Review: Shazam! #11

The latest issue opens with Billy giving us a recap of what has gone on via his thoughts.  Interesting here is that it appears like Billy and Captain Shazam are having separate thoughts within Billy's mind.  Billy overhears Wizard Shazam and C.C. talking and he's gets up to look to see his dad struck down by Wizard Shazam.  They argue about it which leads to Captain Shazam vs Wizard Shazam.  The onomonapia wakes up the rest of the house who watch the big fight going on in the backyard.  The rest of the Shazam Family join in to help the Captain. 

Interlude with the Vasquez's helping C.C., now stripped of his power.  He tells them he senses a great evil.  Meanwhile Wizard Shazam is getting ticked at the super-powered children.  Cut to the Monsterlands where Sivana and Mr Mind release the Monster Society of Evil...except for Superboy-Prime.  Back to C.C. who tells the Vasquez's he had a vision of Wizard Shazam as someone who is much more war-like than everyone was led to believe. 

Wizard Shazam attempts to strip all the Shazam Family members of their powers, but Captain Shazam and C.C. jump in to try to tag-team reason with him.  Wizard Shazam gets furious and is about to kill C.C. when Captain Shazam just out of nowhere, gets the ability to banish Wizard Shazam to the Rock of Eternity, and restore C.C.'s Daddy Shazam powers in the process.  But then Black Adam appears and starts choking Daddy Shazam, who casts a spell separating Black Adam's soul from his body.  This makes Captain Shazam suspicious that Daddy Shazam knew such a spell.
SPOILER ALERT
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Mr Mind has been using C.C. Batson as a host this whole time. The Monster Society arrives on Earth, and in the Magiclands, Superboy-Prime gets out of his cell and is coming for Billy Batson.

I have to give the devil his due, this was one of Geoff Johns' better scripts in this series.  Of course that isn't saying too much since the bar is set so low. He kept things moving and focused, and threw in quite a few plot swerves. Scott Kollins is the sole credited artist for this issue, and is par for the course- good but generic.  I really would have liked to see Mayo "Sen" Naito do the art for this issue as it really would have elevated it even more.  Even so, I'll be very generous and give this issue a B-.

Johnson Smith Company, RIP

In December 2019, after 105 years in business, the Johnson Smith Company closed its doors.  Johnson Smith ads were there on historic issues like Detective #27, and Action #1, and in the early 70s were starting a renewed comic book campaign. I discovered the company as a child and I remember buying their "Horror Record", which I thought was just as great as any Power Records offering.  I remember buying the Secret Pen Radio, which was a tiny crystal radio housed inside a large pen casing, and in 4th grade, my desk was next to a radiator and I remember bringing it to school and clipping the antenna to the radiator and listening to AM stations. Of course I also got all the typical items, like fake vomit, a joy buzzer, whoopee cushion, and the item simply known as "Oops", with the description "Bad shot... somebody missed" next to a drawing of a toilet with a dark object on the seat. I remember that for at least two birthdays in a row, most if not all my presents were from Johnson Smith.  I loved getting the latest Johnson Smith catalogs in the mail... it even rivaled Heroes World catalogs.  Although I stopped ordering regularly from them as I got into my 20s, I still requested and received catalogs til the end.  Back in the day I bought and still have a couple reproduction catalogs from the 1920s, and kept a few of my own catalogs from my childhood.  I also have the final catalog mailed out late in 2019. Goodbye Johnson Smith Company.  You will be missed.