Shazam #1 Review: A Reintroduction to Get You Hyped for the Movie

Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Dale Eaglesham / DC Comics Call me pleasantly surprised and slap me silly because Shazam came out the gates swinging in issue #1! We start off with the origin story proper, and young Billy stumbling upon the Rock of Eternity and it’s dying protector. Billy, the trouble making foster child, is deserved of naught until you look deep down inside the boy of many homes. His true self is a young man who will stand for the weak and defend the misfortune. His true self was worthy of inheriting the power of magic. Flash forward and some time has passed for Billy to get somewhat acclimated to being a hero. He’s learned how to recognize danger, shout out his patented word, and bring forth the powers and abilities of Solomon, Hercules, Achilles, Zeus, Atlas and Mercury. In the most desperate of times, he was even able to unlock his most powerful spell and share his magic with those he calls family. In the end, family is what matters most and is the true power of SHAZAM.

I absolutely love the pacing of this issue. We get enough backstory to get new readers familiar and move quickly to the whole team puttin the beats on some unlucky thieves. What’s great about Shazam is that things aren’t overly complicated with plot development or the convoluted birth if an arch nemesis. It’s all about the fun and the family. These kids are an adopted family, but not because they’re all foster kids who wound up in the same household. They’re family because they chose to beco…