From
the Longbox – Shazam!
Geoff
Johns
Gary
Frank
Synopsis:
This
is a modern reboot of the Captain Marvel origin story. Although due to
complicated legal reasons spanning multiple comic book companies, for this
series his name was changed to Shazam. We see 15 year old Billy Batson, a boy
bounced around by the foster care system, become the magical champion of the
wizard Shazam. Through magic, Billy Batson turns into a Superman-like champion.
Who
would like it:
Captain
Marvel/Shazam fans. Superhero origin story fans.
I
feel like a lot of the little details of this story might be lost on anyone who
doesn’t know the history of the character's supporting cast – like why does Billy hang
out with a tiger? It feels like a lot of little details were added to excite the fanboys. The book is filled with one-liners that you might think should mean more, but they are really
just a shout out to the old stories. Although when you get to see a
super-magic-tiger, sometimes you just don’t ask questions.
My
Opinion:
As I’ve
mentioned a couple of times, Captain Marvel is my favorite superhero. I love
the lighthearted nature of the Golden Ages stories that are full of action, adventure, and fun. It’s the kind of comic I love to read.
Come
on. You know you want to see how Captain Marvel is going to play a trombone in
a phone booth.
This reboot gives a strong dose of realism to Billy Batson and I was surprised how
much I enjoyed it. In the Golden Age comics, Billy Batson was a happy-go-lucky,
nothing’s-gonna-bring-me-done kinda kid despite the fact that both his parents
were dead and he had been living on the streets for who knows how long. That’s
great if I’m trying to explain the character to my 5-year-old son without any
ugly details in a Disney princess type way, but I unfortunately have seen firsthand
that kids left own their own don’t turn into model citizens. While I love the
Golden Age simplicity of a perfect superhero that gives you a model to strive
toward, it is also valuable for the emotionally mature reader to see that
even though you’ve made bad choices in the past, that doesn’t mean you have to
keep making them. I appreciated, but didn’t condone, Billy’s behavior after
receiving the power of Shazam. What 15-year-old that transforms into a 20
something doesn’t immediately try to do all the things he can’t do as a kid?
I
also thought it was an interesting twist on how the wizard Shazam selected
Billy Batson. In the Golden Age story, Billy was selected because he was pure
good. Is any boy pure good? Not a chance. Much less an orphan/runaway/make it
on your own 15 year old. But when the wizard is about to throw Billy out, the
boy explains just how impossible it is to be pure good. In turn, the wizard learns that it’s not about
perfection, but the capacity for good.
Just
because you have the power to make the world a better place, doesn’t mean you
do it. But just because you’ve made a lot of mistakes doesn’t mean you don’t have
the power to make the world a better place.
Reason
to read (SPOILERS):
Captain
Marvel was the first character in comics to have a team of sidekicks with
similar powers. They were called the Marvel Family which Superman and Batman later
duplicated. This aspect of family has been a main feature of the Captain Marvel
stories from the beginning, perhaps more so in the recent reboots. This story
is no different. As the wizard explains with this last few words, Billy’s secret
spell is that “Family is what it can be…not what it should be.” We get to see
the super powered ups and downs of the family you never wanted and the family
you never knew you needed. Billy has struggles with Black Adam as the brother
connected by magic.
But
Billy also comes to accept his new foster siblings as family, not because they’re
related but because they’re dedicated.
And
as Billy accepts his new family, he can also pass along his powers to them.
Reflecting
on the Hero's Crossroad:
If you
could give one other person superpowers, who would it be and what power would
you give them?
