Aw, hell, just read this--

PANEL 1: Sweat pours down his dirtied face, as SUPERMAN grits his teeth and fights his daunting foe IDIOT BOX (pale, 15-feet-tall, stretched torso and extremities, black loincloth, old antennaed and knobbed black and white television for a head) in the rubble of the street in front of the DAILY PLANET BUILDING, as rain pours from the night sky.

A CROWD of people, containing one camera-wielding JIMMY OLSEN, watches the fight with unrivaled excitement.

TITLE: AMERICAN WAY

CREDITS

JIMMY THINKS: This footage is killer!

PANEL 2: Close-up on Jimmy's puzzled face.

JIMMY THINKS: Huh?!?

PANEL 3: Jimmy looks on, as Superman continues to fight Idiot Box.

JIMMY THINKS: Could have sworn Supes disappeared.

PANEL 4: An enthusiastic Superman smiles and flies through the cool night air of the Smallville wheat fields. The leafs on the trees shimmer, as he passes.

CAPTION: A split second ago in Smallville...

SUPERMAN THINKS: What a great break! I feel totally rejuvenated and ready to finish the fight!

PAGE 2:

PANEL 1: An old PICK-UP TRUCK drives down a dark country road outside Smallville, miles away from anyone.

SUPERMAN CAPTION: "Wait! What's that?!?"

CAPTION: Moments before and down the road a piece...

CAR RADIO: --is sure to foil the nefarious plans of this boob-tube-brained--

PANEL 2: MIKE (18, wearing a cowboy hat and boots and chewing tobacco) drives, while MORGAN (17, attractive, wearing a stylish scarf and party dress) turns down the volume KNOB on the car radio to talk to him. It's easy to see why they're in love.

MORGAN: Could you believe what Jenny said about Danny's hair?

MIKE: Yeah, that was funny. If I got a dumb haircut, would you talk about me that way?

MORGAN: You know that's right!

PANEL 3: A SPACESHIP shoots out of the sky towards a field a mile down the road.

MORGAN: Whoa!

PANEL 3: The ship crashes into the field with an impact that shakes the car intensely.

SFX: BWOOMM

PANEL 4: Morgan and Mike freak out.

MORGAN: Did you see that?!?

MIKE: Uh... Yeah!

MORGAN: Let's check it out!

MIKE: I don't think--

MORGAN: Come on!

MIKE: Okay.

MORGAN: Yes!

PAGE 3:

PANEL 1: The truck pulls off the road by the crashed spaceship, surrounded by fire, that sticks out of the field and keeps the lights running.

MIKE: Stay close to me.

MORGAN: Okay! Okay!

MIKE: I mean it!

PANEL 2: Morgan giggles and runs ahead.

MORGAN: Come on!

PANEL 2: Mike runs after Morgan.

MIKE: Hey! Slow down!

PANEL 3: The two are blown backwards by a gust of warm air, as the spaceship's HATCH DOOR opens.

SFX: FWOOM

PANEL 4: Mike pleads hysterically with Morgan.

MIKE: Let's go back! Come on! You know you want to go back!

PANEL 5: Morgan keeps walking towards the spaceship.

MIKE: Morgan! Morgan! Wait!

PAGE 4:

PANEL 1: A baby VARVUX (alien dog with the face of a squirrel) merges from the craft, and the two humans freeze in their tracks.

VARVUX: RROOOQQ!

PANEL 2: The varvux suddenly runs towards Morgan. Mike races to save her, but is too far back to even get close.

MIKE: Morgan!!!

PANEL 3: The varvux pounces on Morgan and pins her to the ground.

MORGAN: AAAAA!!!

PANEL 4: The varvux puts Morgan's entire head into its mouth, as Mike watches in horror from twenty feet away.

MIKE: Noooo!!!

PAGE 5:

PANEL 1: Mike runs back to the truck at full speed.

PANEL 2: Mike gasps for air and jumps into the truck.

PANEL 3: Mike fiddles around furiously looking for his keys.

PANEL 4: Mike starts the truck and peels out as fast as he can down the road.

SFX: SCREEEEEEEEEEEE

PANEL 5: Mike's breathing gets more chaotic and he continues down the road.

PAGE 6:

PANEL 1: Mike takes deep soothing breaths to get his breathing under control.

PANEL 2: Mike turns on the radio to see if that can calm him down.

RADIO: --Bizarro, accompanied by what appears to be a Bizarro duplicate of the superhero Steel, has now declared to the citizens of Metropolis, "They am destroy you worse."--

PANEL 3: Mike's breathing starts to slow a little.

RADIO: --and valiantly hurled themselves into the costly war against the new Brainiac/Idiot Box Team--

PANEL 4: Mike's tire blows out, and he goes back into panic mode.

SFX: BWOONK

PANEL 5: Mike tries to control the truck as he wildly pulls off the road.

PAGE 7:

PANEL 1: Mike gets out of the truck to see that the front driver's side TIRE is COMPLETELY SHREDDED.

MIKE: Dang it!

PANEL 2: Mike kneels down to examine the tire more closely and finds that the tire was BURNED BY INTENSE HEAT.

MIKE: What could have burned up my tire like this?

PANEL 3: Mike starts HYPERVENTILATING and opens the truck and pulls out his jack.

MIKE: It doesn't matter!

PANEL 4: Suddenly, TWO DOVES fly right past Mike's head and startle him.

SFX: FLPLP

MIKE: I have to get out of here! AAAAA!!!

PANEL 5: Mike looks up to see the two beautiful doves fly over the grandeur of the wheat fields and off into the tranquil night sky.

PANEL 6: His face contorts and he remembers Morgan.

PAGE 8:

PANEL 1: Mike tightens the spare.

CAPTION: Moments later...

MIKE: Okay! Ready to go!

PANEL 2: A GUST OF WIND violently slaps Morgan's SCARF over Joe's entire face.

SFX: WMP

PANEL. 3: Joe pulls the scarf off his face and looks at it with intense emotion.

PANEL 4: Mike drove his truck through the wood fence and ran out of it to pull Morgan away from the spot where she stands by the spaceship. Mike pulls Morgan away with all of his strength.

CAPTION: One minute later...

MIKE: Morgan! Let's go!

PAGE 9:

PANEL 1: The varvux pounces on Mike and knocks him to the ground with his entire head in its mouth.

VARVUX: RROOOQQ!

MIKE: Aaaaaa--!

PANEL 2: The varvux pops Mike's smiling, slobber-covered head out of its mouth and smiles.

SFX: SLRP

PANEL 3: Mike euphorically apologizes.

MIKE: Sorry I got scared.

PANEL 4: Morgan euphorically forgives him.

MORGAN: It's okay.

PANEL 5: Mike and Morgan kiss.

MIKE: I love you.

MORGAN: I love you.

PAGE 10:

PANEL 1: Superman descends upon the loving couple.

SUPERMAN: I see you found a varvux.

MORGAN: Superman!?! Wha-- Uh, to whom do-- Uh

MIKE: We are your biggest fans!

SUPERMAN: Hello. I came to inform you that this is a varvux, one of a species of domesticated animals found on another planet, and to assure you that it is completely harmless. It actually radiates an energy that promotes growth in both plants and animals.

PANEL 2: Superman picks up the varvux and pets it. The spot where the varvux sat is covered with new PATCH of beautiful wildflowers.

MORGAN: Why did it crash-land here?

SUPERMAN: Varvuxes come from a planet called Varset, where the people believe it is better to shoot their stray animals into space than it is to simply euthanize them. These people practice a religion that dictates that this practice gives the animals the proper amount of chance for survival.

MORGAN: Well, this one has a long life ahead of her!

MIKE: Honey! Maybe Superman wants to keep it!

MORGAN: Don't be silly! Superman obviously doesn't have time to care for a pet! We'll take her!

PANEL 3: Superman smiles and winks, as the readers see FLASHBACKS to everything he's done: popping Mike's tire with heat vision, flying in the doves from another town, plucking Morgan's scarf off her neck and flying it into Mike's face.

SUPERMAN: Super.

So, you seem to like a fairly lighthearted Superman. Do you feel this portrays an effective example of the kind of Superman comics you'd like to see?

Yeah, that's Superman. He never gives up and always takes the chance to have a laugh.

Since this script is up for the whole board to see, does anyone have any opinions on it? I'm honestly not sure if it works or not, so your opinions would be pretty valuable to me.

I like how you tell us how we're supposed to feel about the characters instead of giving us a reason to do so. Like when you say, "It's easy to see why they're in love; after all, he is wearing a hat, and she is wearing a dress." It's almost as if you can't write a character with any personality, so you just tell us, "They're supposed to be in love, okay? And likable. You should probably assume they're likable, so you can care what happens to them."

I also like how the artist is specifically instructed to not make the TV-themed villain look like any television available today. I can't wait until Superman fights Ham Radio Man, or other enduring cultural symbols of relevance to today's youth.

I think I can speak for most of the civilized world when I say, better no personality than anything that resembles yours.

Mike

Honestly, Mike: I've never seen someone respond so badly, for so many months, to being called stupid a couple times. I'm sorry it hurt you so badly. I hope someday you can recover.

Also, I hope you stop being so stupid. That seems to be the root of a lot of your pain.

Has DC ever tried a grim and gritty approach with Captain M/Shazam before?

I was just thinking the grim and gritty could have worked if it was just the environment, not the Captain Marvel character as well, he would remain idealistic, and super-boy-scoutey. A sort of "Tick" approach.

It's probably best you don't try to over-exert yourself.

Not sure, but this Trials of Shazam series from 2006, written by Judd Winick, looked semi-dark.

http://www.comicbookdb.com/title.php?ID=9317

I think it featured Captain Marvel Jr. (Freddy Freeman) taking on the Captain Marvel role after Billy Batson died, and he had to fight with others over the right to the power?

http://www.comicbookdb.com/graphics/comic_graphics/1/227/113794_20071128202424_large.jpg