Let me be honest with you guys (for the million billionth time): I really like the character of Shazam. I don’t know why, to be honest. I haven’t actually read that much with him in it. In my library, there are very few books where he appears as a central character vs. a supporting role. In fact, there’s only one book on my shelf that has him as a central character: Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil by Bone mastermind Jeff Smith, who is of course one of the reasons I grabbed this book up. But where are the Shazam books? Why is it the only place I can go to read Shazam these days is Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!? It’s an all ages comic book geared towards kids. I’m not trying to thumb my nose at it or anything, but I’d prefer something more serious. And before you leave a sassy reply, yes, I know Black Adam was turned to Stone and Billy was banished from the Rock of Eternity by the wizard Shazam. I read Johns’ last arc on Justice Society Of America. But seriously! How long do I have to wait before we get back more Shazam? It feels like it’s been ages since I read a good Shazam story.
Fortunately, as I pointed out, I picked up Shazam!: The Monster Society Of Evil!. And even more fortunately, it’s not just a good story. It’s a great story.
Shazam!: The Monster Society Of Evil! acts as a re-telling of the origin to Shazam, one of Jeff Smith’s noted favorite DC characters. The story tells how young Billy Batson, an orphan on his own in the world, is granted the power to be the host of Captain Marvel, one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He’s granted this by an all powerful wizard who spends his time at the Rock of Eternity. The wizard tells Billy, “No matter what you do, do not climb to the top of the rock,” but of course Billy is an impetuous young boy, and he does so, thus setting off a chain of events in which Mr. Mind, the leader of the Monster Society of Evil, comes to our world with the plans to purge it of all human life. Oh no! What’s a boy to do? We also get to meet Billy’s sister Mary, the evil Dr. Sivana, and Mister Tawky Tawny, all of whom were staples in the original Shazam universe.
Now, we all know Jeff Smith mainly from Bone, ne? And we also know his style: on the forefront it appears to be comic books for kids, but as you read it you see that there is plenty for an older audience to get into. This book is the exact same way. Billy Batson has always been a child, but this book really explores the childlike wonder of being him. He’s normally an average teen, but this Billy is about 8 years old and as wide eyed as the day he was born, always looking for adventure. He’s about the same size as Bone was, to be honest, and so is his sister. Meanwhile, we’ve got all these classic villains around him sized down a bit and made visually to fit in in a more childlike environment while still being as devilish and dastardly as they had been in their original inventions.
It is with absolutely no doubt in my mind that I can say this book is pretty much an enjoyable read for everyone. There are people out there who like to read graphic novels but not so much super hero stories, and people who like to read super hero stories but not really graphic novels. Jeff Smith has always done an amazing job of blurring the line for fans everywhere and creating works of comic genius that people across the board will all come together and agree upon the sheer brilliance of. Shazam! is no different. I’ve done a lot of research on Shazam graphic novels to read (since there are no current series for me to pick up) and the one thing I keep noticing is that, more often than not, people are disappointed with the books (especially that Trials of Shazam book by Judd Winick, the current Batman writer). However, everyone seems to love this book, and it’s really no surprise why. t’s fun, it’s funny, it’s charming, it’s heroic, and it’s most definitely super. It is something anyone of any age and any sort of comical preference can easily get into and enjoy, and that’s the best part about it. Since it’s the origin of Shazam, you don’t have to have any prior knowledge. You just pick it up and dive in.
While I don’t want to sound like too much of a Jeff Smith fanboy, I really thought this was a great read. Most of my Shazam reading experience all had a more adult tone around it, with books like Kingdom Come or the aforementioned Justice Society of America. Hell, even Final Crisis and the countdown to it. In reality, from what I remember as a kid, I always thought Shazam was a bit more of a silly character because he was just a boy who shouted “SHAZAM!” and became a big muscular superhero. This book perfectly encapsulates what I remember in my head of Shazam from my childhood, and it portrays it in a way that appeals both to the kid and the adult in me. Jeff Smith just has this great way of blurring the lines between a child’s story and an adult’s tale. It makes for an excellent read, and if you’ve got some time to spare I’d highly suggest checking this out. I found it to be one of the more charming little books I’ve read recently, and despite it not being that long of a tale, it will definitely stay with me for a while.
So. Sequel?
