Shazam! #3 - Comic Review

 

The Captain is in trouble once again as his powers continue to be corrupted by outside forces in the latest issue of Shazam, and the identities of those messing with him are revealed to the reader.

In previous issues of the new series we've seen the Captain scream at people, a rage taking over him in public in a way that makes him look more like Black Adam than anything else. We saw a couple of figures hiding in the shadows that were responsible, and in my review of the first issue I speculated that one of the figures was Zeus; well it looks like I was right, as we learn that all of the gods who make up the Shazam name are messing with Billy, trying to be the one to push him over the edge. Worse still, they've made Freddy their unwilling accomplice, putting a spell on him to see through his eyes to spy on Billy.

Back on Earth, Billy is trying desperately to avoid turning into the Captain again, and has even changed his YouTube channel to focus on Metamorpho instead in a moment of panic. It's quite fun to see Billy dealing with this situation from a mortal child's perspective, trying his best but really not doing terribly well. Unfortunately for him, the gods are determined to have their games, and force his hand. After transforming in order to save a bus (filled with visiting dignitaries from Gorilla City!) he ends up travelling to Gorilla City, where he hears a story about the Emperor of the Moon, who's preparing to attack Earth. The Captain heads up to the moon to fight this evil menace, little knowing that the gods are toying with him.

Oh yes, and a space T-Rex is still patiently waiting for Billy to come home in order fill out a huge pile of paperwork, lest the Auditors take notice and come instead.

Mark Waid and Dan Mora feel like the current power duo at DC right now. Their Batman/Superman: World's Finest series is an absolute delight each and every month, and is a celebration of the history of the DC Universe, and of the Silver Age of comics. And Shazam feels a little like that too. Whilst the book is set in the modern tires, with references to other characters and events making that clear, it has a lot of the weirdness and fun from the Silver Age thrown in too. Rescuing a bus full of talking gorillas, a Moon Emperor, and a top hat wearing space T-Rex having a chat with Billy's talking tiger friend all feel a bit too silly and weird to be anything but a celebration of older comics. Most other books simply wouldn't be able to get away with this, but Shazam not only does, but makes it wonderfully fun too.

Speaking of Mora, the art is, as always, phenomenal. This book has a lot of moments that some could call 'dull', with pages where gods are talking to each other and scheming, and where Billy is refusing to  become a hero again. Despite having nothing big or flashy happening on the page these moments still feel dynamic and cool looking, because they're done by Mora. Mora has a way of making the most ordinary thing look like it's amazing, and this issue showcases that. I also suspect that Waid might be throwing things like talking Gorillas, space T-Rex's, and Moon Emperors at Mora just to see him draw these cool things. If that's the case, please keep doing it, as the result is wonderful.

We're only three issues into this new Shazam run, and this is already one of the best titles that character has had. The story is delightfully weird, full of action, has great character moments, and keeps you wanting to read more to find out what happens next. The Waid/Mora dream team at work.

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