The Marvel
kids are still fighting their way out of the Magic Lands, while back in the
“real” world, Billy’s dad has come a-calling, looking for his estranged son.
Yeah, I remember that plot development – from FIVE ISSUES AGO!! It seems
too important to me to have waited this long
to be addressed.
What’s happened in the
intervening issues? Well, not much. The kids/super-heroes have been struggling
to make their way out of the Magic Lands, only to wander into another mystical
“neighborhood.” However, the solution may have presented itself in this chapter,
if in a deus ex machine sort of way.
I appreciate the artwork
of Eaglesham, but another artist – either Santucci or Kolins, I can’t tell
which – steps in for a brief sequence. The sudden change in style is a bit
jarring, but thankfully it’s during a scene change. I’d prefer to avoid such
situations in the future, but the art bar is set higher these days, so everyone
needs a helping hand now and then.
As this chapter concludes,
it is my hope that the Billy can get back to some regular super-heroing, allowing
his super-powered sibling to hang in the background a little more. I don’t
dislike the new concept of the whole family as a franchise, but I feel it’s the
sort of thing to be explored judiciously, so that the original Captain
Marvel/Shazam can develop front and center.
Rating: 7/10