First some disclosure. I am not a fan of the New 52 at DC. I think for the most part they are stripping away the heroic aspects of some of the greatest super-heroes the world has known. I approached this collection with some trepidation, Shazam (Captain Marvel) was one of my first super-heroes. I watched the Shazam! tv show every Saturday from September 7, 1974 through October 6, 1976. I loved Billy Batson traveling with his teacher Mentor. (Side note, why was Mentor never brought to the comics? It seems like this character from Greek mythology would fit in as a teacher to the fledgling Shazam). I read the comics published by DC in the 1970's and I was drawn to the character because it was about a young boy who transformed into a god-like man but remained Billy Batson.
Billy was a homeless boy who was chosen by the wizard Shazam to possess the power of gods (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury). But through it all, Billy was a good person. His homelessness, the loss of his parents, the power given to him, none of that changed the fact that Billy was pure of heart. A rare trait yes, but not fictional.
Then comes the New 52. Here Billy is an awful brat who scams his way into a foster home (Geoff Johns apparently has now idea how the foster system works, by the way). He is a rotten kid who we are told has the potential for good. I actually almost gave up on the book at this point.
I'm glad I didn't. Despite the rocky start the book really picks up once the villain Black Adam is introduced. Geoff Johns may not know about the foster care system, but he does know about comics. When faced with the adversity of Black Adam, the good kid Billy that I used to admire appeared on the pages. Additionally, Johns brings in characters like Dr. Shivana, Tawky Tawny, the Seven Deadly Sins, Ibac, and...well I won't give away the ending. Also introduced are Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr. and the Lieutenant Marvels*, although none of them are actually called this.
As i said, I started out hating what Johns did with this character, and honestly, the book does not start out well. But I promise you, stick with it and it pays off in the end. I hope that DC shows some wisdom and continues the stories introduced here. If this is your first experience with Shazam, I urge you to seek out some of the older Shazam stories (particularly The Power of Shazam series by Jerry Ordway. Unfortunately, this series has never been collected in a trade paper format, which is criminal.
*When he was originally created in 1939, it was suggested by the creators that Captain Marvel have six Lieutenant Marvels, each possessing an aspect of SHAZAM. This idea did not see print but in 1941 three Lieutenant Marvels were introduced, each possessing the same powers as Captain Marvel. In this story Billy shares his powers with his foster siblings. Each seems to also possess unique powers but it is not clear if these powers are related to the characteristics of the anagram Shazam.
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