It’s never-ending amusement rides, candy, pizza, and shakes in the Funlands, and all King Kid wants is to join the Shazam family. Is it a deal?

SHAZAM! #3

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Dale Eaglesham, Marco Santucci, Mayo “Sen” Naito
Colorist: Mike Atiyeh
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: February 27, 2019

Previously in Shazam!: Billy’s father comes to the foster home to see him. However, none of the kids are there. They’re at the Rock of Eternity, looking over a map of The Magiclands and trying to decide where to go first, finally choosing “The Funlands.” Meanwhile, Dr. Sivana is in league with Mr. Mind, collecting ingredients for a spell. In The Funlands, which appear to be an enormous amusement park, there is literally nonstop fun. And then the ruler, King Kid, shows up, announcing himself to be the missing seventh champion of their family.

POOR LITTLE KING KID HAS JUST ONE WISH HE CAN’T GRANT HIMSELF

Imagine, if you will, a table that combines all the best of Christmas and birthdays and a fantasy medieval feast for kids. That’s basically where Shazam! #3 opens. King Kid is the gracious host, pulling out all the stops for Billy and his siblings. Only Mary seems skeptical and tries to find out more about him. The Magiclands have been separated and sealed off from everything for years, but suddenly kids started arriving again. It could only mean the Wizard had chosen a new champion. There are seven Magiclands, and obviously only six of them so far – plainly they should choose him as the seventh champion.

Darla almost gives him the secret word, though Mary stops her just in time. King Kid explains further, about how he only wants to bring more fun to more kids. He really seems likeable – but is he what he seems? Billy starts to doubt him as well. And I do love this scene. King Kid seems to be one of them, and is plainly kind and well-liked, and he says all the right things. It is easy for some young people to be drawn in by this. They haven’t yet lived long enough and had the sort of experiences that would make them skeptical. I also like seeing that Billy realizes the importance of their power and how it isn’t to be shared lightly.

King Kid tells them his backstory, which is the perfect fairy tale sort of thing you might expect. He also tells them that most of the Magiclands were nearly destroyed by Mr. Mind and his monsters, but he’s never been to any of them. Mary’s responsibility kicks in and she tries to talk everyone into going home. This is when King Kid realizes she’s nearly eighteen, and suddenly he orders his clowns to attack. Darla, Mary, and Freddy are taken, and Billy, Pedro and Eugene become their heroic selves.

And this sure makes them look like adults. King Kid turns on them, as does everyone else in the kingdom. Our heroes get thrown through a couple of doors in (essentially) the basement, and find themselves in The Gamelands and The Wildlands.

IMAGINATIVE AND WITH IMPRESSIVE ATTENTION TO DETAIL

The art in Shazam! #3 is so fun and so busy. There is a lot going on, and it is done so capably that it does not detract from the story. The Funlands are relentlessly fun, and we are shown this by having so much packed into each scene. If you think about it too hard, everything seems way too close, but when you read the book and just absorb the art, you can almost hear the laughter of hundreds of screaming kids.

The food in the feast scene is ridiculous. It’s over the top. In fact, when I went back to take some time to look at the art, I kept getting drawn in and seeing more things I did not see the first time around. And not only is there all kinds of food, there are games and presents galore. This continues through and even into the fight scene. It gives the Funlands a sense of depth.

I also like the different art style used for King Kids’s story. There are a few times when a drastic change in style can be used for good purpose and this is certainly one of them. And at the end we have a peek into two other lands. Even with only a couple pages, we get a distinct sense of what they’re all about.

BOTTOM LINE: STILL SOLID

There’s a nice mix of exposition, internal conflict, and outright action that keeps Shazam! #3 moving along at a good pace. It’s lovely to look at, it’s getting exciting, and we have the hint that Mr. Mind may still be a problem. It’s setting up some potentially interesting challenges for our young heroes.

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