Preview: Shazam The Monster Society of Evil #1

As you’ve seen here, our Book of Doom this week is something that everybody’s got to be excited about, the first issue of Jeff Smith’s take on Shazam. Being the glory hog that I am, I can’t help but trot out an early look since the folks at DC were so nice as to send an advance copy. There won’t be any spoilers, though, and I’ll try to keep my comments general so as not to steal our communal reviewing thunder.

I’ll lay it out up front that I’m not a huge fan of Smith’s. It’s not that I don’t like Bone, I’ve just never read much of it at all. After reading this first issue, I can see that I’ve most likely been missing out and should pick up that big Bone omnibus that came out not long ago. So, yeah, as if you weren’t expecting it, this book is good. It’s really silly and all-ages in the best of ways.

By that, I mean the story is fun and kind of over-the-top in a way that kids will like. And the art is very gentle and a touch cartoon-y (very much in line with the Christmas card of Smith’s that I posted here), which will also be a draw for the young’uns. But there are plenty of dark moments that make this not a complete fantasy realm, but the real world with all its cons (that’s a pun. You just have to wait to read the issue to get it).

For as long as I’ve read comics, I’ve had absolutely zero interest in Captain Marvel as a character. He always seemed like he held a lot of potential, but was only the most intriguing in series like Kingdom Come, when he was a sort of powerful-but-dim weapon for the villains to take advantage of. Here, Smith comes up with a completely new way of looking at the character. It took me a bit to adjust to it, given my expectations. But by the end of the issue, I was sold.