Thread by @GailSimone

Okay. I have a thing to say, it'll take a little bit and I'll try not to post anything too spoilery. But I saw Shazam. 1/

Here's the thing. People ask me ALL the time what my favorite superhero is, or who my favorite characters are. And I usually take that to mean, 'of the ones I have written.' So I usually say Black Canary or Wonder Woman or Red Sonja. But it's not them. Not really. 2/

Because there really is no question who my favorite it. It's the Marvel Family. It's Cap, and Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel, Jr., and all the rest. Almost certainly, Mary Marvel is my absolute favorite comics character of all time. 3/

There are a lot of reasons why, but the big one is, when all the other comics were trying to be grim or serious or even camp, the Marvel Family managed genuine, actual charm. They were funny, they were kind, they had a great look, and they were a FOUND FAMILY. 4/

I loved the villains, from the weird and humorous, like Sivana and Mr. Mind, to the genuinely dark and scary, like Black Adam and Ibac. I loved everything about them. I watched the tv show every chance I got, even though I knew Mary was never going to show up on it. 5/

But there was another element that really spoke to me with the Marvel Family that I didn't see in other DC comics much. They were POOR. They lived in poverty. Billy was a homeless kid, Mary lived in an orphanage, Freddie was a disabled kid selling newspapers in the rain. 6/

They weren't billionaires or military contractors or gods or Amazons or sea kings. They were poor kids, abandoned by everyone. They were street kids just a couple decades after the great depression. 7/

That really spoke to me, I was poor growing up, we lived on a farm and it went downhill from there. It all worked out fine, but I did love that these characters felt like they deserved a break, and someone powerful saw that and gave it to them. 8/

And even when they got their powers, and things started going well for them, I felt like they never forgot being poor. The characters were always doing something for people in need, not just superhero stuff, but charity drives. It felt in their DNA. 9/

And there's little question that the strips were just better written and drawn than the competition. Artists like Mac Raboy and C.C. Beck were just on another level. The stories felt less disposable, there was more thought put into them. 10/

And as a kid, nothing beats the notion of a magic word. It's just a powerful device that has worked for ages, right up until the kids of Harry Potter's world today. 11/

This all leads up to saying that the Marvels were very important to me. DC knows I want to write them, and someday, I hope I get the chance. I have talked about this a lot, but it almost happened early in my career...12/

DC wanted to do an anthology book...Mark Waid writing Cap, Grant Morrison writing Junior, and me writing Mary Marvel, which would have pretty much been heaven for me. But it fell through for some reason. 13/

This is all leading up to the movie. I will be honest. I was pretty skeptical right up front. The trailer worried me, it looked a little obvious, like a dudebro take on BIG. Which was not encouraging. I was more nervous than I was even for Wonder Woman. 14/

I was wrong. We saw SHAZAM! at a late showing last night and I haven't stopped buzzing sense.

I loved this movie, I want to take it home and make it waffles.

It is not just an amazing superhero film, it is better than I could POSSIBLY have hoped. 15/

There was stuff on the screen that I never, ever thought I would see in a Hollywood film. Characters I have loved not just treated with respect, but brought to vivid life by people who took care to do it right. 16/

I want to spoil everything but I know a lot of people haven't seen it yet. Just go. Go see the thing. It's got more heart and charm than any three typical superhero films.

It's fully of sentiment, but it's MEANINGFUL sentiment, it never feels like tacked on mush. 17/

Also, it just looked absolutely spectacular. This was apparently a 'mid-budget' superhero film, but the dollars ended up on the screen, and it felt more thrilling in all the right spots than a lot of a-list stuff. 18/

By a weird quirk, my son, who is pretty sophisticated in his tastes, said something important, he loved it and he said, "It's one of the first superhero movies in a long time to never wink at the audience." And he's right, it plays it honestly. 19/

AND the casting was spectacular. By the end, I was genuinely invested in the entire family, every single member. Great writing, but also the PERFECT actors for the roles. 20/

Which leads me to my favorite aspect, the family. I'm adopted AND a foster parent. This stuff is rarely handled well. But I cried at the bumper sticker, that's how they nailed the family element. The BUMPER sticker. 21/

This could have all devolved into treacle, it could have been fake and sickly sweet. Or they could have made the kids all adults in child drag, which is an even more common offense. 22/

I promise I'm getting to the end of this tweetstorm so I don't post spoilers, but the last twenty minutes or so made me happier than almost any film I have seen in ages. It's just sheer delight, even for the non-comics people in our audience last night. 23/

I have a list of stuff that I adored. I'm just gonna cover a few and then I'm done. First, Darla.

Darla was freaking amazing. I've known kids like Darla, kids who haven't yet been told not to love so much. I wanted her in every scene and her bits at the end, PERFECTION. 24/

Second, the parents. If you didn't love those two and want to go live in that house with holes in the walls, YOU ARE DEAD INSIDE. Best superhero parents ever (sorry, Jor El!).

That is how to portray good people with just a few choice scenes. Fantastic. 25/

Third, @ZacharyLevi. You are the Shazam I didn't know was waiting for us all. You never broke character, you always played for truth. And I have SEEN those angry, frustrated kid faces many, many times. THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FAVORITE. 26/

@ZacharyLevi Fourth, Mary. Now, Mary got less screen time than I would have loved, but that's purely personal. She was great whenever she showed up. I hope she gets more chances to shine. Great casting, great look, loved her. NEVER thought she'd be in a big movie like this. 27/

@ZacharyLevi And finally, the best thing in the movie, the anchor for the whole film for me, was Freddie. I can't remember the last time an actor the age of Jack Dylan Grazer so completely owned the narrative of a big film like this. 28/

@ZacharyLevi I loved every line reading Freddie did, he carried much of the emotional weight of the film, and the scenes between Shazam and Freddie are my favorite parts of the entire experience. Just a wonderful performance. 29/

@ZacharyLevi Okay, there's a lot of deeper thoughts I'd love to talk about but I don't want to spoil it. But this felt like a film made by people who haven't yet succumbed to cynical formula, and I LOVE them for it. I can't wait to see it again! 30/

@ZacharyLevi The audience I saw it with loved it, they laughed and clapped at the end. DC has a real opportunity here, to be the anti-Marvel, with these quirkier, individual films that aren't quite so connected. They could actually be full-on competitive if the quality stays high. 31/

@ZacharyLevi If audiences are thinking of Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam when they see a new DC trailer, that's a pretty darn good starting point. 32/

@ZacharyLevi Okay, I'm done for now, but GO SEE IT. Go in with an open mind, and you'll have a blast. Thank you, makers of SHAZAM, for making the movie I never believed would exist!

AND I STILL AM GOING TO WRITE THEM SOMEDAY!

end/

@ZacharyLevi Ps. Darla solo movie.

@ZacharyLevi Pps. Sorry for a million tweets but I LOVED ⚡SHAZAM!⚡so much!