Shazam #5 review

The Captain has been on the moon battling Queen Bee, Garguax and a gang of reprobates from Gorilla City. Transformed back into Billy Batson, he’s been thrown into airless space. Luckily, a rescuer arrives.

Having made a breathable area for Billy, the red streak slows down and urges Billy to say his one magic word.

It isn’t as easy as Mary hopes, her brother is slipping away. But eventually, thanks to Mary’s ingenuity and pluck, brother and sister superheroes are united against the bad guys. There is a complication, though.

The Greek god of, among other things, trickery is ready for his close-up. The other immortals who lend their power to Billy have had their turn tweaking his personality, now it’s Mercury’s.

All of which make for a great time. Writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora bring us the best issue of this new Shazam! series yet… something I probably said last time.

It’s as true now as it was then. The dialogue sparkles, the visuals are full of energy, there’s action, surprises and a shock ending. Plus, some very good gags – writer and artist are out to give us a fun ride and that they do.

The big bonus for me this time is the presence of Mary Marvel. Her calm, bravery and intelligence make her the perfect superheroic partner and occasional straight woman.

Her recent mini series was good, but she didn’t have the most enjoyable time. Here, though, Mary is in Billy’s world, and it’s a world of whimsy, an update on the Golden Age milieu in which the Marvel Family originally operated.

Today’s Marvel Family includes Billy and Mary’s foster brothers and sister, including Freddy Freeman, none of whom has the access to Shazam power they once did.

Mora’s characterisations are, as ever, wonderful, you can read people just by looking at them, giving Waid the freedom to enhance rather than explain. The artist can make a dinosaur in a suit look like the most natural thing in the world, but also pull off a more sombre moment, such as the opening shot of Billy freezing in space. He’s aided by the clever colouring of Alejandro Sánchez, who either puts loads of thought into how he lights the pages, or is a natural… it could be a bit of both. Whatever, the results are terrific.

Letterer Troy Peteri gives us a nice variety of fonts and treatments without overwhelming the art. I like the mini-mastheads given to The Captain and Mary (and I’m reading ‘The Captain and Mary Marvel’ to mean his hero surname is Marvel too, we just know DC can’t say it).

Mora’s full-colour cover illustration is fabulous, with Billy and the Captain in the foreground, the rest of the cast in the background. I’d like it more had the ‘Two against the gods’ been seen to be Billy and Mary, but what the heck, this is trade paperback perfection.

It’s a grey day here in Scotland as I type. I’d like to thank everyone involved with Shazam! #5 for a massive shot of superhero sunshine.