“You call us monsters, but when we win…we will call you slaves.”
Everything is going wrong. Freddy loses control of his superhero form after being possessed by the malevolent amber lightning and seeks to eliminate Philly’s homeless, Mary Marvel is at the sadistic whims of Dr. Georgia Sivana, and above all…the Monster Society of Evil makes a devastating play for power. Things are looking bleak for the Shazamily in spite of their desperate efforts, and one has to wonder how this could possibly be turned back in their favor. With a script focused on direness and art that doubles down on action, Josie Campbell and Dan McDaid get down to serious business in Shazam! #18.
And because of that, everyone in the Society owes Dr. Sivana ten bucks.
If it wasn’t clear that Campbell was intent on bringing the Monster Society back into play when bat-like demons were invading with chants that “the time of monsters is here,” then it certainly was when the Society first appeared at the beginning of DC All In. Though the structure of the team is not quite clear beyond the population of some classic members and having Mr. Mind and Dr. Sivana (no, the other one) being its more personal threats to the family, the Society has one goal in mind: making ancient monsters its ruling conquerors once more. But just what is a Sivana getting out of this?
Georgia is the only member of the team with a consistent foothold in this issue, serving as the present threat of the new team while Mr. Mind continues his narration, which is less prevalent due to how much more this issue is interested in interpersonal conflicts instead of the internal one Freddy has suffered these past couple issues. While it would’ve been nice to see a more solid foundation built for this take on the Monster Society as their plan was enacted, honing in on the dynamic between Georgia and Mary is just what the issue needed since, as stated in my previous reviews, Mary has been a consistent point of strength for Campbell and will certainly play a key role in whatever Society’s plans bring forth.
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Another point of strength in this issue is in McDaid being able to let loose with his action sequences, which have been somewhat sparse up to now. The Monster Society detains Mary Marvel, the Commander is on a rampage, and some familiar Neon Genesis Evangelion-like robots return in this issue, giving plenty of variety to the fisticuffs at play. A particularly emotionally loaded fist fight between Billy and Freddy takes the brunt of McDaid’s more cartoonish sensibilities as he plays with how the moving characters interact with the paneling. Trish Mulvihill’s coloring also channels a sense of foreboding that adds to the climactic nature of this chapter, especially with Freddy.
Undoubtedly the most engaging part of this issue is Billy and the Captain, who finally have a much-needed heart to heart that solidifies how the two must view each other in order to work together. The rebuilding of their dynamic has been a consistent plot of this series since it started last year, and Campbell and co finally pay that off with a heavy yet touching moment that saves both characters on multiple levels. It finally feels as though Billy’s sense of responsibility has been fully reinstated properly into his characterization, but with the events of the issue one must wonder just how late “better late than never” can go.
In summary, Shazam! #18 is an action-packed issue that takes itself more seriously than Campbell’s run has up to now. While the Monster Society on a whole still feels underdeveloped in spite of the slow setup over the last bunch of issues, to paraphrase Mr. Mind, there are several threads returning but still plenty of loose ends to tie up. McDaid and Mulvihill further prove themselves as worthy additions to the art pantheon of the Shazam legacy, bringing the best of modern and classic disciplines to form a clear love letter to Jerry Ordway and Jeff Smith.
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