Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Trials of Shazam # 3 (of 12)

By koppy mcfad
November 22, 2006 - 09:51

This is the third part of a miniseries where Freddy Freeman must prove himself worthy of the mantle of Captain Marvel, by impressing various magical "elders." Unfortunately, a cabal of evil mystics called Wolfram and Hart-- I mean, the Council of Merlin, are deliberately sabotaging his progress so that their own candidate, a shapely girl of undefined ethnicity, can take his place. This issue, Freddy kills a tentacled demon, then gets a tattoo from another shapely girl of undefined ethnicity. So much of this comic is aimed at the "Buffy" crowd, from the angsty tone, the emphasis on "kewl" youthful characters to Freddy's silly strip of chin-hair. Porter's art, while impressive, does not seem to fit the story well. The heavy shadows and painted tones may make the story seem more supernatural and epic but it also tends to make a lot of scenes seem stiff for a modern, youthful story. There is also a bizarre scene where we discover that Freddy has always resented Captain Marvel for causing the chain of events that got him crippled. That sounds like such a trendy, modernistic update to a classic character, it just sticks out like some attempt to modernize a Golden Age hero by giving him a leather jacket with lots of buckles. DC has decided to revive the Captain Marvel character by playing up his magical background but this dark and gritty version shows that they are abandoning the magic that once made the Big Red Cheese unique.

Trials of Shazam # 2 (of 12)

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51