post](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/hollywood-standard). So I would number the scenes…

68
A69 (the scene you moved)
69
70 OMIT“OMIT” or “OMITTED”. Either is okay. (where the scene used to be)

With rare exception,One exception was The Nines, due to some complicated time-and-reality issues, which made normal sequencing too confusing. When revisiting an earlier scene, we’d put an X in front of the scene number. So, X48 was a version of scene 48. you always maintain scene number continuity. If you’re pretty far into pre-production, it may be helpful to include a note either with the script revision or on the page itself to point out the change, so a harried production designer (for example) doesn’t look at the “OMIT” and suddenly stop construction on a needed set.

The “OMIT” is a good place to put such a note:

70 OMIT [This scene is now A69.]