Shazam! #20 review

Gleb Melnikov’s cover gives the Captain and Jon Kent room to breathe, and that turns out to be rather fitting by the end of the issue.

Regular writer Josie Campbell is away this month, so stepping forward to work with regular artist Dan McDaid is Sina Grace, who takes the opportunity to give us a fun romp with a side of depth.

The issue opens with a bit of subplot in which the Shazam Family’s foster mother, Rosa, bumps into an old pal on the street. And that’s it, one page… presumably Campbell will be taking this forward.

The main event is Jon Kent’s guest appearance, but it’s not Jon as he appears on the cover. Oh no, because Jon happens to be flying over Philadelphia just as The Captain is chasing a peri – a subset of djinn – who’s escaped from the Rock of Eternity. A magical blast hits the young hero and he’s catapulted back to being a tween.

That doesn’t stop him giving the Captain a hand.

Arriving on scene, Mary Marvel shows she’s been reading her JLA files – or maybe it’s the wisdom of Minerva.

Having no immediate insight into how to change Jon back, the Captain suggests he have some fun, and ‘play hooky’.

Will Jon be sticking at this age?

Oh Damian, read the room. Everybody wants this. The ageing up of the delightful young Jon Kent into an earnest young fella is one of the most unpopular moves by DC Comics in living memory.

But, given the in-comic Jon didn’t have the years added instantly, he lived them off-panel (it’s a long, horrible, stupid story – if you don’t know, ask Mary), being turned into a kid full time would be rather traumatic. Also, he’s only just moved in with boyfriend Jay, so that would be awkward.

But, for one day he gets to forget his young adult responsibilities and have fun with Billy, Mary, their 200 foster siblings, a strangely silent Hoppy and Mr Dinosaur. As for how he gets back to normal, you’ve likely worked it out, and it’s so obvious you really have to wonder about the much-vaunted Marvel Family wisdom. Then again, it’s never been consistent down the ages.

The only real problem with this story is that Jon so blithely – callously, even – turns his heat vision on the djinn. This is not the Jon Kent who spent 18 issues of his own series barely ever getting physical. And Billy is just as gung-ho about crispy peri.

Oh, and there’s a reference to the Captain using ‘the passive voice’ which went right over my head.

Overall, though, I enjoyed Grace’s script; if this is his audition for a Jon Kent series, I’d say it’s a success.

McDaid, inked by Robert Poggi, produces stellar images, bringing real joy to character and situations. Seeing a kid Jon again just makes me smile. The djinn is a great design. That three-shot of Billy, Mary and Jon is typically delightful. And it’s interesting to see McDaid and Poggi’s Robin – spot on. There’s an interesting expression on Damian’s face as he refuses to even try to help Jon, and leaves – as if he’s sad at remembering that the fun he had with Jon when they were Super Sons must remain in the Then.

That Gotham sequence shows what clever colourists Trish Mulvihill and Matt Herms are – the contrast with Philadelphia is immediately apparent, but the tones are far from drab, as seems to be the trend at Marvel these days.

Troy Peteri, usually a Marvel man, does his usually stellar job on the letters, altering style and weight to match the demands of the script.

If you’ve not been reading Shazam! but fancy a bit of done-in-one fun, this may be the book for you. Especially if you’re a fan of classic Jon Kent.