{"id":27513,"date":"2023-02-05T12:03:42","date_gmt":"2023-02-05T12:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=27513"},"modified":"2023-02-05T12:03:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-05T12:03:42","slug":"billy-batson-and-the-magic-of-shazam-family-affair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2023\/02\/05\/billy-batson-and-the-magic-of-shazam-family-affair\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!: Family Affair"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Mike Kunkel<\/strong>, Art Baltazar<\/strong>, Franco<\/strong>, Byron Vaughns<\/strong>, Ken Branch<\/strong> & Stephen DeStefano <\/strong>& various <\/strong>(DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-49650-290-2 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

After the runaway success of Jeff Smith\u2019s magnificent reinvention of the original Captain Marvel (Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil<\/a> <\/strong>) it was simply a matter of time before that iteration won its own title in the monthly marketplace. What was a stroke of sheer genius was to place the new Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!<\/strong> under the bright and shiny aegis of the company\u2019s young reader imprint – in what used to be the Cartoon Network spin-off section.<\/p>\n

This collection re-presents the first dozen issues, spanning cover-dates September 2008 through March 2010 and opens on a most familiar world, slightly askew of the mainstream DC Universe. These frantically ebullient and utterly contagious tales of the orphan Batson and his obnoxious, hyperactive little sister Mary<\/em> – both gifted by an ancient mage with the powers of the gods – could play out in wild and woolly semi-isolation hampered by nothing except page count\u2026<\/p>\n

Billy Batson<\/em> is a homeless kid with a murky past and a glorious destiny. One night he followed a mysterious figure into an abandoned subway station and met the wizard Shazam<\/em>. The ancient guardian of good granted him the ability to turn into an adult superhero called Captain Marvel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Gifted with the wisdom of S<\/strong>olomon, strength of H<\/strong>ercules, stamina of A<\/strong>tlas, power of Z<\/strong>eus, courage of A<\/strong>chilles and speed of M<\/strong>ercury, the lad was despatched into the world to do good: a noble if perhaps immature boy in a super man\u2019s body.<\/p>\n

Accompanied by talking tiger-spirit Mr. Tawky Tawny<\/em>, Billy tracked down his missing little sister, but whilst battling evil genius Dr. Sivana<\/em> (US Attorney General and would-be ruler of the universe) he impetuously caused a ripple in the world\u2019s magical fabric through which monsters and ancient perils now occasionally slip through. Currently, the reunited orphans are trying to live relatively normal lives, but finding the going a little tough\u2026<\/p>\n

Firstly, without adults around, Billy often has to masquerade as his own dad and when he\u2019s not at school he\u2019s the breadwinner, earning a living as a boy-reporter at radio\/TV station WHIZ. Moreover, little Mary<\/em> also has access to (most of) the Power of Shazam, and she\u2019s a lot smarter than he is in using it\u2026 as well as a real pain in Billy\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n

Animator and storyteller Mike Kunkel, inspired creator of the simply lovely Herobear and the Kid<\/strong>, leads off this collection: writing, drawing and colouring a breakneck, riotous romp over the first four issues reintroducing the new Marvel Family to any new readers and, by virtue of that pesky rift in the cosmic curtain, recreating the Captain\u2019s greatest foe: Black Adam<\/strong>. In case you\u2019re wondering, Steve Wands did the lettering\u2026<\/p>\n

The villain was once the mightiest man alive but was banished for abusing Shazam\u2019s gift. However, after the damage to reality Billy caused, he\u2019s back but nowhere near the Man he was\u2026<\/p>\n

This time the evil predecessor of the World\u2019s Mightiest Mortal is a powerless but truly vile brat: a schoolboy bully who returns to Earth after millennia in limbo, ready to cause great mischief – but he cannot remember the magic word that activates his evil adult self\u2026<\/p>\n

This hilarious tale has just the right amount of dark underpinning, as the atrocious little thug stalks Billy and Mary, trying to wheedle and eventually torture the secret syllables from them. When – inevitably – Black Adam regains his mystic might and subsequently liberates the petrified Seven Deadly Evils of Mankind<\/em> from their imprisonment on the wizard\u2019s Rock of Eternity, the stage is set for a classic confrontation.<\/p>\n

Along the way to that climactic clash there\u2019s oodles of sheer hilarity as Billy\u2019s troubles are magnified by increasing demands on his time by overzealous teachers and Principal Strikta<\/em> wanting to conference with his \u201cdad\u201d, whilst his journalistic partner and mentor Ms. Fidelity<\/em> seems romantically attracted to his older body – which is still piloted by Billy\u2019s pre-teen mind\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no comfort at all that Mary is still thinking up better and cleverer ways to use the powers they share and that she might be the Wizard\u2019s favourite, but the real problem is Theo Adam<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

The returned terror might be stuck in his child form, but when he joins Billy in class, it soon becomes clear that the bully is sticking painfully close just in case one of the emergencies he\u2019s orchestrated allows him to overhear Billy shouting out that word\u2026<\/p>\n

Inevitably all Billy\u2019s worries come true and Black Adam regains his powers, leading the resurrected Seven Deadly Evils against humanity. Happily, although outpowered, out-fought and at his lowest moment, Billy comes up with a plan\u2026<\/p>\n

Pitched perfectly at the young reader, with equal parts danger, comedy, sibling rivalry and the regular outwitting of adults, this first storyline screams along with a brilliantly clever feel-good finish, perfectly setting up the next all-action comedic challenge\u2026<\/p>\n

From issue #5 (September 2009) writing team Art Baltazar & Franco (Franco Aureliani) \u2013 collectively responsible for the incomparably compulsive madness of Tiny Titans <\/strong>and Superman Family<\/strong> – took over the legend-spinning, and artists Byron Vaughns & Ken Branch limn the first bombastic tale as convict Doctor Sivana unleashes a stolen atomic automaton against the two kids he hates most in the world in \u2018Mr Who?<\/em> Mr. Atom!\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The destructive giant robot rampage was simply a ploy to cover his escape from prison. Although the mighty marvels overcome the onslaught thanks to input from its creator, Billy has a bigger problem to solve. He has a tremendous crush on Ms. Fidelity but she barely notices him whenever his heroic alter ego is around and even when he\u2019s not\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2018To Be King\u2019<\/em> then pits the champions of Fawcett City against primordial super-caveman King Kull<\/em>: a physical and mental giant trying to reconquer the planet he ruled in millennia past. Older fans of gentle fantasy will be enthralled and delighted here by the singular art of Stephen DeStefano, who won hearts and minds with his illustration of Bob Rozakis\u2019 seminal series Hero Hotline<\/strong> and \u2019Mazing Man<\/strong> – both painfully, criminally overdue for graphic novel collections of their own\u2026<\/p>\n

The King\u2019s defeat is singular and shocking, but the young warriors are unaware that Sivana has again benefitted from their actions and is now weaponizing Kull\u2019s remains\u2026<\/p>\n

Encroaching disaster is everywhere. At the Rock of Eternity, Shazam is helpless to prevent the Seven Evils from slowly awakening again and senses another hidden enemy in play. Calling on long-sidelined shapeshifting tiger totem Mr. Tawky Tawny<\/em>, he inadvertently tips off evil genius Sivana and leads him to the Batson\u2019s home. The wicked misfit even captures the tiger-man and uses him to power a newer, deadlier Mr. Atom in the Byron Vaughns illustrated \u2018Deception Reception\u2019<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

With (the original) Captain Marvel<\/strong> on the ropes, \u2018Come Together!\u2019<\/em> sees Sivana press his attack, deploying enslaved Kull to back up his killer bot, before being again outsmarted by Mary Marvel whose grasp of physics saves the day and the tiger\u2026<\/p>\n

Another classic villain is revived as Shazam\u2019s observations of Earth hone in on a deadly arsonist just as Billy begins acting strangely \u2026like a jerk or perhaps pubescent schoolboy\u2026<\/p>\n

As Mary talks things over with recuperating houseguest Tawky-Tawny, they realise they haven\u2019t seen Billy for some time, only his increasingly obnoxious adult alter ego. The crisis comes to head in \u2018Fire Fire Everywhere!\u2019<\/em> as the hero appallingly overreacts to the firebug, employing excessive force and accidentally creating an Arson Fiend<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2018The Legacy of Mr. Banjo!\u2019<\/em> also channels a Golden Age bad guy as Billy and Mary stumble into a bank robbery perpetrated by Axe<\/em>, the teenage son of the Axis agent and using his mystic music to mesmerise mortals into parting with their money. Although Billy is wilful enough to shrug off the spell it takes a pep talk from Ms. Fidelity to give him the edge needed to free Mary and stop Axe\u2026<\/p>\n

One good thing about the clash is that Billy is clearheaded now and realises he must not say his magic word ever again\u2026<\/p>\n

With Mary and Tawky-Tawny in tow, Billy heads for Shazam\u2019s citadel and\u00a0 proper diagnosis. The result is the freeing of an evil duplicate in \u2018Mirror Mirror\u2019<\/em>, but the stupendous battle between hero and reflection is just a prelude to the final clash as the fight exposes the long-hidden secret villain in \u2018Mr. Mind Over Matter!\u2019<\/em> and Billy and his sister must stop both the wicked worm and its Monster Society of Evil with brains not brawn\u2026<\/p>\n

Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!: Family Affair<\/strong> is ideal for bringing kids into comics: funny, thrilling, stylishly illustrated and perfectly in tune with what young minds want to see. Moreover, with another major motion picture adaptation set to premiere in March, it\u2019s a timely moment to get reacquainted with the Big Red Cheese \u2026and the Little Babybel\u2026<\/p>\n

Incorporating a full cover gallery and a Kunkel variant, plus a key code for those pages written in the \u2018Monster Society of Evil Code\u2019<\/em> this is an addictive treat for all readers who can still revel in the power of pure wonderment and still glory in an unbridled capacity for joy.
\n\u00a9 2008, 2009, 2020 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mike Kunkel, Art Baltazar, Franco, Byron Vaughns, Ken Branch & Stephen DeStefano & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-49650-290-2 (HB\/Digital edition) After the runaway success of Jeff Smith\u2019s magnificent reinvention of the original Captain Marvel (Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil ) it was simply a matter of time before that iteration won its own … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!: Family Affair”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[113,76,125,97,131],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-comedy","category-dc-superhero","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-shazam"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-79L","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27513"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27517,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27513\/revisions\/27517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}