What do you think?
Rate this book
Trials of Shazam! #7-12
The Trials of Shazam, Volume 2
A new Age of Magic has dawned.
The old rules that governed the world's supernatural beings are gone. Now it's up to Freddy Freeman, a former champion of the wizard Shazam, to take his mentor's place as the world's guardian against all magical threats.
But it's not as easy as saying a magic word. In order to acquire the power of the gods, Freddy must face a series of trials to prove his worth--or die trying. He's been granted the wisdom of Solomon and the courage of Achilles--but he's not the only one seeking the gods' remaining gifts.
A sinister sorceress is determined to steal the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the speed of Mercury and the power of Zeus. If she succeeds, the mantle of Shazam--and control of the entire world--will be hers. Can Freddy stop her and pass the test of the trials, or will a Dark Age of magic reign forever?
Writer Judd Winick (Green Arrow/Black Canary) and artists Howard Porter (JLA) and Mauro Cascioli present the stunning conclusion to this epic saga of magic and might, guest-starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the entire Justice League of America!
Collecting The Trials of Shazam! issues #7-12.
The old rules that governed the world's supernatural beings are gone. Now it's up to Freddy Freeman, a former champion of the wizard Shazam, to take his mentor's place as the world's guardian against all magical threats.
But it's not as easy as saying a magic word. In order to acquire the power of the gods, Freddy must face a series of trials to prove his worth--or die trying. He's been granted the wisdom of Solomon and the courage of Achilles--but he's not the only one seeking the gods' remaining gifts.
A sinister sorceress is determined to steal the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the speed of Mercury and the power of Zeus. If she succeeds, the mantle of Shazam--and control of the entire world--will be hers. Can Freddy stop her and pass the test of the trials, or will a Dark Age of magic reign forever?
Writer Judd Winick (Green Arrow/Black Canary) and artists Howard Porter (JLA) and Mauro Cascioli present the stunning conclusion to this epic saga of magic and might, guest-starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the entire Justice League of America!
Collecting The Trials of Shazam! issues #7-12.
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 29, 2008
1 person is currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Judd Winick
787 books392 followersJudd Winick is an American cartoonist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and former reality television personality known for his diverse contributions to storytelling across multiple media. He first entered the public eye in 1994 as a cast member on The Real World: San Francisco, where he formed a close friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora, an experience that deeply influenced his later work. Winick memorialized their bond in Pedro and Me, a critically acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel that earned several literary awards and became a staple in school curricula.
Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.
Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.
Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.
Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.
Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.
Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 11, 2017
The second and conclusion part of the limited series. There are a lot of celebrity guest stars, but they are guest stars, they won't affect the main plot. I admit the plot development was pretty good .
Majority of the gods in the story are disappointments for me. They are too petty and ironically too naïve. I could understand if people won't rate this series with many stars, because the predictable plots and many appearances of unsympathetic minor characters.
Majority of the gods in the story are disappointments for me. They are too petty and ironically too naïve. I could understand if people won't rate this series with many stars, because the predictable plots and many appearances of unsympathetic minor characters.
September 9, 2023
Thrilling and Captivating Shazam Episode !!
This graphic novel is supreme and featured a winning storyline. It is the continuation of Trials of Shazam Vol 1. The story progressed at a dynamic and energetic pace. The artwork could have been better, it was a bit limited in certain areas. The artwork was indeed colourful and provided a great insight into Freddy Freeman's exploits. The storyline was fabulous and only let down by the quality of artwork in certain areas as previously mentioned. Overall, an astounding book!!!
This graphic novel is supreme and featured a winning storyline. It is the continuation of Trials of Shazam Vol 1. The story progressed at a dynamic and energetic pace. The artwork could have been better, it was a bit limited in certain areas. The artwork was indeed colourful and provided a great insight into Freddy Freeman's exploits. The storyline was fabulous and only let down by the quality of artwork in certain areas as previously mentioned. Overall, an astounding book!!!
June 7, 2022
Puntaje: 4.2 Estrellas.
Hubo una gran mejoría en comparación con el primer Volumen.
En esta ocasión el villano evoluciona de forma impresionante y se convierte en una amenaza de nivel global. Tanto así que la misma Justice League tuvo que intervenir.
Me gustó el final, se logra el crecimiento del personaje principal. Ahora se ha vuelto más creíble que Freddy pueda ser Shazam.
Hubo una gran mejoría en comparación con el primer Volumen.
En esta ocasión el villano evoluciona de forma impresionante y se convierte en una amenaza de nivel global. Tanto así que la misma Justice League tuvo que intervenir.
Me gustó el final, se logra el crecimiento del personaje principal. Ahora se ha vuelto más creíble que Freddy pueda ser Shazam.
January 4, 2019
Surprisingly the art is not great interesting twist on the Capt Marvel story, but the art is so bad I can't get over it.
October 26, 2019
The first volume was better. I enjoyed the setup. But, I did not enjoy the resolution.
September 9, 2014
Este segundo volumen que sigue las pruebas de Freddy para convertirse en el nuevo Shazam, mejora notablemente con relación a el anterior tomo. En esta compilación que comienza desde el número 7 al 12, vemos a Freddy encontrarse con los dioses que le hace falta para obtener sus dones (Atlas, Mercurio, Apolo y Zeús) mientras que se enfrenta a la par con Sabina, una hechicera designada por el consejo de Merlin para hacerse con los poderes de Shazam.
En este volumen tanto como los personajes, como las peleas toman un nuevo nivel, interesantes son las versiones modernas de Atlas y Apolo, por otra parte Mercurio no decepciona y aunque el giro final es bastante predecible resulta muy bien justificado. Las peleas de Freddy vs Apolo, y Freddy vs Sabina están muy bien dibujadas, además la incursión de La Liga de la Justicia y la aparición de Tawky llenan de emoción las páginas.
Realmente esperaba una historia basada en Billy Batson y no en el reemplazo de este, pero aún así este cómic está magníficamente dibujado y va muy acorde a la historia planteada de Judd Winick, quizá no fue lo que esperaba ya que debí leer primero sobre la historia de Batson antes de adentrarme en el arco argumental de su sucesor, pero aún así este último volumen tiene grandiosos momentos que lo hacen por lo menos disfrutable para todo tipo de público.
En este volumen tanto como los personajes, como las peleas toman un nuevo nivel, interesantes son las versiones modernas de Atlas y Apolo, por otra parte Mercurio no decepciona y aunque el giro final es bastante predecible resulta muy bien justificado. Las peleas de Freddy vs Apolo, y Freddy vs Sabina están muy bien dibujadas, además la incursión de La Liga de la Justicia y la aparición de Tawky llenan de emoción las páginas.
Realmente esperaba una historia basada en Billy Batson y no en el reemplazo de este, pero aún así este cómic está magníficamente dibujado y va muy acorde a la historia planteada de Judd Winick, quizá no fue lo que esperaba ya que debí leer primero sobre la historia de Batson antes de adentrarme en el arco argumental de su sucesor, pero aún así este último volumen tiene grandiosos momentos que lo hacen por lo menos disfrutable para todo tipo de público.
February 26, 2013
The second volume of this Shazam trade finishes up the tale of Freddy Freeman's quest to become the new Captain Marvel. While the villain here, Sabina, is uber violent and bloodthirsty she is painfully one note and most of the gods of magic lack interest and awe. The reveal at the end involving one of them doesn't make much sense or the addition of some but not all of the DCU history. Freddy Freeman might make a solid character as Captain Marvel but he didn't present much personality here. The art is at times as stiff as the dialogue. Overall, this wasn't much and should probably be skipped.
May 8, 2014
As one of DC's countless attempts to rework the 1940s legend Captain Marvel, this veers way too far for me to like it as a reboot (Winick's efforts to separate the gods here from the gods of the original series is really forced). In its own right, as a story of some kid undergoing a quest to gain magic powers, it's quite good, particularly Winick's concept of Atlas. Having read the first half when it came out, nice to finally catch the rest.
May 7, 2016
The second volume of "The Trials" has the same problems as the first, but Winick has the good sense to feature fan favourites (Shadowpact) and a-listers (including an inexplicably verbose Batman). Mauro Cascioli's art is reminiscent of Risso's or Ross's; it is quite probably too sophisticated for the plot, but I am not complaining.
April 3, 2012
This book series started out so amazingly, and ended on such a whimper. It was truly disappointing.
August 10, 2015
Great story of the passing of the gods powers and gifts to the next mortal to win them. Very good art and plot. Recommended
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews