Shazam! #9 – Mark Waid, Writer; Emanuela Lupacchino, Artist; Trish Mulvihill, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This is Mark Waid’s final issue on the series, as he heads off for a big new project and makes way for Josie Campbell, so it’s a bit surprising that he bids farewell with an issue as offbeat as this one. The main conflicts have been resolved, the Vasquez family has a home again, and Billy has gained control of his other side—but he’s having more trouble figuring out where he begins and the Captain ends. And into this comes Jack Ryder, the shady TV host who has Billy on the air to discuss his podcast (which devolves into Ryder cutting Billy off, plugging The Creeper repeatedly, and bashing Metamorpho). But it’s all largely a feint, all in service of getting Billy in the right position where he can trick him into revealing his secret identity (via a very clever bit of wordplay). Ryder is even more sleazy than he is normally here, but he’s not looking to expose Billy’s identity to the public.
No, this is actually how the Creeper recruits allies to help with a crisis—in this case, Shadow Thief, who hijacked a train carrying key politicians and took them hostage by turning them into shadow creatures. He’s seeking a massive ransom, which means Creeper and The Captain need to infiltrate a speeding train and figure out how to stop an invisible man in the darkness. There are some fun, creepy visuals here, but the main appeal of this issue is the constant teeth-clenched banter between Creeper and the Captain. This feels like one of those random team-up issues that Waid used to write in Brave and the Bold way back pre-New 52, which is a strength of his that often doesn’t get acknowledged. Waid knows DC so well that he can basically throw any two characters into any situation and have a compelling read. Can’t wait to see what he’s got planned for the universe next.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
