Shazam! #1-3 (and Knight Terrors: Shazam! #1-2)
Originally released in 2023
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Dan Mora (main series), Roger Cruz (Knight Terrors)
Right off the bat, I'm glad to see that this series captures the childlike wonder that one would expect from a series about a 10-13 year old with Superman-style powers. Less than a page into this story, and Billy Batson is trying to wrangle a T. Rex. Also, the T. Rex is an alien.
Billy Batson's previous superhero name (as of the New 52) was Shazam, which made sense from a real world perspective since they legally couldn't call the comic "Captain Marvel" for a variety of reasons that would take up too much time to get into here, but it made it rather difficult to introduce himself. This series takes the middle ground by calling him "The Captain". (though Mary, his adopted sister, can still go by Mary Marvel)
The series has a similar set-up to the DC Extended Universe movies, where Billy is in foster care with a large amount of foster siblings. Previously, they had split the powers of Shazam between them, with each one having their own superhero forms. However, something changed in the world of magic, so now, Billy is unable to share his power with others. (Mary has superpowers, but they come from a set of goddesses whose names also spell out "Shazam")
One major difference from the movies is that they have a talking anthropomorphic tiger who lives with them. In contrast with Billy's depiction in the New 52 (where he's sullen and bitter but has a heart of gold underneath it), Billy's depiction under Mark Waid's pen is more traditional, where he's earnest and humble, crediting rescue workers as "the real heroes". As a result, it comes as a surprise to everyone (Billy included) when he goes on an egotistical rant on live television. Something weird is happening, and Billy doesn't want any more strangeness in his life.
That's around the point where a T. Rex with a top hat and monocle shows up at his door, demanding that Billy fill out the required paperwork for breaking interstellar laws by helping the stranded alien T. Rexes. As it turns out, the six gods (well, five gods and Solomon) that make up Billy's powers feel like he doesn't give them the respect that they deserve, so they have been exerting their will over the Captain, twisting him and trying to take control over him in a contest to see who will be the most successful in that regard.
This leads to public freak-outs and attempted murders, causing Billy to vow that he will never turn into Shazam again. This doesn't stick, as the forces contending for Billy's power force his hand by causing a traffic accident, leading to Billy saving a group of diplomats who are also gorillas.
Naturally, this takes Billy to Gorilla City, where he learns that the king of the moon is planning to destroy the Earth. This feels like the sort of comic that I would write if given the chance, though Mark Waid handles the writing here better than I could - Silver Age insanity wrapped up in a modern package.
There's also a two-issue tie in with Knight Terrors, DC's horror-themed event that interrupted most if not all of their titles at the time. Naturally, they decided to have this in the middle of July. The Knight Terrors issues focus on Mary Marvel, whose powers aren't malfunctioning, as she's pulled into a nightmare world in the style of A Nightmare On Elm Street.
The tone is a bit of a shift from the other issues, though it still takes time to include comedy. It's nice to see Mary getting the spotlight, though it's a shame that Billy's other siblings (particularly Freddy) have lost their powers for the foreseeable future. (I'm assuming that Freddy will get his powers back at some point, though hopefully Eugene, Pedro, and Darla have their powers return as well)
My only problem with this series is that DC Universe Infinite stops at issue 3 of the main series, with any newer issues requiring the more expensive subscription to read. (otherwise, it's six months behind the physical release schedule) It's understandable that there would be a delay between the physical release and the digital release (otherwise, there'd be less of a reason to get the physical book), but I enjoyed what I read of this and I want to see more.
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