Fans swarm 'Walking Dead' finale party in Atlanta
Editor's note: Emma Loggins is the editor of Fanbolt.com, an fan news site that specializes in behind-the-scenes information and interviews with the casts and crews of entertainment franchises with organized fan bases. She can also be found on Twitter @EmmaLoggins.
As the home of "The Walking Dead," Atlanta, Georgia, has no shortage of zombie love. If that wasn't already apparent, the "Walking Dead" season finale party cleared up any confusion. While there were multiple fan viewing parties across the city, it was the Diesel Filling Station, a local restaurant, that hit capacity one hour before the finale started.
This wasn't just your typical viewing party either. About 200 fans entered into a quarantine zone, and in efforts to reserve generator power, only the ATM and televisions were operational. No lights, no air conditioner, and a limited menu consisting of items that could be scavenged from an outside grill while keeping everyone safe inside. Survivors were also asked to bring in canned food items to donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
With good karma being shared among all, the fan camaraderie was in full swing when IronE Singleton, who plays T-Dog on the series, arrived. Fans rushed to get their picture taken with him and show their support and love for his character.
A superhero original gets a major makeover (and a name change)
There are reboots, and then there are reboots.
With Wednesday's release of "Justice League" #7, the character known since 1941 as Captain Marvel will officially go by the name "Shazam" - a name which many of the uninitiated might have thought was his name for decades.
According to DC Comics' Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, who had a big hand in the recent relaunch of DC Comics characters with "The New 52,", told the New York Post that the name change made sense for a number of reasons, including that, "Shazam is the word most associated with the character." (DC Comics is owned by Time Warner, which also owns CNN.)
Gone also is the white collar on his cape, which is now more of a cowl, and the famous lightning bolt on his chest now glows.
"His place in the world will be far more rooted in fantasy and magic than it ever was before," Johns told the Post.
"This will be a complete revamping of the character, all the way back to his origins with new powers, and what I’m sure will be changes to his family of supporting characters," said John Barringer of A Comic Book Blog. "This could potentially be one of the biggest changes for a character as a result of the New 52."
The change in Shazam's appearance is potentially significant, as it makes him look a good deal less like Superman than before. In one of the most legendary court cases in comic book history, DC successfully won a lawsuit in 1953 with Captain Marvel's creator, Fawcett Comics, due to those similarities with one of their most popular characters. (At one point in the 1940s, Captain Marvel comics were outselling Superman).
"Captain Marvel was the first character that really refined the superhero formula," said Chris Sims, a senior writer for Comics Alliance. "He's the ultimate wish-fulfillment character. Every kid wants to be a grown-up and be big and strong and have the ability to get whatever they want, and Billy Batson is exactly that. He says a magic word and he doesn't just get super-powers, he turns into an adult that can fly around having all the adventures that kids want to have. And that's what made him a hit."
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