The Inevitable Mediocre Spin-off

Oh Mary what have they done to you? Many of us were shocked with her new look in Final Crisis #3 but long term fans, not so much!

Firstly I want to talk about comic fanboys double standards. They moan when supergirl is given a sexuality, they do the same when pure virginal mary is sexed up as well yet 90% of fanart for these two not done by fangirls is sexually provocative! I'm starting to think its all part of the fantasy that these sweet girls are 'undone' but to actually see it happen on the page shatters the illusion for the reader. Newsflash! Girls don't gain a sexuality the night they turn legal and teen girls more than any other express it more, they grow out of it but its a rite of passage. Let them show midriff, have tiny skirts and lets these character's actions be the guide.

So onto Mary. She is having a character journey a marvel could only wish for in DC continuity. When is the last time Billy went through emotional turmoil? When's the last time Freddie did anything? Only Black Adam has gotten an arc and now Mary. She has been used and abused. The girl next door has been turned into the stripper in a seedy nightclub.

Mary loved her powers but when the Wizard Shazam died she was stripped of them. How do you adjust to a life of obscurity and powerlessness after being a superhero? How does it feel to have to be saved by one of your peers like a regular Joanne? None of these questions were explored that much instead we find out Mary is desparate for power. Freddie undergoes The Trails of Shazam to become the new champion while Mary is in hospital. She wakes up with only a note from Freddie telling her not to look for him. In the end she gets her power from Black Adam and gains a slinky new outfit.
Fanboys and a good few fangirls were angry at what seemed like fanservice! Fanboys didn't like having naughty thoughts about the character and fangirls didn't like that she was another character drawn for sexual thrill. In the good old comic tradition with evil comes sexy!

This is nothing compared to her introduction in Final Crisis! Where she comes in with a boob window and well see for yourself... (click to make it bigger)

Oh dear..someone needs a stylist. Thats all I could think. I was fine with the boob window. If its good enough for Powergirl its good enough for Mary. Its the hair! Maybe the headgear too.