In the fourth installment of “The Curse of Shazam,” we finally get the goods: the magic word, the costume, the square jaw, everything. Well, sort of. Also, be warned, as major spoilers for “Justice League” #0 are discussed within.
Geoff Johns and Gary Frank use this full-sized issue to finally get Billy Batson into the Rock of Eternity, meeting the Wizard, and becoming Captain…er…Shazam. And the Wizard himself makes his first appearance in the modern times, after being seen in the Free Comic Book Day issue and in “Phantom Stranger” #0. I am legitimately shocked that I haven’t seen some racist screeds about the Wizard being black now, but it doesn’t bother me. It also doesn’t bother me that the Wizard seems out of touch and a tad bit foolish; he’s a superpowered hermit, burdened with keeping the world safe. If he wasn’t at least a little solipsistic, something would be wrong.
I also don’t hate the idea that Billy would open the Wizard’s eyes to the lack of perfect good in the world, even if that seems like something a near immortal should know already. This portrayal of Billy comes back to my biggest problem with this story thus far: making Billy savvy and sassy takes away the distinguishing feature of the hero formerly known as Captain Marvel, which is the innocence. Cap is this unbelievably strong, fast, smart, tenacious person who probably thinks fart jokes are hilarious, but a little gross. He is, to paraphrase my pal Chad Bowers, total wish fulfillment. A kid who can’t stick up for himself is transformed into someone with near limitless power.
But since that isn’t the case here, at least Johns crafted the story to show that he is at least somewhat of a good person. He has the potential to be great, and the Wizard eventually recognizes that. And while I can get behind that logic, the following of that logic to Billy becoming Shazam, and defending people for money still strikes me as just wrong (not morally wrong, just storytelling wrong, although being a powers whore probably isn’t the best career path either). Billy should have no guile, and when he asks the lady he saved for some money, it feels exactly like what a real teenager would do.
And I think that is the problem at the core of all of this: Billy feels like a real teenager. Spoiler alert: real teenagers are frequently the worst. I should know, in my day job I work with them, and for every great kid there are two that make you want to drink in the mornings. I don’t think people weren’t buying Shazam books because Billy wasn’t real enough, and I don’t think sales will spike on the eventual spin-off book because Billy now wants to make a buck. The fact that his big thought after literally harnessing the power of lightning and thunder to stop a criminal, is to ask for money shows just how wrong this characterization is.
The word “Shazam” is also never explained, and while I don’t need a reminder that it stands for
Solomon’s wisdom
Hercules’s strength
Atlas’s stamina
Zeus’s power
Achilles’ courage
Mercury’s speed
, a new reader might. The closest we get is that he’ll have the “strength of a demigod,” which, though technically true, is pretty lame. Plus, the acrostic definition gives the word some heft and history, and gives the character a defined set of powers that is still vague enough to stretch into whatever the writer really needs. Here, with it just being, seemingly, a magic word, takes away something unique and historic about the character.
One final piece of note deals with the outer rooms of the Rock of Eternity. As Billy wanders through them, some of the artifacts speak to each other – a suit of armor with the lightning bolt insignia, a mirror that reveals a face in the wall and, of most interest, a Green Lantern ring. Why would the Wizard be in possession of a Green Lantern ring? If it is indeed one, shouldn’t it have found a new host by now? Is this a hint for a future story, or is this just a fun little Easter Egg? Only time will tell!
