Say the Magic Word (No, I Don't Mean 'Please')...

Published:  October 1st, 2013

Shazam! (Vol. 1)

Geoff Johns & Gary Frank (Illustrator)

DC Comics

ISBN-13:  9781401242442

Young orphan Billy Batson has bounced from foster home to foster home, but he's far from the ideal child.  Brash and rude, Billy is a troubled teen that just can't seem to find a calling.  But after a fateful night on a subway car, that all will change.

Brought to the feet of the magical wizard Shazam at the Rock of Eternity, Billy is imbued with powers beyond any mortal man.  By shouting the wizard's name --Shazam!-- the young teen is mystically transformed into the powerhouse known as Captain Marvel!  Now given the abilities that make him Earth's Mightiest Mortal at the utterance of a simple phrase, will Billy make the right choices and do what it takes to become a hero?  Or will he succumb to the poor choices of youth -- and the villainous Black Adam?!

Review

       So, Captain Marvel (also known by the word that turns him into a hero, 'Shazam!') is yet another hero that I was ignorant of before I got into comic books very recently.  Funny story, I was totally gonna buy Harley Quinn Vol. 1 and then my brother pointed this one out to me.  I figured if he was interested in reading it, then it made more sense to buy something that'd get more mileage.  So I did, even without really knowing too much about the hero or his adventures in the past.  That's alright though, because on this outing DC actually DID reboot the character!  It's not just a pick 'n choose of storylines to keep or scrap, from what I can tell his origin is actually reworked.  And from what I've learned about his past as the ultimate goody-two-shoes, that may be a really good thing (one Superman is more than enough).

       Teenager Billy Batson has been bounced around the foster-care system for years, ever since his parents died and left him an orphan.  It's made his untrusting, harsh and a manipulative asshole - at least on the surface.  When we meet Billy, he's interviewing a new potential foster placement that just might be his last chance.  Within his first two days at his new home, Billy manages to piss off the school bully, hurt the feelings of all the other kids in his foster family and just be complete jerk.  He does it all to push them away, because Billy doesn't need anyone (so he thinks).  Then Billy is dragged magically to the Rock of Eternity by a wizard named Shazam.  The old man's health is failing and he's looking for a successor, someone completely pure to take the power.  Billy is all that's left and so he empowers the punk kid with his magic.  On the other side of the world, a Dr, Sivana has managed to wake an ancient evil, that will stop at nothing to set in place a new world order.  An evil by the name of 'Black Adam.'  Can Billy harness his new powers to stop a psychotic evil wizard, or will he be too busy trying to buy beer?

       This was a mostly strong, enjoyable beginning from Geoff Johns (whose stuff I actually seem to like the majority of so far), to a character a lot of modern audiences may be unfamiliar with, such as I was initially.  Billy was a hormonal, angry teenage douchebag.  And I absolutely loved it!  Give me a hero with a reason to be a dick, and I can get behind him like no tomorrow!  We also do get to see some more reflective moments such as with the tiger at the zoo (while he's remembering his parents) and while Shazam is looking for the good in Billy.  Also, while a jerk himself, he hates bullies and the main conflict in that kind of derives from that hate.  Black Adam himself had a pretty dark backstory - in the best way.  I especially enjoyed the fate for him at the end of this comic.  Probably the negatives for me were all the cliches.  Poor little orphan, no parents or anyone to care for him.  The "super family" trope with the other foster kids.  The Seven Deadly Sins and their "rampage" through the city.  Overall though, I enjoyed the art and am interested to see what else Johns does with this particular character.  My favorite parts where when Billy got the cash from the ATM and speculated on how to buy beer.  That is such a teenaged boy thing to do, when gaining super magical powers!  I think my favorite thing if there are more installments, will be the moral dilemmas of being a teenager and wanting things your own way, while still trying to do the "right thing."  I recommend this as a fun read, especially for those new to the DCU like I am.

P.S.  Check out the animated film "Justice League: War."  It is based on the Justice League Vol. 1: Origin, the new 52 take on things.  Only instead of having Aquaman involved, Shazam (aka Captain Marvel) is substituted as the seventh member of the Justice League.  His interactions with the others are so entertaining and his hero-worship of Cyborg/Victor Stone is truly touching.

VERDICT:  3.5/5 Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1 (Injustice: Gods Among Us, Year One Series)

Published:  November 19th, 2013

Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1 (Injustice: Gods Among Us, Year One Series)

By: Tom Taylor, Jheremy Raapack (Illustrations), Various (Illustrations)

DC Comics

ISBN-13:  9781401245009

From the makers of Mortal Kombat comes the critically acclaimed prequel comic to the smash hit fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us!

Things in the DC Universe have changed after Superman is tricked into destroying the one thing he loves the most.  Now unwilling to let crime go unpunished, the heroes of our world must choose if they are with Superman or against him.  But not every country will submit to his new world order and neither will Superman's greatest threat -- Batman!

Collects #s 1-6 of Injustice.

Review

       So, I am more of a casual comic nerd than anything else.  I have my favorites, just like anyone who gets drawn in by comics.  In general, I make it a point to read off the wall rando stuff like Panthaa or Vampirella just for the hell of it.  But my must-reads are Hellboy (Dark Horse comics) and Green Arrow (DC Comics), usually.  The rest of the DC Comics characters I could usually do without, although I have a casual interest in them.  I had been curious about the game (I'm a fan of the original Sega Genesis Mortal Kombat games - yes, I'm old!) and finally played some single-battle mode with my brother.  I'll stick to my Genesis gaming-wise, as there are too many damn buttons for an X-Box 360 fighting game.  The story still intrigued me though as a fan of anything to do with alternate universes, so when I was in Comic City the other day I bought this Volume to see what the hype is about.  I definitely understand now!

       

       God, what can I say about the artwork and the story that hasn't already been said?  It starts with Superman finding out he's going to be a father and asking Batman to be the baby's Godfather.  Than the Joker targets Superman (wanting to win for a change, instead of losing to Bats again) and basically tricks him into killing Lois (and the unborn baby) and blowing up the entire city of Metropolis.  So Supes loses his city, his wife and his child all in one fell swoop.  Mad with grief, he decides that the superheroes in the world should use their powers to force the humans to stop their wars - an enforcement of peace on earth and all that jazz.  So he goes out and starts enforcing.  Batman is against Superman's tactics (which veer into "violence for the greater good").  He manages to convince some of the other heroes to join with him and oppose Superman.  But who can really oppose a man with godlike powers, with others that are the same backing him up?

       

       It's got questions of morality, and focuses a lot on making the right decisions, i.e. when to interfere and when not to.  Batman understands that even without the fighting/weapons, the conflicts still exist and aren't truly resolved.  It surprised me to see Wonder Woman (aka Diana) as Superman's right-hand man and top enforcer.  The Amazons sent her there as an emissary of peace and she's fighting bloody battles.  I particularly like the interactions between her and Ares, God of War, who she impales and taunts harshly.  The scenes with Aquaman and Arkham Asylum reiterate the fact that no one is safe from Superman's self-imposed reign of peace/terror (depending on your views).  Batman protecting the villains wasn't surprising in and of itself, as he doesn't believe in being judge/jury/executioner like Supes does.  It creates some scenes of comic gold, especially between Harley Quinn and Green Arrow, who are thrown together when he agrees to protect her from death via Superman.  The artwork is absolutely gorgeous, with every one of the characters coming across as flawed and human.  I especially liked the sequence with The Flash, where he's running on that Australian road, thinking about a kid that was playing superhero that got paralyzed because of Superman's tactics/orders - and his compliance.  It's an amazing moment of self-introspection and probably one the things that stayed with me most after I finished reading.

       

       There are three main character deaths in this (four if you count Jimmy Olsen) and they definitely won't be the last if it continues the way it started.  And I really hope that it does.  It's a brave new world, with Superman as the antagonist (which doesn't necessarily translate to "bad guy") and Batman as the protagonist.  There is particularly interesting, if albeit a little preachy, scene with Catwoman and Batman visitng the President and telling him that he has to do better, for the people that voted him in.  I think that's something that speaks to the general feelings of the American public, in our actual world we live in right now.  The cliffhanger left me reeling, but hopeful for another truly interesting comic volume.  One that makes me think, gives my eyes beautiful artwork to feast upon, has beautiful and funny dialogue and it just plain fun.  I highly recommend this to people who love comics, a good story, and just long for something different! :D

VERDICT:  5/5 Stars

One Of My Favorite Scenes

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**