Review: Shazam #16 thru 21: Final Issues

I let my reviews of the current Shazam series slide as I found reviewing this series to become more and more of a chore. But just as I predicted, the series was cancelled with issue 21.  Never the less I can review the final 5 out of 6 issues* with one word: mediocre. 

(* issue 20 for some reason was an awful Shazam-Superboy team up fill-in issue that did not need to be there.)

This series started out so promising with issue 1 only to fall off a cliff, reverting back to the abysmal new52 status quo.  To be fair, this series did make progress in one area: giving the Captain a distinct and more mature personality from Billy.  But really, it is too little too late. I doubt this current take on the classic character will ever become successful, and DC can attempt as many series and movies as they want, but it will all ultimately end in failure.  

What needs to happen is to scrap the entire New52 Curse of Shazam continuity and history, and establish the Multiversity: Thunderworld Adventures continuity as the main DC Captain Marvel.  And yet part of me thinks even if DC were to do this, unless they had a truly dedicated editor such as Carl Shinyama or Alex Ross guiding the series, DC would still find a way to screw it up, blow it off course, and end up giving Captain Marvel another failure in his column.

Review: Shazam #15

This issue continues the story.  While Mary and Uncle Dudley and Mr Tawny do their best to fight off the sub-men invading the earth, Freddy in a desperate attempt to get his powers back, goes with they mysterious girl in green to the Rock of Eternity.  Meanwhile, Zeus, disguised as the toga wearing infant, uses psychology to get Billy to talk himself into realizing he needs to become the Captain again.  He does, and is able to quickly defeat all the sub-men.  As The Captain and Mary reunite, King Kull makes a last ditch effort attacking them, but they are saved by .....

 

 

(SPOILER ALERT)

 

Freddy, who now has his powers back.  This issue advances the story, but is nothing special.  The Saturday morning sit-com tone is lessened for this issue.  Overall, this issue earns another C.

Review: Shazam #14

In this issue, artist Emanuela Lupacchino returns to join writer Josie Campbell. This is an unmemorable issue that continues the recent tradition of having a Saturday morning sit-com tone. We get a glimpse of a backstory for Freddy (no Grandpa Freeman in sight), Billy is still at odds with the Captain and refuses to transform into him, and it's up to Mary to handle all the superhero work, as she continues to fight the monstrous sub-men from last issue. Freddy is with King Kull and his sub-men as he learns of their plans to invade the outside world.  Uncle Dudley is around to assist Mary the best he can.  We get some more of the mysterious girl who opened the portal that sent Freddy to King Kull's realm, as she opens a portal to get him out.  We also see a mysterious toga wearing infant, who leads Billy to a grassy field with one of the sub-men. Again, an unmemorable issue, but at least the Flashpoint kids are no where to be found this time.  This issue earns a C-. 

Review: Shazam #12 and 13

Falling a bit behind, so I will be reviewing issues 12 and 13 this time.  Issue 12 has Billy and the Captain becoming separate beings, and they argue with each other.  Mary and Freddy then take Billy to see his real mom, while the Captain tells the Flashpoint kids and Hoppy the Rabbit that Billy is the one who caused this magical leak.  Meanwhile Billy finds out his mom is married and has another son.  That crushes Billy, which causes the magical leak to explode.  Billy changes to the Captain, and in stopping the leak, apparently become obliterated.

Issue 13 is narrated by Freddy, as he and Mary go searching for Billy. Freddy whines about not having powers any more.  Mary as Mary Marvel fights monsters that are attacking a subway station.  Billy is at that station, the monsters coming from the leak he has caused.  Again, Billy and the Captain argue with each other.  Billy says the way to stop the leak is for the power of Shazam to go to someone else. Mary continues to fight the monsters while Freddy attempt to get a runaway subway train under control.  Mary is about to be defeated, when she is saved by....

 

...SPOILER ALERT.....

 

 

 

 

Uncle Marvel!  Meanwhile Freddy's train lands him in King Kull's realm, thanks to the intervention of a mysterious, magical powered girl.

Both these issues, written by Josie Campbell are slightly better than her previous efforts, but still have a Saturday morning sit-com tone to them.  The artwork by Emanuella Luppacchino and Mike Norton in issue 12 is the same as their previous issues, but issue 13's art is by Norton alone, and is a step better.  Both these issues earn a C.

Review: Shazam #11

Once again, this issue by the new creative team, reads like a 2000s Disney Channel sit-com. The plot deals with The Vasquezes trying to legally adopt the Flashpoint kids, and during the social worker's interview with the kids, a bunch of Man-Bat like creatures attack.  The kids go through hi-jinx to make sure the social worker remains ignorant of the battle. 

For some reason, Mary looks like Daphne from Scooby Doo in this issue. One of the more interesting aspects is that Billy and the Captain are becoming even more separated to the point Billy has no memory of what happens when he is the Captain.  The backstory from the 2017 movie is made canon, where Billy was abandoned by his mom, and now the adoption is put on hold because Billy's mom returns and wants him back. Why the adoptions of the other kids have to be put on hold also isn't explained.  

It is really becoming a chore to get through this series.  This issue earns another C-.

Review: Shazam #10

Issue 10 starts a new arc and introduces a new writer, Josie Campbell.  After Mark Waid's underwhelming and disappointing run, one would hope Campbell would be an upgrade. But it's not to be. This issue reads like a Disney Channel sit-com from the early 2000s.

The plot deals with the foster family moving into the new house Zeus magically created for them in the previous arc.  Only Billy and Mary find out it has multiple portals to different realms, and hi-jinx ensue. Also, Freddy gets his driver's license and buys a van (but not a Winnebago), and Billy and the Captain continue to develop different personalities.  There is a mistake where Billy says Shazam to Mary but does not change. The artwork by  Emanuella Luppacchino and Mike Norton is good, and has an animated quality to it. Despite the new creative team, it's still more of the same from this series.  I am officially predicting this series will be cancelled before its 25th issue, unless DC can find a writer that really gets Captain Marvel. This issue earns a C-.

Review: Shazam #9

Issue 9 feels like a fill in issue, with no real connection to the previous issues.  And ironically, its one of the best issues so far in an otherwise underwhelming run.  Both the story, by Mark Waid, and art, by Emanuela Lupacchino, have a distinct, classic, 1970s-80s DC team up flavor. 

The Creeper is the special guest hero, and despite this, the Captain gets far more panel time than most of the previous issues, where those needless Flashpoint kids suck up all the spotlight.  

Jack Ryder, the Creeper's true identity, and a TV journalist, invites aspiring podcaster Billy Batson on his show.  Ryder has deduced Billy is the Captain and asks him to help on a case where the Shadow Thief has nefarious plans for a speeding passenger train. 

One of Waid's better efforts and the art is great, also. I hope we get more done-in-one team up issues like this.  I'd love to see the Captain team up with Plastic Man.  And a team up with Power Girl. This issue earns a B.

Review: Shazam #8

This series... I just don't know.  This issue continues from the last issue, focuses on the alien dinosaurs and the fight between the Captain and Black Adam, but it just seems like a bad Saturday morning cartoon. There's one moment where writer Mark Waid leads us to think he may be getting rid of the Flashpoint kids and foster parents (which would be very welcome) but it's all a swerve only to be magically solved by the end of the issue.  The only good thing about this issue is that Goran Suzuka is back on art duties.  This issue earns a D for script, a B for art, averaging to a C.

Review: Shazam #7

Issue 7 opens with the Captain fighting Zazzo, who Waid rebrands as Bizarro Captain.   Then we go to Kahndaq to see the alien dinosaurs encounter Black Adam.  It leads to more dinosaurs trying to find Billy, and there is a big fight between the Captain and Black Adam.  Overall this issue is just one big slapstick mess.  The best thing about this issue is Goran Suzuka's art, who steps in for regular artist Dan Mora. Suzuka is actually a better fit for the character. So it is obvious DC won't let him do another issue.  This issue gets a D for story and a B for art, averaging to a C overall.

Review: Shazam #6

This issue picks up with Freddy seemingly ready to betray Billy to get the powers for himself.  Only it turns out to be a scam until the Flashpoint kids arrive to save the day.  Yeach.  Just what I predicted, and just what the Captain Marvel character does not need.

Then Billy notices Solomon has stepped away from all this, and he confronts him.  He asks Solomon to make the Captain wiser to be able to resist the other Elders' influences.  Solomon agrees but warns Billy it will make The Captain more separate from Billy.

Meanwhile the alien dinosaurs land in Kahndaq, and face Black Adam.  This issue at least shows that by getting more wisdom of Solomon, the Captain may not act like a goofy kid anymore.  That shows promise, but so did issue #1, and look where we are at now.  This issue earns a C.

Review: Shazam #5

Issue number 5 is a slight improvement over issue 4. Dan Mora turns in some really good artwork.  There is more advancement to the plot concerning both the Gorillas and the Elders, and it is Mary Marvel who saves The Captain.  There is a twist at the end where, now that Billy is aware the Elders are manipulating him (although we still don't know why the Elders are acting like bad guys), Billy threatens to give up his powers, only to have Freddy pop up saying he'll take the powers.

What I don't understand is how Mark Waid can be turning in such amazing scripts for Batman/Superman: World's Finest, and World's Finest: Teen Titans, but for this series, after an excellent first issue, the subsequent scripts are so weak.  This issue earns a C.

Review: Shazam #4

It is issue number 4 and things really seem to be going off the rails.  Issue 1 had such promise, such hope this would be a true relaunching of Captain Marvel. But with each passing issue, Mark Waid's writing starts to read more and more like Stanley Ralph Ross. This issue is like a parody of the old Planet of the Apes movies.  Then, it seems like, as the Elders, who for a yet unrevealed reason are acting like villains, take control of the Captain, the irritating Flashpoint kids are positioning to be the ones who save the Captain.  This is not what we need.  The Captain to be the damsel in distress only for the Flashpoint kids to rescue him. This series is really getting bad and this issue earns a D.

Review: Shazam #3

Issue number 3 follows in the steps of issue 2. Once again, many of the positive changes to the new52 Shazam, now known as "The Captain", from issue 1 are missing and the series heads more into the new52 direction.  The plot has Freddy becoming the unwilling spy for the six Elders whom The Captain derives his powers from.  The Elders want to control Billy like a puppet. Billy, concerned about his erratic behavior as the Captain, unaware of the Elders interference, stops saying the magic word. New 52 Mary Shazam, now officially named Mary Marvel, has her own set of Elders, and continues to fight crime.  Billy's Elders manipulate a situation forcing Billy to become the Captain.  He saves a bus load of Gorillas from Gorilla City (yeah, you read that right), and under the Elders' manipulation, they convince the Captain that a race of Moon people are about to attack Earth.  The Captain flies off to the moon to prevent the invasion.

The plot is getting kind of weird, and I just don't get putting the Captain in such sci-fi based scenarios. This seems like a rejected Silver Age Superman story line, and I didn't even mention the scene with the alien dinosaur.  Captain Marvel's adventures, for the most part, were always more Earth bound, with some slight touches of magic.  Not sure where this series is headed. This issue earns another C.

Review: Shazam #2

Issue number 2 take a step back from all the positive changes made in issue 1. It's not just the reversal of Freddy's hair color change.  It's almost like writer Mark Waid put the extra effort of "Fawcettizing" the first issue to hook us in, only to do a bait and switch and go back to the New52 for the 2nd issue. We get the Flashpoint kids and more of the alien dinosaurs at the beginning of the book, but once we get past that, the story gets slightly better. Instead of using one of Captain Marvel's rogues gallery, he uses the generic DC villain Psycho Pirate as the villain, but it serves a purpose to the story he is telling of the Captain becoming increasingly hostile.  Overall, the issue is not bad, but it's also not as good as the first issue. This issue earns a C. Perhaps corporate DC forced Waid to go more new52 with the 2nd issue. Let's give it a few more issues to see if things get better or worse.

 

PS- So, I watched Shazam Fury of the Gods on HBO.  Wow.  If you always wondered what a superhero movie that is worse than Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin, worse than Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, worse than Wonder Woman 1984, worse than Thor Love & Thunder would be like, wonder no more, because this movie is it. Director David Sandberg would be very lucky if this movie doesn't Trank up the rest of his career. Maybe he should have just made it a musical. Asher Angel, who plays Billy Batson, and I thought was one of the few good things about the first movie, has little more than a glorified cameo in this one. With so little Asher, that means there is way too much Zachary Levi.  I thought he was horribly miscast as Captain Marvel in the first movie, and he does nothing to change my mind in the sequel. Perhaps the only bright spot in this movie is Jack Dylan Grazer, who plays Freddy Freeman (who I thought was one of the other only good things about the first flick).  In many ways this is really Freddy's movie, and Grazer, along with Rachel Zegler, the only other good thing in the sequel, steal the show, what little there is to steal in this stinker.  Hopefully we can get a real and proper Captain Marvel film reboot, but this movie is so bad, and did so poorly at the box office, it may be decades before the World's Mightiest Mortal gets another shot at cinematic stardom, if ever.

Review: Shazam #1

After a little hiatus I am back to review Shazam #1 written by Mark Waid with art by Dan Mora. This is, what, like the 5th or 6th attempt post-New52 to give the World's Mightiest Mortal an on-going book.  All the previous attempts have been failures.  But the first issue of this latest series kind of delivers. In a perfect world, we would just get a complete reboot reverting back to the original Fawcett continuity.  But Mark Waid gets as close as he can while still sticking with the New52 timeline.  In this premiere issue, Captain Marvel gets his traditional costume back and kind of, sort of, gets half his name back. Fawcett City officially returns being a suburb of Philadelphia.  Billy reveals his side hustle of hosting a podcast that details the exploits of Captain Marvel (a modern day twist on his gig as a WHIZ radio personality) with hints of classic supporting characters like Whitey Murphy, Cissie Sommerly, and Sunny Sparkle waiting in the wings to appear in this series. Freddy Freeman once again has black hair, and as Captain Marvel Jr, sports a red cape. Waid gives us the best insight into Billy and the Captain's inner personalities since Alex Ross or E. Nelson Bridwell.  Best of all, while mentioned, none of the three Flashpoint kids or the foster parents appear in the story to clutter it up. 

All is not perfect though.  The opening scene where the Captain helps a family of alien dinosaurs just seems a little too out of place (I never pictured Captain Marvel to be that invested in a sci-fi setting), and as The Captain, there is still that tinge of Big influence, although not nearly as annoying and obnoxious as some previous writers or the movies have done it.

In many ways, this issue is like the new52 timeline seen through Thunderworld lenses. As a classic and traditional Captain Marvel fan, I can encourage the premiere issue is worth getting and supporting.  Hopefully the issues that follow will get even better.  This issue earns a solid B.

PS- in case anyone is interested, I watched Black Adam on HBO (did not go see it at the theater). I thought it was slightly better than Shazam! which isn't saying much. I didn't see any reason to have the JSA in it, when the Fawcett heroes would have worked just as well, if not better- Ibis instead of Dr Fate, Bullet Man instead of Hawkman, Bullet Girl instead of Cyclone, and Minute Man instead of Atom Smasher.  And of course, Captain Marvel instead of Superman at the end.  Also, I thought that kid was kind of annoying, and was basically a carbon copy of the way Freddy Freeman was portrayed in Shazam!.  I have not yet seen Shazam! Fury of the Gods (which apparently neither has most of the movie going public), but may watch it when it airs on HBO.

Shazam 2 trailer and a new Black Adam scene

Warner Brothers/New Line Cinema have released the first official trailer for Shazam Fury of the Gods and a new teaser for Black Adam. As with the previous Black Adam trailer, this one seems very basic and superhero generic. The Shazam 2 trailer gives us more of what made the first movie unbearable. More "New 52", more of the World's Mightiest Mortal acting like the World's Most Obnoxious Brat, and more campy, lowest common denominator "comedy". Having an Eminem song polluting the whole thing does it no favors either. Neither of these trailers have changed my mind. I won't waste my money to go see either of these movies in the theater. I'll either wait until they air on TV... or I may not bother seeing them at all. I hope there is a Captain Marvel reboot soon, and maybe Baz Luhrmann should direct it.  He showed far more respect and reverence to the source material in Elvis than either of these missteps.

Black Adam trailer

After years... decades... of waiting, the Black Adam trailer is finally here.

My thoughts? It's basic.  As basic as basic can be. It's Dwayne Johnson cosplaying as Black Adam. I am so glad I no longer care about New Line's botched Captain Marvel franchise, because this trailer is very underwhelming, and I would have been disappointed.  But now, I'll just wait for a proper reboot of the Captain Marvel franchise.

Shazam movie sequel news

There has been a flurry of activity and casting announcements over the last couple weeks regarding both the Shazam! sequel and the long gestating Black Adam movie. (Shouldn't that be ShazAdam movie?)

The highlights are Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren nabbed roles as the evil daughters of Atlas in Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods, which presumably could possibly be a musical, and Pierce Brosnan was cast as Dr. Fate in ShazAdam or Black Adam or whatever it's going to be titled.

But to be perfectly honest... I really don't care. You see, they screwed up Shazam! so bad that I really don't have any interest in the sequel, and frankly, I don't even care about Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam anymore, even if it does introduce the Justice Society of America.  But truthfully, it's not really the legendary JSA. It's more like Dr. Fate, Hawkman, and a few 3rd tier Infinity Inc. characters.

If both movies end up premiering on HBO Max, like all of Warner's 2021 films, I'll probably give them a peek, but I'm not planning on going to a theater to see either of these movies.

I think what sums it up is what David Sandberg posted: "Though I can confirm with ~90% certainty that Shazam will appear in Shazam 2. So if you’re a fan of that character you might enjoy Shazam 2." That's just it.  I am not a fan of New52 Shazam.  I'm a fan of the Original Captain Marvel.  So I guess I'm just out of luck until the reboot happens, and hopefully is done right.

Review: Shazam! #15

The mercifully final issue sends this series out not with a bang but with a pathetic whimper.  The first part of the issue showcases what an idiot new52 Shazam is.  Then the plot switches to a substitute teacher in Billy and Freddy's class where she gives them (and us readers) a ham-fisted lecture (did Greg Berlanti have anything to do with this issue?).  Then new52 Shazam ponders what she said, and later rescues her from her burning building.  They then go on, what seems like a very awkward and potentially inappropriate "date", and the story ends with Billy back at class, getting in hot water again.  The best part of this issue was Brandon Peterson's artwork, which is still kind of generic, while Jeff Loveness' script read like a bad sit-com. The final issue earns a D-, and it's good riddance to this series, and hopefully good riddance to new52 Shazam.

If only DC would launch a title, World's Mightiest Mortal, which would be an on-going series of the original Captain Marvel, in a style and tone similar to the Thunderworld one-shot.

Review: Shazam! #14

This issue starts with a needless recap of Curse of Shazam, which then goes into recap of the current story so far.  Can you say "filler"?  We get to the present, the big fight continued from last issue.  Superboy Prime shows up. Then we cut to Daddy Shazam's head, where Captain Shazam and Mr. Mind are battling it out. Inter-cut between this and the Shazam Family fighting the Monster Society, with lots and lots of dialogue in between punches. Then it finally dawns on Capt Shazam that Mr Mind is a worm who needs an amplifier to talk.  He crushes the speaker and Mr Mind's ability to cast spells is wiped away.  Normal size again, he is about to cast a spell to stop the worlds from merging and to send the Monster Society back to where they came from, when Superboy Prime attacks (and refers to Mary and Junior by their rightful Marvel names).  Suddenly Black Adam shows up to team up with Capt Shazam to vanquish Prime. Billy shares his power with Black Adam to prevent him from dying after they use their combined lightning bolts to knock Prime out. Captain Shazam casts the spell, and everything returns to normal.  CC Batson, now free from Mr Mind's control, awakes, but has no memory of anything that has happened, leaving Billy somewhat heart broken. There is a kind of sit-com style happy ending where most remaining loose ends are tied up with some narration and Black Adam becomes the missing seventh champion.  Well, thankfully, this story is finally over... at least until the gets regurgitated as a musical by the sequel Shazam Fury of the Gods... if that movie does get made (I say it's a 50-50 chance it will get cancelled due to COVID-19).  As for this issue, it earns a lackluster C-.