Shazam! #7 – Mark Waid, Writer; Goran Sudzuka, Artist; Ive Svorcina, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: After the first arc pitted Billy against the very Gods that gave him his powers, it’s time for something lighter—so naturally, Black Adam’s coming to town. Although that’s what’s hyped on the cover, it’s not the focus of the issue. Instead, as we kick off, Billy is fighting “Bizarro Captain”—a typical parody of the Superman doppelganger. This doesn’t exactly make sense, so the answer is pretty funny once it’s revealed. However, the most persistent foe Billy faces this issue is bureaucracy. Those particularly law-oriented dinosaurs keep showing up, and now their ship has crashed in Khandaq, where Black Adam is not interested in hearing their explanations. And when word gets back to the alien homeworld that the paperwork is not being filled out, they send an elite team of attorney warriors looking to enforce the bylaws—which sets into motion the eventual showdown between the two characters on the cover.
With the focus on the Gods in the previous arc, it makes sense that much of the family was sort of out of focus, so it’s good to see what they’ve been up to this issue—with a big surprise from the parents of the family to create a more stable home going forward. The new house is almost ready to go, but before the paper can be signed, Billy has to deal with Black Adam’s arrival at the old home. What I find funny is that the lawyer dinosaurs were the funniest part of this series, but they’ve inadvertently set into effect complete chaos and potentially the biggest blow Billy’s suffered in the series so far. It’s worth noting that while Dan Mora isn’t doing the art on this issue, new artist Goran Sudzuka fits pretty seamlessly into his style and his take on the characters is spot-on. This continues to be another example of why Waid has risen so fast and far since his return to DC.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
