Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Indiephile (1st Installment)

      Zack Davisson
      February 4, 2007
      Columns, Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Civil War Crimes: Civil War #4

      Zack Davisson
      April 14, 2016
      Big Two, Big Two Reviews, Columns, Marvel Comics, The Full Run
    Recent
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • Collecting Profile: Jack O’ Lantern

      nguyen ly
      October 31, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Humble Bundle Releases Garth Ennis Comics Bundle

      Zack Davisson
      July 11, 2019
      Dynamite, News, Press Release
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 3.5

      Review: 'The Unauthorized Tarzan' Is the Most Thrilling Tarzan

      Zack Davisson
      June 5, 2013
      Reviews
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Derek McCulloch and Anthony Peruzzo on 'Displaced Persons'

      Zack Davisson
      July 30, 2014
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Small Press Super-Heroes of the '80s: Miracleman

      Zack Davisson
      October 31, 2014
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Kickstarter Spotlight: Codename: Iron Cobra

      Zack Davisson
      December 15, 2014
      Kickstarter Spotlight
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: 'Out of Nothing' is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Zack Davisson
      July 23, 2018
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist
  • Collecting Profile: Transformers
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

Review: 'Shazam vol. 1' is an ugly, frustrating mess

Zack Davisson
October 2, 2013
Reviews

Captain Marvel is my favorite superhero. Not the Marvel Captain Marvel—not Carol Danvers or Mar-Vell—but the old Golden Age Fawcett hero Captain Marvel. I like Billy Batson in his magical world of talking tigers and bespectacled worms. I like the innocence and the whimsy. I like the fact that Captain Marvel is sort of the anti-Batman; 100% angst-free. He's not driven or tortured. He likes being Captain Marvel. In his heart-of-hearts, Billy Batson is a good guy.

Zack's Shazam collection

 

Admittedly, that is hard to write. I've talked to a few comic book writers about this, like James Robinson, Matt Wagner, and even Geoff Johns once-upon-a-time. And they all agree that Captain Marvel is one of the most difficult characters in comics to write correctly. Only a few have ever gotten it perfect, like Jerry Ordway and his Power of Shazam series, or Jeff Smith and his Shazam! Monster Society of Evil, or Mike Kunkle and his prematurely canceled Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!. And while Geoff Johns did a great job with the character in his JSA series and in the original 52 series, most agree that Captain Marvel works best in his own separate universe, unconnected to the greater DCU.

Because I love Captain Marvel, for the most part I stay away from attempts to modernize him. I know I'm not going to like them. I haven't read The Trials of Shazam or any of Freddy Freeman's turn as the hero "Shazam." (A name I hate, even though I understand the marketing reason behind it.) I probably should have avoided this New 52 version… but … it was Geoff Johns, who has done a good job with Captain Marvel before, and … curiosity got the better of me. You never know, right? It could be good!

But it isn't.

Billy Batson is a jerk

What we have here, is yet another ham-fisted attempt to "darken" Captain Marvel. Billy Batson is no longer a good guy—he's a tough kid with no moral base made hard by living on the streets. He spits in the face of those who show him kindness, and is a petty thief and hoodlum-in-training. Billy Batson is … as they announce on the opening page … trouble.

I hate attempts to darken Captain Marvel. They never work. It didn't work back in the 80s with the Roy Thomas/Tom Mandrake series Shazam! A New Beginning. It didn't work back in the 70s with Captain Thunder. But here, because DC Comics doesn't know what to do, they are trying it again. And failing again.

Is this Captain Marvel or Batman?

I was actually surprised that Geoff Johns wrote something like this.  Granted, I haven't followed his career since he became a Top Guy at DC, but I remember him fondly from JSA.  Like James Robinson, he seemed to be a writer with a deep understanding and respect for the DC Universe and it characters—what made them unique and interesting.  Sadly, this version of Shazam smacks of that Hollywood mentality to make everything the same. Batman sells well. Make Captain Marvel more like Batman. Make him dark and angsty. Dark and angsty = cash in the coffers = the only thing that matters.

But Captain Marvel isn't Batman.

(Oh, and Dr. Sivana isn't Lex Luthor, but you wouldn't know it by reading this comic.  Seriously, this looks like a cut-and-paste from All-Star Superman.  And apparently Virgin's Richard Branson is an evil bad guy as well, although why he sends his kids to public school is a mystery. Either that or Gary Frank has been dipping into his swipe file a little too much.)

Is this Sivana or Luthor?

This is my last time to beat this dead horse, but trying to "darken" Captain Marvel is like trying to "lighten" Batman by using puns and goofy humor. We've been there and done that. It sucks. There's a reason why Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin is reviled while Chris Nolan's The Dark Night is loved.  Batman works when he's dark, grim, and bound in realism.  Batman thrives there. Captain Marvel doesn't.  He inherently works best in a light, goofy world. 

And in comics, I think there is room for both. We don't need an army of clones.

Even then. Even if I had never heard of Captain Marvel and had no preconceived notions, Shazam is a bad comic. The dialog is absurd.  It sounds like the worst version of an adult trying to do "slangy hip-talk."  And apparently Geoff Johns has never seen any actual children in his life; all the kids in this comic—from Billy Batson to Freddy Freeman to the other "charming orphans" to the spoiled rich kids —are embarrassing one-dimensional stereotypes.  And save me from platitudes. "Family is what it can be, not what it should be."—that is seriously the magic phrase that saves the day in one of the most singularly ridiculous moments I have ever seen in a Captain Marvel comic. 

So let me find some nuggets buried in this mess.  Gary Frank's art is magnificent.  I have always loved Gary Frank, since his work on Supergirl.  He has improved as an artist, and his work here is phenomenal.  I really don't know if he is to be blamed for the bad character design—the Lex Luthor clone Sivana—or if that was an editorial mandate.  From what I know of DC, I am guessing mandate. Brad Anderson's coloring is pretty sweet, although a little too slick for my tastes.  But again, that is House Style over art.  All in all, the art team does a great job, and with better writing this could have been a heck of a book.

Gary Frank's art is nice

If you want to see Captain Marvel updated and done right, go check out Jerry Ordway's Power of Shazam graphic novel, or Jeff Smith's Monster Society of Evil. Me, I am betting that this new version of Shazam isn't long for the shelf.

Too bad.

Brad AndersonDC ComicsGary FrankGeoff JohnsNick J. NapolitanoZack Davisson

Share On:
Tweet
Witchy Wednesdays: The Worst Witch
A review of Six-Gun Gorilla #4 (in two parts) or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Crossovers, Lenticular Covers and Other People

About The Author

Zack Davisson

Related Posts

  • Comictober 2020: WITCHBLADE #67 is Unnerving

    Daniel Gehen
    October 9, 2020
  • The Full Run: Final Crisis Tie-in – Rogues Revenge

    Daniel Gehen, Jason Jeffords Jr.
    August 22, 2019

Latest Reviews

  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
  • 4.5

    TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    October 29, 2020
  • 4.5

    Micro Review: Commanders in Crisis #1

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    October 12, 2020
  • 3.0

    Review: GHOST WRITER Fights the Spectre of Unevenness

    Daniel Gehen
    September 3, 2020
  • 3.5

    Review: Strange Skies Over East Berlin

    Yavi Mohan
    August 11, 2020
  • DRAWING BLOOD: A Hyper-Stylized, Fictional Autobiography

    Ben Bishop, Brittany Peer, David Avallone, Drawing Blood, Kevin Eastman, Tomi Varga
    August 9, 2020
  • 3.0

    Alien: The Original Script #1 – This One’s For The Fans

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    August 7, 2020
  • Singles Going Steady: Why? Lettering!

    Daniel Gehen
    July 28, 2020
  • 4.5

    X-MEN/FANTASTIC FOUR #4 is a Finale of Moral Questions

    Daniel Gehen
    July 22, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders