Comic Review: Shazam (2018-) #3

Shazam (2018-) #3

DC Comics

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artist: Dale Eaglesham

Geoff Johns loves the number seven.  It seems like every critically acclaimed John’s run deals with sevens somehow: the seven lantern corps, the seven seas, and now the seven Magiclands.  But even though Johns uses this world-building technique a lot, it doesn’t feel out of place here.  I guess if it works, you might as well keep doing it.  That’s right, Johns is already off to a great start on Shazam.

This issue picks off from the last, exploring the Funlands (which is basically just Disneyland on steroids).  King Kid, the ruler of the Funlands, explains the origins of the Magiclands to the Marvel Family.  Johns ties a lot of the Shazam mythology neatly together in this issue.  It turns out the Mr. Mind was originally from one of the Magiclands and ended up overthrowing the seven Champions of Magic.  This really streamlines the Shazam mythos in a way that makes sense, as Johns is known so well for doing.

But the real highlight here is the characters.  I was a big fan of the Shazam backup issues in Johns’ Justice League, but they were lacking the Marvel family.  But here, they are front and center.  I love watching the kids banter between each other.  Johns gives each character a really strong voice.  This book does a great job of taking what Johns did on Justice League with Shazam and naturally making it feel more like the classic character.  Instead of being a punk kid like in Justice League, Shazam learned to love his foster family and be a great superhero.

And the art here is excellent.  Eaglesham and Santucci both draw a perfect Shazam.  Their depictions of the Funlands are wonderful and keep me excited to see what the other magiclands are going to look like.  What amazes me is how these artists are perfect followups from Gary Frank on Justice League.  There’s also a flashback in the middle of the book drawn by Mayo “Sen” Naito.  And his art is also perfect for this book.  It’s a little more anime-style than most comic book art, but it fits in perfectly for a Shazam book.  I really hope Naito gets more work at DC because his pencils are incredible.

Overall, Shazam #3 is everything you could ask for from a Shazam book.  There is a fair amount of exposition and the plot is somewhat predictable, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.  This is the Shazam book that we’ve been waiting for since Justice League.  Johns and the art team bring their A games here and it’s nothing short of magical.