DC Comics released some new art on Monday showing off the brand new look and concept for the classic character Captain Marvel, er, um… I mean Shazam!

DC announced back in January that Captain Marvel’s name would officially be changed to Shazam, the word used to transform the young Billy Batson into the powerful superhero. And, now, the first image of the newly named Shazam has been released. Check it out in full here below.

So, this is the new Billy Batson that we’ll see written by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank? Huh… Well, I don’t want to seem too critical because I think it’s a decent design. Although, one of the things I actually liked about the magical hero formerly known as Captain Marvel was when he was written with youthful enthusiasm as being a hero considering he’s actually a little kid that can be a superhero with one magical word. Based on the artwork, which honestly is not a lot to go on, it appears that the joy is gone. The art’s pretty dark, no?

Geoff Johns and DC Comics have announced that the legendary boy turned hero Captain Marvel will officially have his name changed to Shazam.

Captain Marvel has been a staple in the history and continuity of DC Comics for decades, but has also been a hot topic of debate both inside and outside the comics fandom. There’s been massive amounts of legal issues with Marvel Comics over the name as well, due to Marvel holding intellectual property over the name as a title for a comic book. So, the comics in which he appears have traditionally been under some sort of variation of Shazam, and the phrase was used for young Billy Batson to turn into the all powerful magic hero. But legal problems aren’t also the only problem with Captain Marvel as the non-comics reading public misunderstands the character’s actual name, as the majority are convinced that the character has always been known as Shazam, partially as a result of the 1974 television series.

I spotted this little tidbit on Bleeding Cool and was compelled to write something.

Superworld Comics is a store in Massachusetts that specializes in bronze, silver, and golden age comics and original comic art. On their YouTube channel, they have a feature called “Trash-A-Comic.” The title is pretty self-explanatory. Every episode, they destroy a comic book from their back-stock in what they insist are fun and creative ways for, one can only assume, the entertainment of their customers.

Because comic book fans — especially collectors of mint and slabbed comics — LOVE seeing those books destroyed.

In their first episode, they shot an issue of Classics Illustrated: Kidnapped to pieces with a paint gun.

In their second episode, they fed a near-mint issue of Dazzler to a couple of pigs before having it pecked by chickens.

In their third episode, they ripped an issue of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories in half, put it in a blender, turned it into a smoothie, and drank it while toasting, “Here’s to the end of another worthless comic.”

In their fourth episode, they rolled over a CGC slabbed issue of Shazam with a steam shovel and fed it into a wood chipper.

Laughing all the way.