“The world needs a champion. A champion of the lost and the forgotten. Will you defend the earth from villainy, keeping their instruments of evil locked in the rock for all eternity? If so, then just say the word.”
In Shazam! #15, Philadelphia is sinking and monsters are rising from beneath the streets. Meanwhile, Billy Batson is on a quest to rediscover his purpose, Freddy Freeman is desperately seeking to escape his new artistic adversary, and Mary Marvel and Uncle Dudley are joined by Tawky Tawny and the rest of the siblings in holding back the invading hordes of Submen. This may be the finale of “Where in the World is Billy Batson?”, but there’s more than enough at play here that promises the story is far from over.
Josie Campbell and Emanuela Lupacchino, the latter with the help of Trish Mulvihill’s coloring, deliver another fun Shazamily romp that tries to bring into focus what it means to wield the power of the magic word, and how they have done that makes this issue feel like a defining moment for both Billy and Freddy in particular. However, it’s worth noting that Billy’s growth stemming from self-discovery while Freddy’s motives are more out of desperation and inadequacy presents an engaging contrast that will surely prove interesting to explore in the near future.
DC Comics
The issue’s biggest strength is in how it evolves the thematic narrative, particularly in how it harkens back to the first arc without feeling that it’s relying on an understanding of that story to get its point across as previous issues had. Prominent themes here come down to how those thought infallible may still falter in their duty, and how experience defines the gods just as their power does; the presence of said gods feels like a natural continuation of how they’ve been handled thus far, however that presence is limited by the fact that this is a finale with plenty else going on as it hones in mostly on making this third act battle as big and fun as the premise allows.
Now, there may be a lot happening in this issue, and while it is far from really detrimental the story does become a bit unfocused as a result. And while there is definitely a strong conclusion to Billy’s personal journey by the end, things do clue up rather quickly in spite of feeling relatively well-rounded, with a satisfying but abrupt conclusion to the story with King Kull specifically. In spite of any unanswered questions that hang over the conclusion, there is a real sense of confidence from the creatives in the last couple pages that still says “we’re still just getting started.”
As previously said, Lupacchino continues to deliver with some very fun art with psychedelic cues that are more consistently present throughout the issue than the last couple previous entries, however the aforementioned lack in focus amidst the chaos doesn’t leave much room for many singular points where the visuals really get to shine. While consistency isn’t an issue in itself, it leaves something to be desired when wishing for a page that lingers with the reader beyond the last one—which, I should mention, is an excellent page to end the issue on with how things have been built up.
To sum up, Shazam! #15 is an emotionally fulfilling concluding chapter, though it is admittedly held down by its inability to linger on its big moments throughout as it moves forward to set up the next arc; compared to previous Campbell and Lupacchino entries, this one proves energetic to a fault as a result. In spite of that, the emotional core is quite resonant and will definitely prove rewarding to those who’ve been reading this series since it began, and can possibly only become more so as the aftermath is explored.
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