Review: Shazam!

Shazam! by Geoff Johns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I've read one or two other books featuring Black Adam, but nothing that really focused on Captain Marvel. This volume serves as an introduction to the characters and also manages to be quite a bit of fun. Captain Marvel is actually a young man named Billy Batson. He's a foster kid that has been bouncing from house to house until the holder of this magical power bestows it on Billy in a last ditch hope that someone will be able to defeat Black Adam.

One of the best things about this book is how Billy acts after getting his powers. It's a more realistic approach to what would happen if a kid transformed like this. That combined with the interactions with the other foster kids he is now living with gives this book it's strength. There are some expected superhero moments throughout, but that is balanced out with Billy getting to act like a kid at times and trying to deal with his living situation. It's a more grounded approach that I liked. I'd be willing to read more stories about Billy if they are like this one.

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