Justice League #21 “SHAZAM!”
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Cover: Gary Frank
Review by Scott Keys
Justice League #21 is the final chapter of the origin of SHAZAM, and it was quite action packed! I’m quite pleased that they decided to make this chapter a full-sized issue instead of a back-up, since this character and this story need room to breath. Gary Frank’s art is
beautiful as ever! His facial expressions alone add so much to the story, but the man knows how to draw great action sequences as well.
My favorite moment of this book is when Billy shares his power with his “siblings” creating a SHAZAM Family, and refusing Black Adam his request. The SHAZAM family then takes the battle to Black Adam, who doesn’t seem phased by them at all until Billy & Mary team up to
punch him across town. Once Black Adam finds Billy at the zoo, he tries to convince Billy again to relinquish the power to him. This results in another cool moment, Tawny getting the power of SHAZAM! The problem with sharing the power with an animal was that Billy didn’t
cast the spell correctly, and it resulted in his Family starting to lose their powers. Billy then reverts to his normal form and convinces Black Adam to do the same, resulting in Adam’s death.
This book was a great finale to SHAZAMs origin, and I’m glad that by the end of this story, we lost the conniving, bratty Billy Batson and gained the honorable, good hearted Billy Batson we all know and love. I’m hoping that DC gives Johns and Frank an ongoing SHAZAM book,
because this character deserves to have his own title. I’m also very excited for the coming Trinity War and SHAZAMs role in it.
Art: 5 / 5
Story: 4 / 5
Overall: 4 / 5
Scott Keys is a father, Butler University grad, pharmacist, and full-time comic nerd. You can follow his adventures around the spinner-rack and his Incoherent Comic Book Ramblings on:
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