The Power of Shazam!

The Power of Shazam! #0

by Jerry Ordway

A word is spoken. Lightning strikes! For young Billy Batson, the adventure of a lifetime begins, and Captain Marvel--the world's mightiest mortal is born. This graphic novel reintroduces the Captain Marvel character, who has been given the magnificent powers of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985–1986), his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and for writing and painting the Captain Marvel original graphic novel The Power of Shazam! (1994), and writing the on-going monthly series from 1995-1999. He has provided inks for artists such as Curt Swan, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, John Buscema and Steve Ditko.

Ordway was inspired in his childhood by Marvel Comics, and dreamed of drawing Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Avengers. (To date he has only worked on the latter.) He produced occasional work for Marvel between 1984 and 1988, then returned a decade later to write and illustrate a three-issue arc of Avengers (vol. 3) #16-18 (1999), as well as penciling the four-issue crossover mini-series Maximum Security (#1-3 and prologue Dangerous Planet) in 2000-2001.

In 1986, along with writer/artist John Byrne and writer Marv Wolfman, Ordway was one of the architects trusted with revamping Superman, in the wake of the Ordway-inked continuity-redefining maxiseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. Launching, with a revised origin and new continuity, in Byrne's miniseries, The Man of Steel, Superman soon returned to featuring in a number of titles. After the titular title Superman was cancelled and replaced with Man of Steel, it was swiftly relaunched as Adventures of Superman, continuing the numbering of the original Superman comic, with Wolfman as writer and Ordway as primary artist.

When Wolfman departed the title, John Byrne briefly took over scriptwriting duties before Ordway assumed the mantle of writer-artist and took over the series solely. Switching from Adventures of Superman, Ordway took over as writer-artist on the companion title Superman (vol. 2) between 1989 and 1991, before later returning to Adventures.. as writer. While writing for the Superman family of titles, he helped devise the epic "Death of Superman" storyline in 1992. After seven years working on the character, Ordway largely left the Superman titles in 1993, although he would make frequent returns to the character as writer and artist throughout his career.

In 1994, Ordway masterminded the return of the original Captain Marvel to the DC Universe with the 96-page hardcover graphic novel The Power of Shazam!, which he both wrote and painted. The story saw Ordway depict the revamped origins of the former-Fawcett Comics superhero. An early example of the one-shot Original Graphic Novel, it proved to be a success, and was followed by an on-going monthly series, also titled The Power of Shazam! (which ran between 1995 and 1999). Ordway wrote and provided painted covers for the entire run of the regular series, as well as illustrating fill-in issues between series-regular artists Peter Krause and Mike Manley. Towards the end of the series run, he again took on the dual role of writer & artist.

For Image Comics, Ordway co-created the character WildStar (with Al Gordon) in 1993, and published his creator-owned one-shot The Messenger in July 2000.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was suggested to me by a friend here on Goodreads who said it was one of his favorite Shazam titles. And, honestly, had he not rubbed my nose in it, I probably would have skipped right over this. Something about the cover art is just very unappealing to me. Happily, that is not what was waiting for me on the inside.



This is a pretty good self-contained Captain Marvel/Shazam! origin story for those of you who are looking for more insight into DC's newest movie star. I'm not sure I would say this is the origin story, but it is an interesting origin story.
It starts with Billy's father and mother on an excavation in Egypt with their friend Adam, where they find some hinky prophecies and magical artifacts that forever change the course of Billy's life.



And, yeah, it's got some corny moments in it. But they were more like purposefully cheesy and not just goofy writing. Personally, I found the aw-shucks storytelling charming.



I'm not really sure if there's more to this particular run or not. If so, I'd love to read it, and if not...? Well, that's ok, too. It felt like a solid enough ending to me.




This probably won't be for everyone, but if you're looking for a little more Shazam in your life, you could definitely do worse than this.
Recommended!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The name is Marvel -- Captain Marvel." -- the hero, to a disbelieving villain

Although it may not be a substantial and/or life-changing graphic novel, The Power of SHAZAM! gets it right by hitting its marks as an effective and streamlined - at just under 100 pages - origin story for the now-somewhat forgotten superhero who once outsold rival Superman some 75 years ago. Set in a 40's/50's amalgam (per the appearance of Art Deco skyscrapers, a zeppelin, the automobiles, and radio broadcasts being the prominent form of mass media), the tale begins with an Indiana Jones-inspired archeological segment - which was unexpectedly violent, with three stabbing fatalities and one throat slashing - before quickly moving on to young orphan Billy Batson answering the calling to be empowered by the super-abilities from a collection of seven Greek and Roman gods. Actually, Batson throws a tantrum at first and is actually reluctant to take up this big responsibility, which was refreshing and sort of believable given his age and circumstances. Soon, however, he is using his newly-acquired Captain Marvel persona to save his threatened hometown of Fawcett City from the viciously villainous duo responsible for his parents' murder. The artwork was first-rate and era-appropriate, plus a cameo appearance from pin-up queen Bettie Page was very welcome, too.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jerry Ordway revamped Shazam in the mid 90's, both writing and painting the book. I love the classic movie poster look Ordway gives the book. It feels like a serial from the 30's. Ordway brings in all of the classic Captain Marvel elements with little updates. Sivana, Black Adam, Mary, even Talky Tawny all show up. The book never feels hokey even though he keeps Captain Marvel pretty wholesome. BTW, I loved the Bettie Page Easter Egg.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect jumping on point for those who are interested in delving into the world of Shazam. It's a pretty predictable origin story, especially for those who are familiar with the superhero genre (especially how parents are treated), but there are enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. Following Billy's journey of acceptance is rewarding, if a little rushed due to the page limit, and despite his stubbornness at times, he's a character that will grow on you. Fun, interesting and very accessible, I'm excited to see where Billy Batson takes me next.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

An updated origin of Captain Marvel/Shazam with beautiful artwork.
The plot isn't anything out of the ordinary but has some good moments, making it a decent origin story.

[Brian Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is more like it. Jerry Ordway got control of the Captain Marvel character in the early 90's and his love of the character shines through on every page while still making the character a more in tune with modern sensibilities. This re-imagining of the origin story is gorgeously painted with Ordway's classic four color style and it drops tons of plot elements from the original stories that Ordway would pick and and weave into the later ongoing series. One interesting if troublesome bit is the timelessness - they make a big point of how Fawcett City's skyline hasn't changed since the early 20th century, but the story also jumps between really feeling like the 1930's to being contemporary. Sometimes this sort of thing works, but here it's a series of little jarring moments.

I'm going to use this space to comment on the later series because it's all of a piece. I have the first 20 issues and they are well done - the time issue is resolved (it's the contemporary mid 90's) and Captain Marvel has been active for years. Ordway does a great job of catching that, not bothering with an origin story for each villain but just using them and explaining "yeah, it's this guy, Captain Marvel fought him before, here's what you need to know" in the throwaway dialogue. It's a great way to introduce Ibac and similar characters without wasting time, and really makes it feel like the character has been active since the Legends mini-series and his Justice League appearances, so don't sweat it. If the series has an issue it's that Ordway rushes a little bit to establish the rest of the Marvel Family - between issues 1 and 7 we get Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. in a very quick sequence of events that feels a little forced. This is a pretty minor flaw.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice retelling of the Captain Marvel origin. Good art and story telling. entertaining read. Recommended

[Rodolfo Santullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como estamos a nada del estreno de su película me pareció interesante hacer una lectura (o relectura, como es este caso) de algunas historias de The Big Cheese (así es como le dicen al Capitán Marvel/Shazam, supongo yo por ser grande, amarillo y rojo). Primero, por si hay algún desnorteado en la sala: ¿quién es Shazam? El personaje nace en 1939 (aunque su primera publicación data de febrero de 1940) dentro de esa inmensa camada de superhéroes que aparecieron entonces, cuando cada editorial quería su propio Superman, creado por el guionista Bill Parker y el dibujante Clarence Charles Beck. Editado originalmente por Fawcett Comics, este Capitán Marvel -que así se llamaría, y llama, en un principio (ya volveremos más adelante a esto)- se diferenciaba bastante de su modelo kriptoniano inspirador. Primero que nada, su alter ego es un niño. Al gritar "Shazam!" el joven Billy Batson conjura los poderes de Salomón, Hércules, Atlas, Zeus, Aquiles y Mercurio (sabiduría, fuerza, resistencia, poder, valor y velocidad, respectivamente) y se transforma en el Capitán Marvel para luchar contra la injusticia, encarnada habitualmente en sus villanos Dr. Sivana (un calvo que vendría a ser su Lex Luthor), Black Adam (una suerte de Capitán Marvel en negativo) o Mr. Mind (un gusano gigante con aspiraciones de conquista global). El éxito del personaje fue tan arrollador que llegó a superar a Superman en sus primeros años de publicación -y en la misma volada Fawcett amplió su franquicia con una "familia Marvel": Mary Marvel, Capitán Marvel Junior, el tío Dudley y hasta un Conejo Marvel- pero con ese éxito llegaron los problemas: DC, propietaria de Superman y una implacable cazadora de todo aquel personaje exitoso al que pudieran acusar de plagio, los bajó de un hondazo. Así, por disposición legal, Fawcett Comics deja de publicar al personaje en 1953. La compañía fue a menos con el paso de los años y -oh, casualidad- en 1973 es adquirida por la propia DC Comics, incluyendo todos sus personajes y, obviamente entre ellos, al Capitán Marvel. Ah, ¿por qué la dualidad de nombres Capitán Marvel/Shazam? Porque en 1968 la eterna competidora de DC, Marvel Comics propone su propio Capitán Marvel (a quien ya vimos adaptado a cine en su versión femenina recientemente) y registra legalmente el nombre, algo que Fawcett (ni DC) había jamás hecho. Para no tener conflictos, a partir de 1972 es que DC renombra oficialmente a su personaje como Shazam y se lo conoce de ambas maneras (al menos en las historietas, calculo que en la película se quedarán con el nombre más reciente). Será por este tormentoso nacimiento y desarrollo que jamás pude encajar demasiado a Shazam en el Universo DC. Siempre me resultó un extraño, un marciano con poco en común con Superman, Batman y el resto. Y aunque en muchas ocasiones lo han sabido integrar perfectamente -lo que hacen con el personaje en la segunda temporada de Young Justice es genial- en mi memoria siempre ha sido un jugador en solitario, con su propio universo construido en el que vivir por sí mismo sus aventuras. Luego de este largo prolegómeno, vayamos sí con el libro que nos toca hoy. Veterano de varias de las mejores etapas de Superman y completamente consagrado para el momento de editar esta novela gráfica, Jerry Ordway proponía un reinicio del personaje, una historia absolutamente independiente que nos presentaba todo en orden -el origen de Shazam y el de su mayor enemigo Black Adam- pero haciendo mucho hincapié en las raíces egipcias del mismo, proponiendo a Shazam como uno de los dioses de este mismo panteón (aunque ninguno de los que le da poder sean, efectivamente, Anubis o Seth). Con libertad total -y todavía como parte de un momento donde DC se animaba a recrear a sus personajes en manos de artistas específicos, aunque ya estaba llegando este momento a su fin- es que Ordway nos propone una aventura clásica alucinante, acompañando a los Batson, una pareja de arqueólogos, en su busca de una tumba en Egipto, donde son traicionados por su colega Theo Adam (a quien Ordway dibuja con la cara de Boris Karloff). Pero el poder que desatan viaja hasta Fawcett City (la editorial madre es reconocida como la ciudad donde Shazam vive sus aventuras, incluso con calles que se llaman Parker y Beck) donde encuentra al ahora huérfano Billy Batson viviendo en las peores condiciones y lo elige para ser su campeón. La aventura es sencilla -y algo expositiva, los personajes se pasan explicando en voz alta todo lo que pasa incluso durante las peleas- pero contundente. Ordway entrega sino su mejor trabajo, casi (a la altura de su maestro Neal Adams) y, además, al ambientar la historia a fines de los 40s se permite varios homenajes a colegas que desarrollaban grandes trabajos en estos mismos años (su Fawcett City está hermanada en el art decó de la Opal City de Starman, de Robinson y Harris; su argumento tiene cosas por momentos del mejor Howard Chaykin, quien en esta época la rompía con Blackhawk; y Ordway referencia directamente a Dave Stevens y su Rocketeer en una secuncia puntual). Ordway escribe, dibuja y pinta, dejando la vida en ello, y dedicando un momento a cada personaje de este universo. Esta novela gráfica fue continuada en una serie regular -titulada de la misma manera- que se continuó durante 48 números. Más Shazam en breve, que esta es una maratón hasta la película.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember loving this back in the day. And it's still very good. I love how much thought went into retelling the origin story, building it out with Billy's parents and their connections to Sivana and Black Adam and how Billy and Mary became separated. And giving an identity to the shadowy figure who escorted Billy into the subway station to meet the wizard Shazam (and explaining why Billy would trust such a figure in the first place).

There are some hiccups where the story rushes through a plot point or uses coincidence to keep things moving, but I don't remember noticing that before and it's not a major problem. It just makes the book feel a little bit of its time; cheating a little where a modern comic wouldn't have tried to.

[Berna Gündüz · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'm not a hero-- I'm just a dumb kid!"

[Gary Sassaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t quite remember what piqued my interest in finding this 1994 hardback graphic novel by Jerry Ordway, which relaunched the Original Captain Marvel yet again, but I just happened across a copy in a box at HeroesCon back in June in Charlotte, NC for eight bucks. I finally got around to reading it this month, and I really enjoyed it. With the exception of the Jeff Smith four-issue mini-series (Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil), this is really the only other Captain Marvel revamp that worked since C. C. Beck was brought back to the book when DC did their first relaunch in 1973, when they changed the name to Shazam! because Marvel had been smart enough to grab “Captain Marvel” when it lasped in the mid-60s. Ordway—in ’94, most famous for his work on the Superman books—does everything in this one, from cover to cover and it’s a decent revamp of the character, except all the humor and whimsy are gone. This had a decent run as a series, lasting 48 issues from 1995-99 (the longest, I believe, of any of the Shazam! reboots since ’73), with Ordway writing and painting the covers and story art by various artists, including Peter Krause. Ordway does mix it up a bit with this retelling of the origin story of how Billy Batson became Shazam (and it actually makes more sense with the necessary new name), and his painted art is superb. I especially liked his Karloff-like look for Black Adam. I’ve always liked Ordway’s very tightly-rendered artwork; it reminds me a bit of Murphy Anderson, whose art had every line perfectly delineated, especially when he inked his own pencils. This is worth seeking out, especially if you can find it languishing in a box at a convention or store for cover price or less.

[Redwan Orittro · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Shazam story. Loved the artwork and the narration. Trying to catch up on the character before the movie comes out.

[Guido · Rating 3 out of 5]

El capítulo cero del reboot de Ordway de la Marvel Family.

[Maurício Dantas · Rating 5 out of 5]

O Capitão que vale! História redondinha, bons personagens e arte espetacular. Gosto muito da visão do Ordway sobre o personagem, e a criação de ótimos conceitos na mitologia dele, homenageando versões passadas ao invés de cair na cilada fácil de falar mal por falar mal.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edición especial en tomo único del Capitán Marvel, mucho antes de que le cambiaran el nombre definitivamente a Shazam.

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Edición española de Zinco.

[Index Purga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relanzamiento postcrisis de Shazam,que entonces todavía se llamaba Capitán Marvel.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful 1994 graphic novel written and painted by Jerry Ordway helped usher the true Captain Marvel into the 1990s.

When the parents of Bill Batson uncover a lost tomb in Egypt, they are betrayed by their expedition partner. Using a sacred scarab artifact, this man turns into Black Adam! But as the scarab is incomplete, Black Adam's power is only at 50 percent!

Meanwhile back in the United States, Billy is forced to survive on the means streets of Fawcett City, living off what meager earnings he makes from selling newspapers. One night, a mysterious man takes Billy into the Fawcett City subways and introduces him to the wizard Shazam! Now blessed with a score of super powers, it is up to Billy's new alter-ego Captain Marvel to prevent Black Adam from finding the second piece of the scarab and bring his parent's killer to justice.

There was a couple of plot holes in this story. But overall it was a great adventure. Visually stunning, I haven't seen such masterful paintings in comics since Alex Ross' MARVELS. I loved how Ordway stylizes Black Adam to look like Universal Monsters icon Boris Karloff!

The funny thing about this book was I didn't know it even existed until one day I saw an ad for the book in the back of an old DC issue of something from the 1990s. Then a couple of days later I found this book at a thrift store for cheap and I knew that this was an omen of good tidings! I am glad I listen because I really enjoyed this book.

This graphic novel spun off a 47 issue series in which Ordway and later Dick Giordano continued the adventures of the Big Red Cheese! Having really hated that this book ended so quickly, I've now got The Power of Shazam on my wish list!

(Note: The Power of Shazam had a 48th issue. However, it was a one issue continuation brought about a year after cancellation by the Blackest Night event in 2010. Ordway only did the cover, so I did not include it in my review as that issue should really have been a one shot special.)

[Darik · Rating 2 out of 5]

How did Jerry Ordway somehow manage to omit all the fun from his version of Captain Marvel? Did he think the period setting would be charming enough to make up for the fact that much of his reboot is a dreary, depressing slog that's skipped over all of the wish-fulfillment aspects of its own premise? Did he figure this would also cover for how his Billy Batson is a charisma-free whiner who's constantly complaining about all these powers he's saddled with, and whose first action with any agency behind it in the narrative is to try to beat up the wizard Shazam-- an elderly man he's just met?

The one plus that this one-shot has going for it? Ordway's artwork. The story plays out in detailed pencils-and-inks fleshed out with lush watercolors, and the minor visual details (Black Adam looks like Boris Karloff! All the buildings are art deco!) create a pretty engrossing '40s period setting. It's probably for the best that you can get lost in the artwork, though, because the plot is an overly-convoluted knot of contrivances and pointless detours. Big chunks of the narrative don't amount to anything but wheel-spinning (in particular everything having to do with Thaddeus Sivana, here demoted from "Dr." to "Mr." and reimagined as an evil businessman a la Lex Luthor, but far less successfully) and some of it is just never explained (so... is Theo Adam 5,000 years old? Is he a normal guy being possessed by the scarab necklace? Is he a reincarnation of Teth-Adam? What is his DEAL???).

I know the monthly series that came out after this was a definite improvement, but... if I had to pick a starting point for a relaunch of the character, I'd have gone with Roy Thomas's reimagining from 1987 over this. The artwork was terrible, but at least he remembered to put some levity in there occasionally.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, this was an incredible read. I mean, it was fantastic as a Shazam origin. Obviously outdated in spots with the language and such - I'm not sure what time period, exactly, this is set in. I assume it's set in like the 40s or 50s considering the radio programs and the fact that this book was dedicated to the original creators of the characters (and Billy’s father named after one of them, CC Beck), but I don't think it ever said?

Either way, I loved this. Holy moly, did I love it. From the opening with the Batsons as architects to the twist of them being killed by Adam, and then Adam taking Mary? That was actually so unexpected for me and it's why, in my last update, I said it made for a better origin than the New 52 book. I guess I just wish I could see a mashup of the two in the DCEU, with Billy living with the Vazquez’s but still losing his parents to Black Adam. BUT they've already changed his parents' backstory there, making them still alive but unable to care for him, so. Sigh. Guess it wasn't meant to be.

Oh man, and that end twist where the ghost of Billy’s dad was the one to lead him to the Rock of Eternity??? I had my suspicions but the reveal still surprised me. Their reunion almost made me cry. And CC calling Billy "William"? Ugh. Don't even talk to me, I am emotionally compromised.

I really should have started with this rather than Issue #1 in the series, but that was available on DC Universe and sadly this wasn't. But now thankfully that first issue makes sense to me and I cannot wait to read on and see how Billy finds Mary, and how Freddy will tie into this, because I know from future issue covers that he'll join the party too, soon enough.

[Philmore Olazo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you are given power and responsibility because of birthright, sometimes is because you fought for them, and sometimes it's just because you are the right person to weild them.

This story is a retelling of the original Fawcett publications story of Captain Marvel (I'm not calling him Shazam).

We begin with a group of archeologists in Egypt, the Batsons and Adam. As we know, Billy is an orphan, and this is due to his parents being killed during an excursion by Adam.

Adam was under orders of Dr. Sivana to steal antient artifacts and avoid the Egyptian archeology team to do so, this ended in poor Billy on the streets homeless and family less.

Until a faithful day when a stranger asked Billy to follow him to the subway (if this happens in real life, run away as fast as possible, I assure you that you will not become a super hero). He is taken to a place called The Rock of Eternity where he meets the wizard Shazam, who gives him the powers of six different gods to become Earth's protector.

Billy reacts like any child would, afraid of his new responsibility.

If I had to say something negative about the story, it would be that the return of Black Adam is a bit strange and that I prefer the original story from Fawcett.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unique whimsy of the original Captain Marvel was never a good fit for the Oh So Serious post-Crisis DC universe. First Roy Thomas tried writing him as a gritty, realistic character. Then he was written as a kind of milquetoast softy, a kid in a man's body, during the years he was in the Justice League.
Finally Jerry Ordway nailed it with this reboot graphic novel, which led to a series. Cap is definitely a kid in a man's body, but he's a more believable kid rather than played for comic relief. The story works several twists on the original origin and they pay off.
Ordway still can't offer the full wackiness of the old series, but he does Cap about as well as possible in a "serious" setting. I can see a lot of his work carrying over to the Geoff Johns reboot years later.
Extra points for the cool, deliberately retro setting of Fawcett City for the adventures.

[Jota Houses · Rating 1 out of 5]

No me gusta Jerry Ordway. Ya me molestaba cuando se hizo cargo de Adventure Comics en los 80 robándole espacio a John Byrne en el ralanzamiento de Superman post Crisis y aquí asesina sin piedad al Gran Queso Rojo con un dibujo poco apropiado y una historia con reminiscencias de Pulp que no marcan un tono adecuado para el personaje. Mejor no perder el tiempo y leer el estupendo Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil de Jeff Smith.

[Kathryn Halbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the movie, now I'm delving into the comics in kindle unlimited since I really don't know much about the character. I'm pleased to say the art inside this volume is better than the cover, which I don't really care for. It's well drawn with a vintage vibe. The writing is pretty hokey, but it's a pretty hokey origin story so I guess just go with it or read something else. It was a decent jumping in point since it did start with the origin story, which is a bit different from how they played it in the movie.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent update on Captain Marvel

Shazam is undergoing a renaissance due to the success of the recent movie and comic book written by Geoff Johns. Jerry Or way had written the original graphic novel 2 decades ago and still enjoyed reading it years later. Like Johns, Ordway modernized Captain Marvel and maintained the classic elements and making it contemporary to both old fans and New ones. This is a must recommend of all ages.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.
I've only seen the Shazam DC. movie before and thought it was... ok, good but not great so I didn't have a lot of high expectations for the comics.
I was happily proven, it was well written, with an unexpectedly gritty premise (nowhere near as camp as I thought) yet I laughed out loud a couple of times. Simply gorgeous illustrations.
Was a fan, looking forward to reading more Shazam!

[Rizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. A bit stilted in places, but the art really sold the atmosphere for me. This is a good complement to the Jeff Smith "Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil", as both are origin tales for Billy, but told very different ways. That one is very whimsical and focused on Mr. Mind and Sivana, while this one focuses on Black Adam. Good stuff.

[Brian Spath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic art and a whip fast story, Jerry Ordway delivers a quick, crackling take that laid the groundwork for his ongoing Captain Marvel series. A lightning fast read that provides plenty of dazzling artwork along with character depth in 90+ swift pages.

[Carolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Shazam read, so I do not have many references. However, I enjoyed the story very much, I felt it was almost worthy of the 5 stars. Even though I had my concerns at the beginning, the story wraps up nicely enough.

[Luiz Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crítica | O Poder de Shazam! (1994): https://www.planocritico.com/critica-...