Who wouldn't want to be a superhero? I think probably most of us. Especially the kids. They, despite their age and inexperience, can best see good and bad. Well, it was the same with a certain Billy Batson.
Say the magic word – SHAZAM!
In 2019, DC and Warner Bros. they introduced a new superhero to their cinematic universe. It was none other than Shazam, formerly known as Captain Marvel. Who is he exactly? He is an ordinary boy – Billy Batson, whose life in the valley of the earth did not spare until the day when he was chosen as the protector of magic against the attempts of evil. Since we are dealing with a child, DC decided to give its hero to someone who creates fairy-tale worlds for a while. Thus, this role fell to Jeff Smith, who, thanks to his sophisticated and magical line, re-created a superhero in the body of an adult boy with a mind. Author known from the award-winning Gnat serieswith a universal story and drawings taken out alive from a children’s book, he skillfully manages to lead a plot about an extraordinary savior of the world in the DC universe. The line that contrasts with the presented story only strengthens the conflict that takes place in individual frames. Shazam has to face a gallery of much more experienced opponents than himself, and his main challenge is the most cunning adversaries – Dr. Thaddeus Sivana and Mister Mind. Fortunately, in an out-of-this-world battle, Bill can find support.
A new look at the teenage bully
Earlier in Poland, namely in 2015, a one-volume story about Shazam’s adventures in the New DC Comics series was published. It was a successful character revival for which Geoff Johns was responsible. It is thanks to the reboot of the story with the magical armor, the owners of Warner Bros. decided to make a film about the extraordinary. It is worth noting, however, that the movie story differs from that presented by Smith. In the story of New 52 , there is a character set in the realities of the 20th century, aware of many threats, but also of his superpowers. In Smith’s version, on the other hand, we see the old classic version of the good knitwear known from the previous century. This is emphasized by the ubiquitous fairy-tale line, at certain moments close to the one from the Golden Age of comics.
The magic is in the details
In addition to the comic itself, we can find Shazam! also a few pages of the author’s illustrated diary, which shows us the step-by-step process of creating a story. As in the previous volumes, here we can also find a commentary by Kamil Śmiałkowski, who explains to new readers why the name “Captain Marvel” appears on the frames and why it was changed to “Shazam”.
Comic Shazam! The Monstrous Association of Evil , released by Egmont as part of the “DC Deluxe” collection, is one of the highlights of the series, although this statement may surprise many. However, it is worth noting that the fairy-tale line, informative and slightly dark content is something unusual for the house of Batman and Superman. This is what makes this title unique.
