h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you have a favourite comic hero submit his/her name and I will try and give it the caring, sharing, "Loony" treatment

Well my favourite has to be the Iceman but that's onl;y because it became my nickname a couple of years back.

Colin, Iceman is now on the list. I used your words and added some of mine.

Right I'll take a look.

There was a character years ago who had to say the magic word SHAZAAM to change into his superhero alter-ego. He may have been Captain Marvel or Captain Amazing, or something like that.

It was a DC character Captain Marvel (not to be conufused with the Marvel character Captain Marvel) real name Billy Bateson, who could call on the powers of the Greek Gods.

Thanks. Can you remember if SHAZAAM stood for anything EG

Superpowers
Heroism
Amazing
Zealous
Aardvaark Impersonator
Anti-bad-guys
Mother........

Or am I thinking of someone else?

It might have done, I don't know. He used it to summon lightning which by striking him would cause him to change from Billy Bateson to Captain Marvel. You have to wonder about someone who wants to get hit by lightning.

For a few more, if you're still interested, Iron Man, (Tony stark, Millionaire playboy in big metal armour). Hawkeye (Realy good archer)

Jim Rhodes (and I think one other) has also had his turn in the Iron Man armour. I think Clint Barton was Hawkeye's alter-ego.

There are rumours circulating about an Iron Man film with Nick Cage and Tom Cruise both wanting the role of Mr Stark. Don't quite know how much faith to put in the rumours though. But with the X-men movie and very likely sequals, a new Spiderman film in the works and now possibly Iron Man, it is a good time for Marvel fans.

correct on both counts. And jim rhodes also was (for a very brief time) War Machine (another Iron Man suit and an organic alien suit) one of my other lesser known favorites. Apparently, there are two Marvel films being fastracked. Those are Daredevil and Dr Strange. The spider-man film is definitely in teh works (tehy ahve cast a spider-man) and there are rumours of an Iron Man film and a Ghost Rider film both have nicholas cage wanting to be in them. He is really wanting to play a super hero.

Daredevil would be good, but I am not convinced about Dr Strange.

Ghost Rider would also be an inteeresting one to go to film, but in the X-men we did seem to have the hansome heroes facing the ugly villians. SO I do not know if they would be all that happy to have a hero who for all intents and purposes is a skelton.

Depends how he's done, an origin story woudln't be great, but c'mon, Mystic sourcer, massive forces and all held back by one (sometimes rather dark) man. Actually, tehre was a great limited series with him recently. It had what could be a great shot in amovie, Strange facing Dormamu, but dormamu is about ten or twelve feet tall. Also all teh spellcasting. Daredevil will be good, if doe properly, and Ghost Rider, again if doe properly, but you;re right, alot of people won't think he;s teh hero because he looks villanous.

Americans do like things simple, the good guys have to be good looking and the bad guys have to have a face their mothers would have a hard time loving.

If they did a Ghostrider film, I wonder if it will be John Blaze or Dan Ketch? As they were both possessed by the Ghostrider in the comics.

I think its gonna be John Blaze. And I could see it being either really badly done and kiddified or really well done and flopping majorly as McDonalds say "We can't give those away with a happy meal"

Both are definte possibilities, although with some of the things that are given away with happy meals I can't see McDonalds having that much to complain about.

Actually yes. Itll be teh tone of teh film that matters (See Batman Returns)