Well for old times sake as in the ole' DCMB :
The Good, Bad, The Ugly
"The Bad" will be first however....
I really miss the name Captain Marvel. I wish Billy had both SHAZAM and Captain Marvel.
Okay on to the "THE GOOD"
Man where do I start. This has to be a must-have Graphic Novel collection and I think kids, preteens and teenagers have a great Captain Marvel for their generation. Its feel well placed int he 21st century. A kid born in 2000 and now turning into a teenager has a super hero he can connect with.
If you are a old fan like me, well I am not 40 ..... yet. Not really old but definitely a fan for a very long time. There is lot to cheer for. Billy Batson after a risky start from Geoff Johns is the kid we always love. He's spunky (from Issue 1) but now has that heart of gold. It folded slow and sensibily from the first issue and feels organic. And while the kids sometimes emerges when he is CM, he's more adult when he is in his human form as Billy.
As an old fan, you got a wealth of classic villians and updated just right:
Black Adam
Seven Sins of Man -- who then merges with a human and becomes
Sabbac II (from pre-52 Winnick pages)
Ibac
The progression of how Dr. Thaddeus Sivana actually becomes the classic version we know him of and how he is survival will is at the ..er..hands of
Mr. Mind in the that great last page panel.
And it all makes sense and feels great.
Then there is the over all theme and return of the MARVEL FAMILY
We get Mary and Freddy (in his blue) but also the Lt. Marvels in those colors someone came up with (cough!) several years ago.
Darla seem to have more superspeed, Pedro had strenght (and Atlas's beard), and Eugene version of wisdom is quite creative. The ability to communicate with in-animate objects.
But Mary outfit looks fantastic and why? its mostly her classic look with sensible bracelets.
Even Twany is a magical now and part of the family.
The Ugly
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The return of power-sharing however I like how Geoff version of it works. The Marvel Family do not become powered by magical words (so far). Billy looks like he has to power them up via his spellcasting lightning. Billy ability to share the power comes at a price so he won't willy-nilly do it all the time or keep expanding. Black Adam did suggest to him that he wasn't doing it right so there may be a technique that doesn't leave him weak.
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Finale!
How does Black Adam meets his demise. His classic version ending. Billy in his own way tricks Adam into changing back to human form where he ages super fast. He does it by using something that I think all heroes need and not Achilles pre52 attribute: Courage!
Billy's courage and wit saves the day.
Some die-hard Black Adam fans do not like how Adam being was tricked but always been part of his origin and demeanor. But Adam was ultimately defeated by that BIG OLE PRIDE of his that Billy tap into.
I could go on but its amazing how with all the changes ... things really never changes, Geoff honored the character and his mythos. I can't wait for a new series. I would scream if they said Gary Frank would do the artwork cuz the man rendering of his tale was stellar. It would be slow coming out but I wouldn't mind... its worth the wait!
SHAZAM!
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