T!M. Finney :: The Shakespeare Project Commissions Act I

Shazam & Captain Marvel in Julius Caesar by John Lucas

Artist: John Lucas (All)

8 Comments - 1,764 Views - 0 Like

Shazam & Captain Marvel in Julius Caesar by John Lucas Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	Shazam & Captain Marvel in Julius Caesar by John Lucas
Artist:	John Lucas (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Commission
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	1,764
Likes on CAF:	0 1
Favorited on CAF:	1
Comments:	8
Added to Site:	12/17/2009
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him;
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones,
So let it be with Caesar ...

Mark Antony's speech to the Roman mob is one of THE great moments of Shakespearean drama. The way he, through speech, is able to turn the Roman mob against Brutus and the conspirators, who had convinced them that Caesar was a tyrant, through rhetoric, is a testament to the power of words. Though he has sworn to speak no ill against the conspirators if allowed to eulogize Caesar, Anthony manages to turn the word "honorable" ("For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all; all honorable men") on its head and it becomes quite clear that he means "dishonorable."

The problem was, who to cast in this role. Nobody seemed to fit. The one name that always seemed to pop up when I brainstormed about it was Captain Marvel as Anthony (he is, after all, a military "man") and the wizard, Shazam, as the murdered Caesar.

This whole thing started off as a political discussion about the American healthcare bill with the artist, John Lucas, and it somehow morphed into a commission for the Shakespeare Project (which, unfortunately, may be the best result of any discussion on healthcare all year). And with Mr. Lucas' love of the Marvel Family, he was raring and ready to tackle my weird idea. (But weird ideas are what fit Captain Marvel the best, don't you think?)

Please take in the crowd that Mr. Lucas so skillfully added to the page. It was a pleasant surprise, as I had only envisioned this as a two character commission, figuring that including the crowd would be too much bother. But to quote the artist himself, "I couldn't see doing it without adding an audience."

The art, though clearly in homage to the great C.C. Beck and the wonderful Fawcett Comics artists of yore, conveys Mr. Lucas' own style throughout the piece. And the detail of the Roman architecture he employed as a background easily exceeded my expectations and enhances the art without overwhelming it.

At the beginning, I was unsure that the Marvel Family was the right choice to "cast" in this play, but Joltin' Johnny erased all my doubts. You can commission Mr. Lucas by visiting his CAF gallery and starting up a correspondence of your own.

Oh, for those of you unfamiliar with the Shazam characters, the cast includes Captain Marvel as Mark Anthony, Shazam as Julius Caesar and the crowd is a mix of heroes and villains, let's see, from left to right, Mr. Morris (the guy who runs radio station WHIZ where Billy Batson had a show), Mr. Tawney the talking tiger, Captain Marvel Jr., a Venusian (or maybe a Martian � I'm pretty sure it was from a story about Beautia Sivana, Dr. Sivana's daughter, where she was the empress of Venus or Mars, one or the other). Dr. Sivana (the Lex Luthor of the Fawcett Comics universe), Mr. Mind, Mary Marvel, Uncle Marvel (Uncle Dudley, Mary's uncle, I think, who only pretended to have superpowers), IBAC the Invincible (who had powers similar to Captain Marvel's but all his powers came from evil gods or devils), King Kull (not the Robert E. Howard version, obviously) and Mr. Atom the atomic powered robot. I hope that helps.

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About the Owner

	Timothy Finney
Joined:	August 2006
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	JAPAN
On CAF:	Timothy's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Lloyd White
Member Since 2007

Posted on 12/17/2009

This is awesome, from concept to execution! The Marvel Family is an inspired choice for this commission--I think Mr. Tawny is my favorite element of this fantastic piece!

Marvel Two-in-One Guy
Member Since 2003

Posted on 12/17/2009

Niiice.

Michael One Minute Later
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/17/2009

Love the theme..keep them coming

M,B The collector
Member Since 2008

Posted on 12/18/2009

Woow!! really fantastic work of Lucas !! congratulation !! ;-)

Shannon Weathers
Member Since 2005

Posted on 1/16/2010

Unbelievable! Every time you commission a new piece, I have a new favorite. I love the speech, love the play, and love the Marvel Family (especially Tawky Tawney). Bring on Titus Andronicus!

Ben Herman
Member Since 2003

Posted on 2/27/2010

John Lucas is a genius! I absolutely love this commission. It's incredibly dramatic, and I really enjoyed seeing so many of Cap's supporting cast in the crowd. Oh, yes, I would have to say that Marc Anthony was one of the earliest masters of what we now refer to as "political spin."

Will K
Member Since 2006

Posted on 3/13/2010

I may be wrong but your commissions are becoming more complex. However the execution becomes even more perfect. The theme/setting, characters and artist just go together.

A. Hybsier
Member Since 2003

Posted on 9/7/2012

what a brilliant idea / theme. too cool

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