Life and Times of Baby Hermes

In the current portion of the Hymn to Hermes, assigned to our little group, there is a line which is best translated “The tracks on this side are worthy of praise, but the tracks on the other side are more praiseworthy” (226). This line has the balance and limited vocabulary of an aphorism, a literary device which has already been deployed within the hymn (36). “Praiseworthy” is αἰνὸς, a relative of the more familiar verb αἰνέω “to praise” and possibly Αἰνείας “Aeneas” “ the praiseworthy man.” A more profitable avenue in reference to the Hymn to Hermes might be a hidden etymological connection between this aphorism and the hymns obsession with cyclical time and mortality. The philologist Pokorny suggests that the root of αἰνος is one which means “to live.” Two common Greek words relating to time and life, αἰεί and αἴων, are derived from this root. if αἰνὸς is similarly derived,  then this aphorism provides a temporal theme just as the double use of ὁδοῖο “path” in the same aphorism, provides a directional theme. Lines 17-18 define Hermes as a god who accomplishes his deeds within a solar cycle. He is born in the morning, invents the lyre in the middle of the day, and steals the cattle of Apollo in the evening.  The first thing he sings on his newly made instrument is a song about his own conception, his coming to life (56-58). He does so using materials for which a mortal being, the unfortunate tortoise has ceased to live. When Hermes ventures forth farther than his own doorstep, the individual he encounters is an mortal Old Man, the opposite of an immortal baby; yet the old man has a flourishing garden, a symbol of youthful vigor (87). Apollo discovers the theft at dawn, but the Old Man , whom Apollo questions, refers to evening(184; 206-207). Even the journey of the cattle from Pieria to Pylos can be viewed as not just a reversal in special terms, but also an alleged and mendacious reversal of time according to Hermes’ later protestations of innocence.

Meditations on Mary: Marvels Updated

Doc Shaner's recent series The Champion of Shazam is a good comic which both benefits and suffers from legacy and the constraints of continuity. Mary posseses the power of Shazam, since Billy is off wizarding at the Rock of Eternity. She is ready to go to college, to start a life independent of her foster family, and obligations of heroism. Mary is a character who has retained a fan base despite her underutilization as an independent character.  Mary, however, cannot escape Billy's sphere of influence any more (and probably less) than Kara can escape Clark's. Billy, unlike the cousins from Krypton, has a challenge maintaining his own series, while Superman endures. The other (former) female Shazam, Mary's younger foster sister Darla, provides more diversity but she is too young in-world and too recently created to claim the title of Shazam on her own. She may be better suited for a YA book, perhaps one set in the world of the Vietnamese Green Lantern or a crossover with a Wonder Person. Uncle Marv, on the other hand, is an unadulterated positive addition, who does not require powers (a betrayal of his basic nature), but also provides an adult mentor for a putative Mary-centric comic just as Darla does a Jimmy Olsen type - hopefully not a Vanessa Kapatellis! The choice of Georgia Sivana as villain is appreciated, since Sivana is the rare villain that has extended family born of legitimate marriages; Georgia, moreover, is the only Sivana sibling who possesses neither a "Junior", something which Freddie's absence suggests a move away from, nor a given name which would only hold up to scrutiny in the Golden Age of Comics. Georgia's motivation for villainy are sold and tied into the continuity of Shazam. This entanglement of Mary and Georgia with their male counterparts still leaves them with a burden of legacy, although a thankfully thin one which could be overcome in an ongoing series. This, however, is a limited series with an open ending of "the adventure continues" type. Reading the miniseries along makes this ending inspirational, but its placement with universal continuity diminishes the impact, especially when it is mandatory that the mantle of Shazam return to the slightly more commercial Billy. Even the title of the series is ambiguous: does the Champion of Shazam refer to Billy, the Champion of the force of good which the wizard Mamaragan encapsulated within the Magic Word, or Billy's Champion? 

Unrestrained by the continuity outside of Shazam portion of the DCU, this would make a hell of an animated movie; within it, like so many other series, the gravity of the status quo warps it into insignificance. This is a shame for the girl hero who preceded and inspired the Girl of Steel.