One of the very next films that is set to hit production for the DC Universe in the near future is Shazam! from Lights Out director David F. Sandberg. While this features a hero that’s existed for an incredibly long time, Shazam is by no means a household name.

In the pantheon of superheroes owned by DC, Shazam falls short of the recognition that heroes like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash have. As such, there is a lesser chance that mainstream audiences will have had a chance to check out some of the character’s source material prior to the release of the film. After all, in the world of comics, it’s very difficult to know where to start.

If this applies to you, Sandberg has your back. The director took to Twitter to answer a fan who asked what a good book to read would be, as a primer for the film.

Here is one response:

This one is a good sampler since you get the origin as well as various newer takes from Jerry Ordway, Jeff Smith, Geoff Johns & Gary Frank, etc. They’re not all full stories though. pic.twitter.com/75X0VEsC6n

— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) December 18, 2017

The plus side in that first one is that you’ll get bits and pieces of the different iterations of the character. The downside, however, is that it won’t actually get you any full story to cling onto. But, as a starter, you can do worse. From there, you can follow the respective storylines of the ones you like, and branch off on your own journey.

This is one I like because you get to see C.C Becks art without color. I have a thing for comics in black and white. pic.twitter.com/bFbPXHfKvn

— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) December 18, 2017

The second shows the beauty of black and white comics. Admittedly, as a manga fan, these black and white showcases were a good entry point for me.

This is the newest take on Shazam and as seen in the casting announcements characters from this appear in the movie. pic.twitter.com/onrCz5t83c

— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) December 18, 2017

He then recommends the New 52 iteration of Shazam from Geoff Johns and goes on to say that the characters from this version are set to appear in the movie.

Once you’re familiar with Shazam a great read is Flashpoint where you meet the alternate timeline “Captain Thunder”. pic.twitter.com/4qnSoL43WR

— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) December 18, 2017

Finally, the last one is Flashpoint, wherein we get to see an alternate version of the character, Captain Thunder. This one will also do some double duty for you — prepping you for both Shazam and the eventual Flashpoint.

What do you think of Sandberg’s recommendations? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: David F. Sandberg