Shazam! #16 – Josie Campbell, Writer; Dan McDaid, Penciller; Roberto Poggi, Inker; Trish Mulvihill, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Josie Campbell has brought the world of Shazam down to Earth in some interesting ways, introducing more real-world issues that had a big emotional impact. With this new arc, the All In era gives us a small time jump – but one that doesn’t seem to have left the characters better off. Rather, this issue shows that the end of last issue, which saw Freddy regain his powers, actually seems to have created some rifts in the group. Freddy has wasted no time jumping back into the action as a hero, now calling himself the Commander. But he also seems to have gotten a big ego and is making up for lost time, presenting himself as the leader of the Shazam family and condescendingly referring to Billy as his little brother. Meanwhile, the Vasquez family is struggling to make ends meet as Billy’s mother holds up the adoption and the other kids start to distance themselves from the superheroes.
We see Darla (and Hoppy!) are playing sidekick to the three heroes, even though Darla doesn’t have her powers back. But the tension between Billy and Freddy starts to boil over when they both try to get the attention of their new neighbor, Beau. This eccentric girl with an interest in superpowers pulls them into a wild chase to track a monster. The ending of the issue reveals the return of one of the most iconic Shazam villains, which I’m very excited for, but there’s an oddly mean and dark streak to this issue that I really wasn’t expecting. The quality stays high, but this version of Freddy feels very different from the selfless boy we saw las issue. I’m hoping it’s just a momentary hiccup in a book I’m really enjoying overall, but like many titles out of DC, it seems to always be affected by universal status quo changes, and I’m hoping to see the entire family reunited on the battlefield again soon.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
