Book Review: Shazam! by G. Johns et al.

Shazam! written by Geoff Johns and art by Gary Frank

Billy Batson is a poor orphan boy. He's gone from foster home to foster home, where he has been rejected again and again. The reason--he's an arrogant jerk. He winds up with the Vasquezes, who have five other adopted children. He barely fits in, though he does stick up for his pseudo-siblings when they are bullied at school. So Billy has potential as a hero, though little actuality. On a subway ride he is transported to the Rock of Eternity. There, an ancient wizard gives him the power to be a champion, specifically the champion Shazam. The wizard is desperate because Black Adam, another champion with the same magical power, has been released from his imprisonment and is, in typically supervillain fashion, gonna kill us all.

Johns is a really good writer who adds lots of snappy dialogue and the plot line is interesting. Batson has enough mix of bad and good elements to make his changes believable. He's also convincing as an immature kid granted amazing powers. The villain has a backstory that makes him more understandable if not sympathetic. The story is from DC's New 52, so it is older. This story looks like the basis for the recent movie. I haven't seen the movie but from the trailers and some reviews I read, this is the origin story they used for the film.

Recommended.

Book Review: Superman: Brainiac by G. Johns et al.

Superman: Brainiac written by Geoff Johns, pencilled by Gary Frank, and inked by Jon Sibal

After a harrowing account of an attack on Krypton during which the city of Kandor is stolen, the story jumps to modern day Earth. A Daily Planet staff meeting is cut short when Clark Kent leaves to investigate a crashing space probe. As Superman, he discovers the probe is from Brainiac, an alien intelligence that has pestered him on and off through the years. The probe does nothing more than confirm Superman is Kryptonian--then it shuts down. Superman takes the probe to the Fortress of Solitude where he and Supergirl analyze it to find out why it came. Supergirl has memories of the Kandorian attack (which was Brainiac's work) and is frightened by the prospect of facing him. She's also scared of Brainiac doing to Earth what he did to Krypton. Superman decides to take the fight to Brainiac. He reverse-engineers the probe's guidance system to find where Brainiac is. He leaves without telling Supergirl so she does not have to face her childhood terror. Superman discovers more than he bargained for and, naturally, Brainiac has discovered Earth and does threaten it. So Supergirl isn't off the hook.

The story does a great job pulling in different aspects of Superman's mythology, combining them in a new and interesting way. The dialog is very well-written, blending comedy, exposition, and drama effortlessly. Brainiac is a fascinating villain and makes a nice foil to Superman. A few bits of the plot don't make sense, but not enough to drag the story down.

Recommended.