“I miss the old days with bank robberies.”
He’s been a puppet of the gods from whom he gets his power, fended off an invasion of paperwork-obsessed space dinosaurs, and even managed to make nice with Black Adam in the process. In the now, Billy’s been invited onto national television by broadcast host Jack Ryder to talk about his Captain dedicated–and briefly Metamorpho dedicated–news site. Surely nothing wacky or insane will happen this time, right?
Oh, who am I kidding?
Before the pen is handed to Josie Campbell, Mark Waid is joined by his World’s Finest: Teen Titans collaborator Emanuela Lupacchino for one more zany ride. While Billy tries to shrug off his own crisis of identity, he and the Captain are unwittingly thrust into a team up with the unpredictable vigilante called the Creeper; what ensues in the eyes of our hero is a night of heroics where it’s not just the danger keeping him on edge.
This story is almost entirely standalone, serving as a kind of epilogue and transition point for the new creative team. Both notions are executed very effectively here as Waid crafts a narrative that ponders where the previous eight issues have left Billy while also bringing his more inconsequential Metamorpho ongoing gag plot line to a close for a thematically appropriate bookend. The presence of both Jack Ryder and his creepy alter ego also tests Billy’s judgment of character while acting as a reminder for the latter of his recent troubles in the media due to arrogance and lack of tact.
DC Comics
Furthermore, and notably, emphasis is once again placed on Billy being a reporter as he and Ryder discuss podcasting and putting on a performance for the public. This seemingly minor callback also serves Billy’s budding identity crisis as he and the Captain’s personalities grow further and further apart, which in itself functions as a return to the character’s Golden Age status quo. This throws another wrench into the plotline of his siblings’ having lost their powers, and will undoubtedly be a prominent story springboard in the next era regardless.
Lupacchino also makes a strong first impression prior to becoming a mainstay in the next era. Her linework gives the Captain a softer edge that feels very tonally in line with the classic feel the series has prided itself on thus far, and Trish Mulvihill’s use of softer colors and shading than previous colorists complement that for a presentation that’s both visually stark yet still breezy fun to follow panel to panel. The end result, to varying extents, feels reminiscent of work by Terry and Rachel Dodson. To say the least, the Captain feels thoroughly big, red, AND cheesy.
Rife with the campy weirdness that has made the series a pure joy issue to issue, Shazam! #9 is a perfect final issue to Mark Waid’s short lived revamp. The brevity of it is worth the sheer amount of casual repairs and additions that were made for a proper reevaluation of the character’s world, and that remains true in amidst the pure fun of this one-off tale. The stage has now been set for Josie Campbell, and with the groundwork laid as it has been I am incredibly excited to see what she and Emanuela Lupacchino are cooking up for the Shazamily.
And now that Waid has been freed up, I can also eagerly await that Metamorpho series he so clearly wants to do.
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