Comic Review: Shazam! (2018-) #8

Shazam! #8

DC Comics

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artist: Dale Eaglesham

I’m always pleasantly surprised when I see a new issue of Shazam back on the shelves.  With all of the delays and re-solicits, I forget that the book is on my pull list.  However, I’m really glad that it is.  Shazam is consistently one of my favorite books currently published by DC.  While the rest of the DC Universe muddles in crisis and endless crossover, Shazam has its own distinct tone and story.  It doesn’t matter how Black Adam plays into Year of the Villain or weather or not Billy should be a member of the infected, it’s just a good story.

But because Shazam set such a high bar for itself, this issue is a bit of a letdown.  There’s nothing unreadable or outlandish that happens in this issue, but nothing that makes it stand out either.  Because this story is so long, there’s bound to be a slower issue somewhere.

Previous issues of Shazam were full of wonder and awe.  Johns took the character’s core concept of magic and transformed it into a magical new world to explore.  As we explored the Wildlands and battled in the game lands, there was such a sense of exploration.  Johns set up this world full of endless possibilities with plenty to explore.  But now we have explored all of the magiclands.  We know the rules of these different worlds.  And while this is the natural progression for this story, the magic isn’t all there.

Shazam #8 spends a lot of time setting up things for the climactic finale of this arc.  The majority of this issue comprises of Billy fumbling through the Darklands while Sivana and Black Adam go after Billy’s father.  While both of these plotlines could have been interesting, neither is handled in a particularly interesting way.  Sivana and Adam’s bickering in the middle of the street felt more high-school drama than supervillain.  And Billy’s trek through the Darklands is neither challenging nor eventful.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this issue.  The series remains both charming and fun.  And that’s in no small part because of Scott Kolin’s artwork in this issue.  While Kolin’s style is noticeably different than Eaglesham’s, it still fits Shazam perfectly.  While many criticize Kolin’s cartoonish style, I think it works perfectly for a character like Shazam.

Overall, Shazam #8 is a fine issue.  It doesn’t leave me with a strong lasting impact, but it gets across everything it needs to.  However, I am very excited to see how the events at the end of this issue play out in the future.  If you’ve been sticking with the series so far, this is another solid entry, but if you’ve never read this series before, this isn’t the one to win you over.