DC Comics reviews 6/2/20 – Detective Comics #1022, Batman Superman #9

Shazam #12

Geoff Johns’ lengthy opening act has gone through numerous delays since the start of the title so it wasn’t entirely shocking that a fill-in issue was necessary at some point. Maybe the big surprise is how completely enjoyable this standalone is thanks to writer Jeff Loveness and artist Brandon Peterson.

Loveness captures the flavor of Shazam from the live-action film with young Billy trying to prove himself as a hero with helpful advice from his stepbrother Freddy.

Off Freddy’s prompting, Billy decides to go make an impact in a city that could really use his powers — Gotham. This leads to an encounter Billy wasn’t expecting with one of Batman’s most dangerous rogues and a team-up with The Dark Knight.

As a one-off the battle with the rogue isn’t that lengthy, but Loveness makes this such a fun issue with his tremendously in character dialogue and excellent interaction between Batman and Shazam.

Peterson has been a stellar artist for years and he’s definitely able to convey the child within an adult superhero dynamic of Shazam. Peterson’s sense of perspectives is very useful as he makes Shazam fill the frame to showcase his physique.

I’m not the biggest fan of standalone issues especially tossed in the middle of an ongoing arc but this was a really enjoyable issue and a welcome diversion from the real world kind of story.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10