HOLY MOLEY! DC COMICS to Release MARVEL FAMILY #1 Facsimile Edition

That’s right: MARVEL Family…

Oh, boy, I love surprises! And here’s one right here: DC in October will be releasing the Marvel Family #1 Facsimile Edition — ads and all, as usual — because it includes the first appearance of Black Adam.

Dig the solicitation info, which Bleeding Cool reported Thursday afternoon:

MARVEL FAMILY #1 FACSIMILE EDITION
(W) Otto Binder (A/CA) C.C. Beck
In advance of the hotly anticipated Black Adam film, DC offers the Marvel Family #1 Facsimile Edition—a re-creation, including the original advertisements, of Black Adam’s 1945 debut by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck!
Retail: $3.99
In-Store Date: 10/18/2020

A few thoughts:

— Knock me over with a feather: I never thought I’d see the day when DC would put out a comic with “Marvel” in big red-and-black letters at the top of a cover, even a reprint. As we all know, DC in the ’70s was forced to call its original Captain Marvel comic Shazam! because of legalities that are too complicated to get into here. I mean, they even changed the character’s name to Shazam, as we all know. So, damn this is fab.

— This was a surprise solicitation and orders at your shop are due Sunday, Sept. 25. That’s this Sunday. So get on that! (I can only speculate why DC didn’t solicit this sooner.)

— The release date is only three days before the movie Black Adam officially hits theaters Oct. 21.

Standard Price Comparison: Last year, a slabbed, 9.4-graded original copy — published by Fawcett, natch — sold at Heritage Auctions for $186,000, including buyer’s premium. (There’s a much lower grade copy up for auction soon.) The Facsimile Edition runs a mere four bucks.

MORE

— SHAZAM! POWER OF HOPE by ALEX ROSS and PAUL DINI to Get 2023 Re-Release. Click here.

— DC to Re-Release JEFF SMITH’s Beloved SHAZAM! Miniseries in Hardcover. Click here.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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12 Comments

  1. I wonder what the legal loophole is that allows them to use the name “Captain Marvel” on the cover of this (the ’70s series had the words “Captain Marvel” as a subhead under the “Shazam!” logo for the first few issues before Marvel presumably issued a cease and desist and the subhead was changed to “The World’s Mightiest Mortal”). The fact that it’s a reproduction of a historical artifact pre-dating Marvel’s ownership of the Captain Marvel trademark? Curious.

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    • Perhaps DC simply asked Marvel if they could use the “Capt. Marvel” name on this one cover this one time. It is not a stylized logo. Even though the name itself is trademarked, the logo design is the larger trademark issue.

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    • It says Capt. Marvel, not Captain Marvel.

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  2. While I have a low grade original, this is marvelous!

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  3. I can’t wait! This is exciting news!

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  4. DC goofed on the year of the release date.

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  5. YAY!!!! Instant purchase!!!! Buying this for the Marvel Family themselves, not Black Adam! Really fun second story in this one, too!

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  6. I believe this book is public domain, so arguably couldn’t anyone put it out? (Maybe not…)

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  7. They picked an interesting week to release this. Same week that Marvel finally releases the continuation of the Miracleman Silverage storyline. Wonder that that’s just a coincidense.

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    • I’d say coincidence. The issue has the first appearance of Black Adam, which is out this week.

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