Category: Written Reviews

Written and Illustrated by Jerry Ordway

To the best of my recollection, this is the only Shazam I’ve read that features the closest thing to what can be considered the original take on the Captain Marvel character. I may have read a few issues of the subsequent series that resulted from the success of this series, but my only exposure to the Marvel family would’ve been guest spots in other comic books and maybe that one cartoon from the days when a cartoon based on a comic book was about as much of the norm as a superhero film would be today.

For all intents and purposes, The Power Of Shazam is the then-modern day origin story of how young Billy Batson was chosen by the wizard Shazam to become the mighty hero Captain Marvel. Those who are only familiar with the modern-day version with the whole family thing will find this to be a much different. This is the story of Billy Batson trying to find his place in the world… all the while having to deal with a new power set given to him by an ancient wizard while also dealing with a villain with ties to the wizard and Billy as well.

A reviewer by the name of Tom Knapp had compared The Power Of Shazam to one of those old-timey Saturday Morning serials from the 1930s and that’s a viewpoint I would agree with wholeheartedly. Not just in terms of imagining the world of Fawcett City as a typical metropolis (no pun intended) of the 1930s, complete with all the visual stylings, dressings, and lingo of the day – only way you could have taken this over the top was to print the story in black and white – but also in terms of its wholesomeness. Despite being written during contemporary times, this is a story where the line between heroes and villains are clearly defined, there’s no mixed message to be found here, and there’s an ending to a story that may lead to other stories, but is nonetheless an ending to this story.

There’s no question that Jerry Ordway put together a compelling piece of work that pays homage and tribute to the character and his lore. While it is clearly a sampler of things to come, it also serves very nicely as its own piece of work. Ordway also puts in time with the painted interior art, which is exceptional stuff, indeed.

The Power Of Shazam is an excellent read indeed and for whatever it’s worth, it’s one of the strongest Shazam stories ever conceived. If you’re going to read just one of these things, make it this one.

The short-lived Mega Man comic book from now-defunct publisher Dreamwave is an oddity of sorts. Based on the popular video game series, the comic repurposes Mega Man as a boy robot going to school and keeping his identity as the super fighting robot a secret like a traditional superhero yarn. On occasion, there are superheroics and robot battles, but these seem secondary in comparison to the school life (though things pick up as the series progresses and eventually ends abruptly.)

My issues with this series is numerous, but probably the biggest one being that this never truly felt like a Mega Man series, but rather a series of a boy robot and his adventures in school who took the form of Mega Man and associated side characters because they couldn’t be bothered to create their own heroes… despite the fact that they had no problem creating their own robot masters and steel devil villains for Mega Man to fight.

The art isn’t too bad; if anything, it keeps the character designs largely consistent with official sources and they didn’t detract too far off the beaten path in that regard when it came to creating some of the original humans for this series. The overall style maintains the anime feel you’d associate with Mega Man, but can be a bit messy at times.

In the final issue, a crossover was teased between the classic series and the Mega Man X series, further teasing an X series that never materialized due to Dreamwave shutting its doors. Mega Man would see new life in a long-running comic series from Archie Comics, which did a better job of staying true to the source material than this series ever did. Mega Man’s stint at Dreamwave was short and sweet, but nothing about warranted return trips any time soon.

Superman: The Earth Stealers – a One-shot released smack in the infancy of John Byrne’s reboot run of the Man Of Steel – is an oddity of sorts.

It involves an absurd plot where aliens steal the Earth and Superman has to get it back and a resolution that feels right at home in Silver Age lore, but somewhat out of place in the post-Crisis world, where Superman is depicted as less almighty than he had been in the past. The Earth Stealers runs contrary to that, since it showcases Superman at his absolute super-est. The fact that the book is illustrated in part by Curt Swan – he who has drawn many Silver Age Superman – adds credence to the old-school vibe.

I am, by no means, giving this book a low grade as a result because The Earth Stealers is a fun ride. A largely self-contained story that has some cool Superman bits that would’ve been perfectly at home with a bygone era of the Man of Steel’s history, yet maintains the more grounded characterizations and interplay of the then-current time. It’s a clash that shouldn’t work, but it does because John Byrne knew his Superman and knew what should and shouldn’t work with its take on the character. And the artwork by Curt Swan and Jerry Ordway is top-notch stuff.

All in all, I found The Earth Stealers to be a quick, fun read that maintains the standard of the Byrne-era Superman while infusing just enough Silver Age antics to keep the whole thing from being silly. A good book worth checking out.