Shazam continues world-building, as
writer Geoff Johns provides greater insight into the Lands of Magic. All well
and good, I suppose, but I disagree with this strategy. For support, I turn to
the ill-fated Green Lantern film
(2011). Hear me out:
In this type of serialized
storytelling (comic books, television, etc.), I believe it helps to have a hub
around which the storytelling revolves. In this case that would be Billy
Batson/Shazam. But, in the space of five issues, we have met Billy’s foster siblings
and their magic-powered counterparts, as well as an assortment of magical
realms heretofore unknown within the greater DC Universe.
By presenting the audience
with the full monty of the Shazam mythology, it doesn’t permit much growth for
future story-telling. And this is where the Green
Lantern film (co-produced by Geoff Johns) stumbled. Rather than tell an
engaging story about Hal Jordan becoming Green Lantern, and then saving the
larger scope of the Green Lantern Corps for the sequel, it squeezed so much of
the GL lore into a single film, there was little elbow room for drawing the
audience in. It was like going to a buffet and having more food piled on your
plate faster than you could eat and enjoy it.
I much prefer the slow
boil (but not too slow) of introducing the character, then the supporting
characters, and allowing the audience to know them, then bringing in other
secondary concepts. Perhaps this particular storyline should have been told
next year, after we’ve grown comfortable with this version of the original
Captain Marvel.
But Shazam has the benefit
of the recent movie, a much better production and also co-produced by Geoff
Johns. One might almost consider this series from DC Comics the unofficial
sequel to the film. But I hope there is a sequel.
Rating: 6/10