*This article contains spoilers for Shazam #1 (2023)*
Welcome home Mark Waid!
While Mark Waid is most known for his legendary Kingdom Come (1996) story, as well as his run on The Flash (1986), it is his work on Impulse (1995) and Legion of Superheroes (1989) which showed his playful spirit and fun nature. Mark Waid loves telling fun stories and it shows!
Lately though, Waid was tasked with Batman Vs. Robin (2022) and Lazarus Planet (2023). These titles were the opposite of what Waid is most comfortable with, which led to a tale which could have been written by anyone. If I had to blindly guess who wrote those stories, the last person I would guess is Mark Waid. To be fair, Batman has that effect on writers, where they change their style to fit the bat. But then there are titles like Shazam (2023), which require little change for a writer like Waid. The character fits him naturally.
This story starts with Shazam steering a wild T-rex off a cliff, leaving only moments for Shazam to save the dino’s life! So, he creates a canopy of vines to catch the plummeting prehistoric creature, and it works! We then learn this is a talking dinosaur. And then a child talking dinosaur. As it turns out, Shazam is trying to bring the dino home. The two have a nice banter and Shazam returns the dinosaur to its parents. It is at this point the audience learns this is a family of alien dinosaurs who crash landed on planet Earth! And the Dino parents offer Shazam tea as a way to thank him for bringing home their son. Wow.
Again, this is truly Mark Waid. It is lighthearted and fun, but also fits Shazam well. It is not forced, but rather natural and organic. Who else would bring classy tea-drinking alien dinosaurs into comics other than Mark Waid.
Shazam gives exposition into the name of S.H.A.Z.A.M. as well as the Rock of Eternity; all of this is completely lighthearted and reminds the reader Shazam is also Billy Batson, a kid who wants to have fun.
After that, Freddy, aka Captain Marvel Jr., enters the Rock of Eternity. He is solemn, as we learn the current condition of his powers. Following the events of the last Shazam (2021) series, the entire Shazam family has lost their ability to transform with the word “Shazam”, meaning no super powers. For Freddy, this is especially difficult as when he is transformed, he is no longer disabled.
We also learn why Shazam is being called “The Captain” in Waid’s run. In-story it is because Billy accidentally said “Shazam” and turned back into Billy over the ocean—he got soaked and Freddy and Mary laughed and continue to mock him about it. Out-of-story, Waid wants the character to be able to say his name without transforming. It’s a flaw Shazam has had since Marvel Comics obtained the rights to the name “Captain Marvel”. Either way, Shazam cannot tell his superhero name to anyone, so a name change just makes sense.
As Freddy and Shazam leave the Rock of Eternity, two shadowy wizards emerge. “If he is to restore the reputation of the gods, we must take action. Today,” though it is unclear if the wizard is talking about the events of Lazarus Planet or another Shazam-related event (Waid).
The issue ends with Shazam seeing news of an earthquake on the TV. While he saves all sorts of people, something strange happens. Instead of being the loving, smiling hero he always is, a force comes over him. He lashes out, yelling, “You should be on your knees with gratitude! You should feel blessed that someone as incredible as I am would even dirty my hands with yours,” before returning to friendly Shazam. Everyone is stunned.
Overall, this is the perfect book for Mark Waid. He wrote a great first chapter to his narrative and I am excited to see where he goes with it. Of course, there will be serious moments, and Waid has handled that perfectly before. I have no doubt he’ll balance it out well. A great beginning—even thought there was a surplus of exposition, in place only for new readers to get caught up.
Rating: 4/5 Stars. Mark Waid is having fun again, and it shows! This book is well crafted and sets the stage for an interesting series.
Suggested reading: Shazam: To Hell and Back (2021), which deals with Shazam trying to find out what happened to his family’s powers.
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