DC Comics reviews for the week of 5/8/19

Shazam #5

I’m not sure if any book can handle four artists working through 22 pages, but Shazam #5 does its best. Writer Geoff Johns sets up the kind of narrative that in some ways covers for the artist armada. The Marvel Family are split throughout various worlds.

Eugene is thrilled to be on the Gamelands with Pedro as he’s convinced his life his been building up to the moment where getting the high score makes him a winner in the real world as well as the virtual one. Billy and Mary try and convince King Kid his adult servitude plan isn’t the best way to conduct operations in The Funlands while Darla and Freddy try to avoid getting screwed in a real kangaroo court in The Wildlands. And what’s Black Adam up to?

Marco Santucci, Dale Eaglesham, Scott Kollins and Max Raynor tackle the respective subplots. It’s a smart approach to having so many artists although my preference would be to limit it two at most. Kollins is a natural fit for the lively Gamelands with his energetic and busy style. Eaglesham started as the sole artist on the book and his seven pages are a reminder of how well suited he is for the title. Santucci handles the Black Adam pages sharply enough that I’d like to see him handle the inevitable Black Adam/Marvel Family clash. Raynor’s work is the most out of place with the exaggerated character expressions, but his style would be fine on a full issue. Mike Atiyeh has the toughest gig this issue ensuring his colors enhance each artists’ work properly.

This issue didn’t move a lot of the plot forward and the segments didn’t get enough time to advance anything. Still, the charm of this book remains seeing the Marvel Family deal with these bizarre challenges. Johns teases a big clash that begins to take shape here, which should be very exciting for longtime Shazam fans. This was the first issue that felt like the deliberate wait for the trade pacing, but even so this was still a fun installment of a surprisingly great series.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10