The dinosaurs have come home to roost. And what that lacks as a metaphor, it makes up for in sheer chaos. Your Major Spoilers review of Shazam #7 from DC Comics awaits!
SHAZAM #7
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Goran Sudzuka
Colorist: Ive Svorcina
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Editor: Paul Kaminski
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 2, 2024
Previously in Shazam: The match you’ve been waiting for: the Captain versus Black Adam!
Who will wield the thunder… and who will ultimately be crowned the Champion of Shazam?!
“MY NAME AM BIZARRO CAPTAIN!”
This issue opens with the sensational character find of 2024, as The Bizarro Captain punches The Captain halfway across Fawcett City. Their battle quickly becomes heated, but thanks to the additional helping of wisdom he got from Solomon last issue, Captain Marvel figures out the weakness of Bizarro logic, and literally outwits his foe. Halfway around the world, the space dinosaurs who sent Mister Dinosaur arrive on Earth, crash-landing in Khandaq, where they are greeted by an enraged Black Adam. Before he can tear them apart, though, they find the address they need, the home of Billy Batson! Or, at least, the home that has been Billy’s, as his adoptive parents reveal that they’ve begun the purchase of a new house for them and their kids, one that they can barely afford, once they’ve sold their current one.
Three guesses what happens when an alien spacecraft and two Marvels show up?
REMEMBER THAT WISDOM OF SOLOMON?
As he was warned last issue, The Captain finds himself thinking of Billy Batson more and more as a separate entity, moving us closer to the classic Captain Marvel status quo. That, combined with the Vasquez family finally moving from their too-small house to a larger one seems to be the first actual forward motion of Billy and the Shazam family since 2011, when the Geoff Johns version locked in. It’s actually a welcome change, and the issue makes much out of those changes. (I’ve never believed that, just because he’s magical, Shazam belongs in the Justice League Dark corners of the DCU.) This issue’s script is fun, with a central conflict hinging upon unfinished paperwork of an alien bureaucracy, while Sudzuka’s art is perfect for the task. The only thing that even feels like a weakness is seeing a Black Adam that looks this young, and even that is less a complaint than it is a personal preference.
BOTTOM LINE: TOP-NOTCH COMICS
As things change in Billy and The Captain’s life, Shazam #7 makes the most of it, for humor, for drama, and for the exhibition of some really excellent storytelling, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. It’s nice to see them breaking some new ground with Billy and company, but it’s even nicer to see that new take utilizing and referencing the older ones so well.
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SHAZAM #7
This issue is worth the price of admission for the analysis of Black Adam's place in the world versus the role of a Bizarro, but it's all really well-done.
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Writing8
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Art9
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Coloring9
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