All-New Collectors' Edition #C-58: Superman Vs. Shazam! (Facsimile Edition)

I'm in no way criticizing the art skills of Dick Giordano or Rich Buckler. If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I am a huge fan of Giordano; having gotten to meet him at his very last con. As for Buckler, I loved his work on the earliest stories of the Marvel cyborg, Deathlok. So I believe that I have established respect for both artists. That being said, who drew the artwork for both the back half of this wraparound cover as well as many of the full sized and splash pages? They look like they were masterfully drawn by Neal Adams!

This facsimile edition is absolutely beautiful. The foil enhanced wraparound. The remastered colors of Adrienne Roy. The throwaway panel of what a brunette Supergirl would look like. This was a visual masterpiece from 1978!

An ancient wizard from a Martian civilization millennia before those of J'onn J'onzz' people, is seeking to end his singular mistake. In an attempt to become immortal, the mage got his wish. But not before first turning the rest of his kind into silent, tormenting phantoms. His hope is to place devices on two different Earths where they will vibrate in sync with the other and cause a cataclysmic explosion to should restore his people to their corporeal forms.

The two Earth's chosen are Superman's Earth-1 and Captain Marvel's home, Earth-S. To prevent the two heroes from discovering the devices, the wizard forces Black Adam and the 'Quarmmer', a duplicate of Superman made of living sand, to cloud the minds of the heroes so that they see each other as mortal enemies. Thus, fans finally get their wish: an epic battle that will definitively prove who is mightier? The Man of Steel or the Big Red Cheese?

The fight was epic. The team-up of Supergirl and Mary Marvel was awesome. The villain Karmang was pretty cool looking. But like most DC Comics of the late 1970s, the plot fell flat.

For one thing, I didn't quite understand Karmang's costume didn't really make sense. He's got these wicked looking eyeballs which adore the epaulets on his cape and apparently makes some fashionable earrings.  But he never uses them. They'd be really cool if they helped Karmang see the action occurring on the two Earths. Instead, he's got TV set-up sweeter than any wall of boob tubes at Circuit City. 

Another issue with the plot is the pacing. There are 4 acts in this issue, along with interludes and a prologue and epilogue. If writer Gerry Conway would've cut the unnecessary comic relief provided by Lois Lane and sports reporter Steve Lombard playing the role of cameraman, I think we could have gotten a much smoother ending that really hyped up the tension. Instead, we get Superman racing around the world to counter the pull of the magnetic field while Captain Marvel literally decides which color wire to clip on one of Karmang's devices. 

And as much as I enjoyed Supergirl being in this story, the ending where she and Mary Marvel fawn over each other's super hunky relative was clunky at best. At worst, it's a groaner and brother did I groan over that dumb ending...

At least we got an answer as to whether Supes or Cap are stronger than the two. At least for this clash.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Shazam: Thundercrack (Family Comic Friday)

The moment I found out about this graphic novel, I was ecstatic to say the least. I loved the first Shazam movie. I eagerly await (still) a chance to see the sequel. And I've learned over the years that I really am a fan of the Big Red Cheese.

Shazam: Thundercrack isn't a sequel. Nor is this 2023 graphic novel a tie-in to the new movie Shazam: Fury of the Gods. Instead, this book is a midquel, taking place in the middle of the first Shazam film. Consider this read to be a director's cut of deleted scenes with author Yehudi Mercado adding more details into Billy Batson and Freddie Freeman's exploration of Batson's new Shazam powers. 

As Billy Batson develops his Shazam powers, the teen begins to experience improvements in his physical prowess as a mortal. One day while talking his way out of getting in trouble for skipping class, Billy makes an impressive throw that catches the eye of the Fawcett high football team's Coach. Now Billy finds himself the new star quarterback with Freddie joining the cheer squad as the tiger mascot, Tawky Tawny. Unknown to Billy and his teammates, their cross town rivals have been utilizing dangerous synthetic enhancements sponsored by Dr. Sivana and that the final game of the season promises to be a blood bath!

Mercado's artwork is spot on. The renderings of the characters are more cartoony than life- like. But these are excellent caricatures of the actors. I love how this franchise keeps incorporating those fanciful elements of the Shazam family into the DC Cinematic Universe like having Tawky Tawny be the Fawcett high school mascot. (Fun Fact: Fawcett was the name of the original publisher of Shazam Family comic books) And with the enhancements of the rival football team, whose mascot are the Atoms, we get a non-Nazi inspired version of the robotic Shazam nemesis, Mister Atom, that I totally get behind!

A great book that ends with a small flaw. Seemingly, Billy's coach knows the he's secretly a super hero. Yet at the end of Shazam only Freddie and the other foster kids where Billy lives know that Batson is super powered. Maybe Fury of the Gods addresses this. Maybe I am reading too much into the coach's thanks. But it makes for a potential continuity error that I just can't get behind. 

A fun read for young readers who love the film series. Subject matter might be a little more advanced, what with the technology misused by the opposing team and it's subsequent techo-jargon. But definitely a read that captures the spirit of Shazam perfectly.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Justice League of America #135 (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

It's the 14th annual meeting of Earth One's Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America from Earth Two. This time around, a third Earth is in danger: Earth-S!

A prehistoric ruler named King Kull has declared war on humanity. The last of his race of protohumans, Kull has vowed to hunt mankind to extinction just as the human race did to his people. In order to do this, Kull attacks the Rock of Eternity and has trapped Captain Marvel's elders and Mary Marvel's patron goddesses, along with the epic wizard, Shazam! 

Just prior to his enslavement, Shazam mentally ordered the super-speedy Mercury to recruit a number of heroes from Earths One, Two and S to stop Kull's plans. After gathering a grand total of 18 heroes, Mercury sends them off to various locations throughout the multiverse. First stop- the Atlantis of Earth Two where women are the dominant gender. Exiled Queen Clea has recruited IBAC, the Penguin and Blockbuster to assemble a device that when attuned to similar technology on Earth's One and S, will result in the end of humankind. 

The 'Crisis on Earth-S' storyline would continue through issue #137 which culminates in one of the very first meetings between Captain Marvel and Superman. This 3-parter is very heavy in Shazam family lore. IBAC is the anthesis of Captain Marvel. He's a milksop delivery man who turns into a fascist brute when he says 'I Back.' King Kull is another villain from Shazam's past. However, if you don't know of the character's background then you will find much of this opening chapter to be rather silly. 

Our story begins with King Kull flying a spaceship to the Rock of Eternity. Now if you're like me, you are wondering what is a prehistoric sovereign doing with a UFO? Turns out that Kull somehow entered a state of suspended animation only to wake up millions of years in the future; our present. With his genius level intellect and membership in the Monster Society of Evil, King Kull has been able to develop a number of gadgets and devices of mass destruction in his quest to eliminate mankind. 

If I had prior knowledge of King Kull, I probably would have been able to suspend my disbelief. Thankfully, the DC Wiki filled in my gaps. Since I don't own issues #136 and 137 yet, it might be a little while before my collection gaps are lessened. 

With rosters of the JLA/JSA and Shazam's Squadron of Justice on both the cover and front page of this issue, I more than meet the challenge of reading a book 'With a Map, Family Tree or Roster in the front/front page'.

Completing this review completes Task #32 (With a Map, Roster or Family Tree in the front/front page) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

"Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder"

This could have been a 5 star book, but in between the Very Cool Lethal Weapon Type buddy story of the first meeting of Sups and Capt. Marvel, and the poignant morality play finish, this story got all demonic and evil. And it dropped a star.

And Eclipso??? It’s like the dumbest super-villain ever, and not needed for this story.

Take note of this Judd Winick.

Still with an amazing opening and closing act, it’s worth consuming.