Rory Wilding's Reviews > Shazam!, Vol. 1: Meet the Captain!

Having read the first three volumes of Batman/Superman: World's Finest, writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora are quite the dream team as during their time on that title, as they bring back the Silver Age sensibilities that made the adventures featuring the two Superfriends light and colourful. Considering that Waid has applied this World's Finest-ish approach to the Teen Titans, he does it once again to Fawcett Comics's most iconic creation and reuniting with Mora is a major bonus.

Ever since the New 52, the superhero once known as Captain Marvel since his creation in 1939 has not been called that for quite some time. However, whilst Billy Batson is still his youthful self, Waid has rebranded Billy's persona with the familiar title of “The Captain”, which turns a fun nod into a new direction for Shazam!. As Billy continues to use the powers of the ancient gods — Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury — for good as Fawcett City's local superhero, those same gods feel that the boy does not deserve said powers and have decided to turn Billy's alter ego into their puppet to damage his heroism.

When it comes to Shazam, I am more associated with the Geoff Johns books which may not negate the magical side of the character's adventures, but certainly can lean towards darker aspects, especially when it comes to the villains. Waid, being a Silver Age enthusiast, revels in the whimsical nature of Billy's adventures, which is very apparent in the first few pages where the Captain rides a T-Rex, who just happens to be part of a dinosaur family from space.

Considering you have Billy interacting with his adorable orphan family, especially with his brother/best friend Freddy Freeman, Waid isn't interested in domesticising their lives in some real-world context, especially when Tawky Tawny the tiger cooks and cleans around the household. Meanwhile, there's a hilarious subplot featuring Mr. Dinosaur who is bugging Billy to fill out some paperwork for illegally saving the spaceship of the dinosaur family in the first issue.

As for the main storyline, it is not one where world-threatening stakes, despite a major set-piece taking place on the moon. Serving as the main antagonists of the story, the gods themselves, driven by a petty motivation, are about ridiculing the Captain, which does take an emotional toll on Billy, but also take to more fantastical worlds that the DC universe offers. Although this book is more in line with the current DC continuity as it ties-in with recent crossover titles such as Lazarus Planet and Knight Terrors, similar to World's Finest, Shazam! works bests when it uses the DC universe as its own personal sandbox, taking advantage of locations like Gorilla City and obscure villains like Psycho Pirate.

That sense of playing in a sandbox is also how I would describe the incredible work by Dan Mora. It has been reported that Mora can produce two single issues in a month, which I'm sure takes a physical toll on the artist, who still maintains that high level of quality. Considering that Shazam has similar powers to Superman, but with more emphasis on magic, Waid and Mora never limit the vast adventuring that their heroes are going through, with Billy and his alter ego are plunged into situations from light comedy of family matters, to action spectacle that goes cosmic and magical. Along with Alejandro Sánchez's colouring, Mora's artwork is expressive, epic and intimate.

Although Waid and Mora's time on Shazam! is short-lived — though their partnership continues with the current Batman/Superman run and the upcoming Justice League Unlimited — this volume is continuous proof on why their collaboration works to wondrous effect.