Shazam! and the Seven Magic Lands

Shazam! (2018) (Single Issues) #1-11, 13-14

by Geoff Johns, Dale Eaglesham (Illustrator)

Legendary comics writer Geoff Johns continues his modern reimagining of Shazam following the hit 2019 Warner Bros. movie starring Zachary Levi.

In these stories, after a stop at the mysterious subway location of the Rock of Eternity, source of his mighty powers, Shazam and his foster siblings take a trip to a series of magical lands including the Funlands and the Wozenderlands. But these dreamlike fantasy worlds hide a nightmarish reality, as the young heroes must face the tyrannical King Kid and try to avoid being fed to hungry tigers.

Collects Shazam! #1-12.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Fantasy, Comic Book

344 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2020

About the author

Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.

His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.

Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johns has done a good job of updating the Shazam family's adventures for modern times. It doesn't feel at all hokey like some of the previous Captain Marvel books. This story about the Magic Lands feels somewhat Oz like. It definitely must have been an inspiration. Johns, of course, manages some surprises. I really like the allusion that the exclamation point in Shazam is really an unnamed 7th power source. I can't wait until he finally deals with that.

The rotating art is very good, although Scott Kolins doesn't mesh the best with Dale Eaglesham and Marco Santucci.

The numbering listed in the blurb from DC is definitely wrong. The story so far is from issues 1-11, 13-. Issue 12 is a fill in issue from Jeff Loveness and Brandon Peterson.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geoff Johns isn't in his heyday anymore, but still has a lot of good stories. Nobody restarts a #1 new comics line like he does

This Shazam take is definitely connected to the film, or maybe the films are connected to Johns' iteration of the ol Captain Marvel characters line, but either way it doesn't hurt to watch the pretty good DC movie. Along with the family lineup and Sivana as a more physical villain, the originality of this series works by focusing on the magic angle and making an almost fantasy storyline. It really is something different for superhero comics. Oz and Wonderland are even there (I guess they're public domain).

A comic I would recommend to anyone as a starting-on point for superheroes. No continuity baggage necessary, just fun!

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world building here is amazing. The Magic Lands are quite fun. In particular, I liked the Wozenderlands, a world in which the Wizard of Oz and Wonderland have collapsed into each other. DC needs to make a series to flesh out this land. I would buy that. The weak point of the book is that the ending feels a bit rushed.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shazam returns with writer Geoff Johns to go along with the movie being a hit and...it's okay.

This very much feels like a script for Shazam 2. Got characters who show up in the first movie, Billy dealing with his father returning, the magic lands being run by a boy who can't seem to grow up, and Black Adam and Superboy thrown in just because.

This wasn't bad. Some of the art is amazing, the humor sometimes works really well, Billy's growth here is solid, and most of the family moments with Mary and the rest work. But the villains seemed forced, the Boy King is a lame villain, Black Adam is a tool, and then we finally get that crazy fucker Superboy back but he's kind of defeated so easy.

So yeah a okay story collection all together. Drags on at points and not amazing but decent enough read. A 3 out of 5.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas with a rather lackluster execution. It suffers from pacing issues, especially when it comes to starting plot points which are later abandoned to make way for new, and completely underwhelming, ideas. If it wasn't for the stunning art, the flaws with the plot would be a lot more apparent. Shazam and the Seven Magic Lands isn't awful, but it does fall incredibly short when it comes to substance and enjoyment.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collecting the entirety of Geoff Johns' most recent Shazam! series, Shazam! & The Seven Magic Lands pits Billy and his family against the mystery of the titular Magic Lands, as well as Mister Mind and the Monster Society!

Johns knows how to use these characters in a way that will appeal to the old fans and the new. These 12 issues bring a new mystery, old favourites, twists on well established characters, and big superhero battles out the ass. There's a lot packed into this, to the point where it can be a little crowded at times - the final two issues or so are especially jam packed, even with the additional pages included, but it does feel a little rushed at the end. There's a sense that Johns isn't quite done with these characters just yet, but hey, I'm not complaining if he wants to come back.

On art primarily is Dale Eaglesham, whose visuals are always clean and clean - the dude never skimps on details either. Also helping out are Scott Kolins and Marco Santucci - Santucci gels well with Eaglesham's style, but Kolins has a very unique style that really stands out. He draws most of the latter half of the book so once you get into it it's fine, but the initial change is very jarring.

Shazam! needs more ongoing series tbh. This series shows what can be achieved in just 12 issues, but I'd love to see more, either from this creative team or another.

[Robert]

This one wasn't for me, I honestly just skimmed the last 30% or so to take in some of the colourful art.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, I think they did a really good job continuing from the new 52 Shazam and exploring the character and his universe. It’s a shame it was a bit rushed towards the end as I feel like they could’ve done a lot with this but the story was great regardless. Keeping my fingers crossed for more Geoff johns Shazam in the future!

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shazam! and the the Seven Magic Lands collects issues 1-11 and 13-14 of the DC Comics series written by Geoff Johns with art by Dale Eaglesham, Scott Kollins, Marco Santucci, May “Sen” Naito, and Max Raynor.

Billy Batson and his foster siblings are still learning how to use their powers when they discover a new room in the Rock of Eternity that will lead them to other magical lands, each having their own unique look and dangers. Meanwhile Mr. Mind, Doctor Sivana, and Black Adam are all looking for the Shazam! Family to harness their powers and Billy’s long lost dad unexpectedly arrives to reconnect.

I have never been a big Shazam fan but decided to give this book a chance as I had heard good things. I also had learned that Superboy Prime (who is one of my all time favorite supervillains) returns in these pages. That was actually a huge disappointment as he is basically introduced and defeated within an issue and a half and adds nothing to the story. Since I don’t read much Shazam, I’m not sure if the comic book foster family has been so similar to the family portrayed in the Zachary Levi film but that made it easy for me know a lot of the main players. The Shazam books I have read in the past (like 20 years ago) only had Freddy Freeman and Mary Marvel so it’s still strange to see so many Shazam’s running around (they are basically the Power Rangers of the DC universe).

I probably won’t read any follow ups but this was a nice departure from my usual superhero fare.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2011, when DC Comics launched the New 52, Geoff Johns came on to write the Justice League title. During his time on the comic, Johns worked with long-time collaborator/artist Gary Frank to do backup features that retold the origin story of Billy Batson, now depicted as a rebellious youth who feels rejected and thus rejecting the world, no matter how nurturing the foster family tries to be towards him. As receiving the powers of Shazam from the Wizard and with learning great power comes great responsibility, etc., as well as the importance of family, Batson and his adopted siblings are now resident superheroes of Philadelphia.

Although various creators took over Shazam (formerly known as Captain Marvel) in subsequent titles, when Johns return to this creation, he decided to continue the story that he left off years ago. As Billy and his siblings try to balance their lives from school to superheroics, they discover a secret subway station within the Rock of Eternity, where they can travel to the Seven Magic Lands. However, there are foils along the way, such as Doctor Sivana teaming up with the telepathic worm Mister Mind, and the sudden arrival of Billy’s biological father.

If you’re not well-versed in the magical adventures of Shazam, it is worth reading that original trade by Johns just to know all the basics like the origin story, though the opening pages of this book give a quick summary of what you need to know. There is something wonderful about the premise of these innocent and loveable children becoming adult superheroes as from the first chapter, you see the whole dynamic as a family and whether or not they power up, their adventuring is similar to The Goonies.

The selling point of this comic is the titular magic lands, each of which are defined by a theme, from the child friendly Funlands to the high-tech Gamelands; there’s even one called the Wozenderlands that is basically The Wizard of Oz, which can only happen since Warner Brothers own the rights to the movie. With the Shazam family – despite the ongoing discussion among the siblings about what their group name should be – split off into factions, you see how each of them are trying to survive whatever ordeals these other worlds can throw at them. The funniest one would be the pairing between Eugene Choi and Pedro Peña as they try to win a race in the Gamelands.

As the trade collects thirteen issues, this is quite the epic story from exploring all seven magic lands, to the too many villains that appear throughout. From the main villain that is a telepathic worm that is such a bizarrely great design to King Kid of the Funlands being a recurring antagonist, there is some great character writing, but the likes of Black Adam and a surprise addition that appears late proves that less is more. Whilst a lot happens throughout these issues, the story never loses sight with the theme of family, as Billy is ultimately torn when his father suddenly arrives and thus this change of heart becomes a recurring conflict not only him, but for his adopted family that he has come to love.

There is a variety of artists involved and so the transition from one to the next can be jarring, especially when some art-styles are better than others, though they all relish in the diversity of the seven lands. The best of these artists is Dave Eaglesham, who has always brought a classical sensibility to the way he illustrates superheroes, whilst still feeling contemporary. The closest to capturing Eaglesham’s style, is Marco Santucci, whose luscious details were a treat, especially when drawing the Wildlands that is all about anthropomorphic animals.

Whilst far from perfect, the Shazam comics seem to bring out the best out of Geoff Johns as he balances the light fantasy adventuring that can turn to hellish confrontations, whilst grounding everything with down-to-earth characters that are dealing with social issues such as child abandonment.

[Ritika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun! I will look out for more by Geoff Johns on Shazam.

[Dusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a YA book for sure... not because the heroes are teens, it is simply immature. It still captures the family magic Johns created in the other Shazam book I read... but falls flat in the villian department. From names to design to motive... just sophomoric. I did enjoy the inclusion of Black Adam, Superboy Prime and the closure Billy finds with his dad but overall it falls short. I read it digitally.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shazam and the Seven Magic Lands starts off well enough, but it ends in a mess. Billy Batson and his foster kid family discover a train station with routes to seven magic lands in the Rock of Eternity. Each land has a simplistic theme (Toys! Animals as people! Fairytales!), so it's pretty clear that the gang is going to have to adventure across each land to achieve a goal. So far, so fun. (I mean, the land themes are pretty silly, but the Fables-esque art and pacy plotting makes the book, up to this point, a fun, kid-level read)

Around the middle of Shazam and the Seven Magic Lands, though, the "journey through the lands" plot is abandoned, seemingly a dozen separate plotlines are introduced, and Scott Kolins takes over on art, dramatically reducing the book's visual appeal. It's a huge mess. Let's see if I can count the villains: Black Adam, Mr. Mind, Dr. Sivana, Superboy Prime (???), Billy's father, the Seven Sins, and the Wizard. Some are less villainous than others, and admittedly this is a 13 issue maxi-series, but that is wayyy too many villains to keep track of.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

É sempre bom ler quadrinhos do Capitão Marvel, hoje mais conhecido pelos xófens apenas por Shazam! A atualização que Geoff Johns e Gary Frank fizeram para o personagem em Os Novos 52 ficou bastante fantástica. Mas muitos poderiam ficar com o pé atrás sobre a continuação de suas histórias em uma série regular. Mas Johns ao lado de Dale Eaglesham e Scot Kollins não decepcionou, trouxe uma trama inesperada e cheia de reviravoltas, quando a Família Shazam! precisa se embrenhar pelos Sete Reinos Mágicos. A trama começa mais tranquila mas vai ganhando estofo ao longo das edições, mostrando grandes combates entre grandes vilões do Capitão Marvel, novos e antigos, e muito muito antigos, renovados por Geoff Johns e companhia. A publicação desse arco, em 13 edições teve vários percalços tanto lá fora nos Estados Unidos e também, como consequência, aqui no Brasil. Mas valeu a pena a espera. A Panini Brasil fechou a história principal em seis edições da revista Shazam! com mais duas "histórias satélite" a serem publicadas na nova revista da Liga da Justiça a sair em janeiro. Uma delicinha essa história, Shazam sempre rende ótimas HQs.

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started collecting this as singles but now have been patiently waiting a collection. You can tell Johns is really enjoying his writing with this one. The artwork is great even with the rotations.

[J.R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I just miss the old Billy Batson. The kid who wasn't edgy, who had parents who weren't bums and who was a cub reporter. And the old Freddy Freeman too.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geoff Johns weaves his own brand of magic again, expanding on the Shazam lore across seven realms and exploring the idea of family. DC has since (temporarily?) moved on from his ideas, which is a shame. Johns has now been working in comics long enough to be taken entirely for granted. I made that mistake twenty years ago, but at the time, I hadn’t really experienced his work. All I had were misleading impressions. When I started exploring, I found a generational talent who was as interested in the past as he was the future. Superhero comics are built on talent like this, and work like this.

[Brunò · Rating 2 out of 5]

English/Spanish review:

2013's great limited Shazam's series back after six years and..it should've stayed like that.

I won't waste much time digging on the topic but: The seven lands are really underwhelming,even unimaginative. There were so many plotlines introduced which ended up in nothing. The villains were introduced so well on its New 52 predecessor,here,the league of villains doesn't even get an introduction and the other dozen of them spend half of the book doing nothing. Art's ugly as can be. Is that fucking Superboy Prime there?



This comic should have arrived so many years ago,I don't get why it took DC so much time to publish this nor how Johns lost the good taste he had on the first installment of the series.

Español:

La gran serie limitada de Shazam de 2013 regresó después de seis años y...mejor se hubiera quedado cómo estaba.

No voy a perder mucho tiempo indagando en esto: Las siete tierras son una verga,carentes de imaginación. Se presentaron muchísimas tramas que terminaron en nada. Los villanos se presentaron tan bien en su predecesor New 52,acá,no se pierden ni cinco segundos con la liga de villanos y la otra docena de ellos pasan la mitad del libro sin hacer nada. El arte es mas feo que un pie. Qué hace Superboy Prime acá?



Este cómic debería haber llegado hace tantos años atras,no entiendo por qué DC tardó tanto en publicarlo ni cómo Johns perdió el buen gusto que tenía en la primera entrega de la serie.

[Alek Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really impressed by this one. I had heard that there had been some scheduling issues with this series and you can kind of tell. Near the middle the art and the pacing take a dip and the plot suffers for it. There is a lot about the plot that goes unexplained, to the audience and the characters, that causes a lot of congestion and confusion. Things that you assume are taking place outside of the heroes awareness, are suddenly common knowledge near the end.

I was a little confused by the magic lands considering a majority of them were so whimsical and child like what was their origin and purpose? Why was Mr. Tawny a criminal for not wanting to be a tiger that ate people if tigers that did eat people was bad? And why were Black Adam and the Seven Sins stooges that could be bossed around?

The big problem though comes from the pacing and portrayal of Billy's reunion with this father and how it impacts the Shazam Family. The dilemma and twist that Johns uses as the climaxes of this story are very flat due to how underdeveloped that reunion is.

But this book was not a travesty that people should skip. It is still enjoyable and fun. With a few surprises that I think comic reads will enjoy.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this story as the individual issues were published but also wanted to read the story as a whole. It definitely reads better as a whole, having had gaps between issues due to various reasons (including COVID-19/coronavirus).

There are two things that, for me, kept the book from earning a 5-star rating. These are:

1. The art didn't have consistency. All of the artists used are fantastic, but it would have been nice if Dale Eaglesham -- who was supposed to be the artist on the series -- had done all of the art where the focus was on Billy or in Philadelphia, Marco Santucci had done all of the Wildlands, and Scott Kolins had done all of the Black Adam-centric scenes (just an example of how I would have broken it up).

2. The epilogue scenes that wrapped up the story were rushed due to the series being canceled. Writer Geoff Johns had plans for more with Superboy-Prime and for reintroducing the Justice Society of America. Maybe DC will allow Johns the opportunity to tell those stories later.

Still, this book is recommended as a highly enjoyable read.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this comic in preparation for the new Shazam movie and it was lots of fun. I enjoyed the previous comic and thankfully it withheld the high quality in terms of artwork and storylines. This volume utilized one of my favorite plot devices: multiple worlds. As stated in the title, the Shazam Siblings ventured into mystical worlds different from their own, such as those only inhabited by animals, darkness, children, and even the mishmash world of Oz and Wonderland combined. The story moved very quickly and I loved how each sibling was split into different sections so as not to prolong the story too much. I wonder if they will utilize any of these elements in the future film because that will be such a treat to see that come to life. I'm excited for the new movie and hope it's just as good as the comics!

[Lucas Savio · Rating 4 out of 5]

a continuação de Shazam dos novos 52 chega com uma arte muito linda e no meio da história da uma recaída o que n era esperado graças aos atrasos que teve a edição. A história oque mais me chama atenção é a vibe família que tem também no filme e é oque eu mais amo, n conheço filmes da marvel muito com essa pegada e aqui funciona muito bem... gostei mais da construção do que o arco final em sim com o vilão e tudo mais, a passagens pelos reino sé muito legal e creio que será algo abordado no próximo filme.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I've read A LOT more than I've reviewed, so... time for some knee-jerk reactions.*

I love this take on Billy Batson and the Shazam Family! I enjoyed getting to spend more time with them on this magical adventure that never lost sight of its most important core theme: Family.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, I did a big of a binge read just to get the damn thing done already. Which maybe wasn't the greatest idea as my head's kinda spinning right now, but whatever. At least I can move on to something else.

As I said when I started this book, I'd already read the series before as each issue was published, since it debuted right around the time the Shazam movie was released in theaters. A lot of issues were delayed, though, and the run stretched into 2020 and ended sometime during lockdown. That, combined with the fact that I'm really NOT a big fan of reading comics issue by issue (I much prefer reading collected volumes), made me forget a lot of the plot details of this series. And given that a new Shazam movie is set to come out soon, I figured I'd revisit this series as preparation for said movie. (It's not supposed to follow this comic's storyline but I think they might have still borrowed some elements from it and others might be teased for a future film.)

The story starts off pretty simple: the Shazam kids do some exploring in the Rock of Eternity and visit the Funlands, which they think is all fun and games until they learn about its dark secrets. And then they end up being sent to different Magiclands where they struggle to find their way back home. At the same time, Mr. Mind uses Dr. Sivana to break down the barriers between the Magiclands so he can create a new chaotic realm that he can rule over. Billy's dad also re-enters his life, claiming to want a relationship with his son again. And there's a whole bunch of other drama with the Wizard still being alive and something with Black Adam also being blackmailed into doing Mr. Mind's bidding and then there's a plot twist that CC never actually wanted to see Billy, he was under Mr. Mind's control the whole time. And there's this Superboy-Prime who shows up when Dr. Sivana sets the Monster Society of Evil free. I don't really know where he came from, exactly, but he calls Freddy "Captain Marvel Jr" and Mary "Mary Marvel", so that's cool I guess. Yeah, the whole thing is very messy and complicated and my mind is spinning trying wrap my head around it all.

Generally, I don't hate this book/series. I think it introduces some interesting ideas, like the Magiclands and the Monster Society and Billy's conflict over choosing his dad or his foster family. But I think all the delays that this series experienced forced the writers to really rush their way to the end just so they could say they completed the main storyline. I mean, the last few pages mention some other conflicts in the Magiclands that the Shazamily needed to resolve but they're all brushed off in individual sentences, one for each of the Magiclands. I feel like those probably should have had their own comics, even if they were singular issues for each one. And I still feel like the stuff with the Wizard was kinda weird, like I guess he was kind of a few steps ahead of Billy in knowing not to trust CC, but then he later says that he should have trusted Billy when he watches over their monster fight from the Rock of Eternity??? And it's also never explained why he pretended to die after giving Billy his powers and leaving him to figure them out on his own. (That's something that I think will be a plot point in the new movie so hopefully they give us an explanation, at least.) There's also mentions of the Shazamily helping King Kid so he can learn from his mistakes and redeem himself but it never actually happens. The Wizard kinda insists that the kids butt out and Billy kinda still yearns to help him towards the end but we never see if he actually does. (Justice for King Kid, man. He's just a troubled kid who needs a good family!) Oh, and then Black Adam felt like he was shoehorned into this mess just so the book could end with this future vision including him as the seventh champion.

Again, just, bleh, not a great series overall. Probably should have had at least double the number of issues to tell this kinda story properly. But whatever. Let's see how the movies clean it all up. ('Cause like I said, they'll probably be adapting it down the road, and I think I prefer their simplified versions of comic book stories than the comics themselves.)

[Darik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big, sprawling, messy epic that reads like Geoff Johns speed-running his plans for seven or eight years' worth of Shazam comics in thirteen hyper-compressed issues.

A big part of the problem with the book is that Geoff Johns, in the years he's been writing for DC, has become addicted to lore and world-building. Over several years working on Green Lantern, he'd introduced a rainbow of new Lantern Corps, established new mythology, revealed secret truths about the Guardians, and seeded little narrative teases that he waited to pay off in big storylines down the line. Here? He does all of this UP FRONT, and it feels dizzying at times.

Seriously, this story introduces the concept of the Seven Magic Lands-- seven kingdoms with different magical properties and themes-- but after maybe four or five  issues of EXPLORING these magic worlds (and really only getting to focus on THREE: the Funlands, the Wildlands, and the Gamelands), Johns seems to get bored and brings in Dr. Sivana. And Mr. Mind. And Black Adam. And suddenly the Wizard comes back! And Billy's dad shows up, splitting his affection between his adoptive family and his biological one! And this makes his Shazamily's powers go haywire! But there's no time to explore this, because suddenly Billy makes his dad the seventh and final champion! Then the Wizard seemingly goes bad and turns on them! But big twist: Billy's dad is being controlled by Mr. Mind! Then the Monster Society of Evil shows up-- made up of a dozen new characters we haven't been introduced to yet! And... what the f@$#, SUPERBOY-PRIME's here now, too?!? And they all get into a big fight, and Shazam and Black Adam team up, and--!

(*pant*)(*pant)(*wheeze*)

I just wish I could tell the book to SLOW DOWN. Johns is in such a rush to get his big ideas on the page that he completely loses track of the story he wants to tell.

And the saddest thing is? All of his ideas here are really great!* I would LOVE to read a six-issue storyline about how Oz and the Wonderlands were collapsed into the Wozenderlands and how Alice and Dorothy teamed up to defend it. YES, PLEASE, tell me more about the ghost Marvels haunting a black-and-white Halloweentown dimension filled with spiders and jack-'o-lanterns and Tim Burton architecture! And I would love to be introduced to the Monster Society ONE AT A TIME, rather than in a splash page with nametag caption boxes.

Sadly, it's clear that Johns was distracted by his work on concurrent projects-- like the ill-advised Watchmen sequel Doomsday Clock-- to put the time and effort into making THIS book live up to its potential. Worse, continuity reboots and creative reshuffling mean that DC is once again floundering in search of a direction to take the Big Red Cheese in. But in my opinion, Shazam and the Seven Magic Lands sketches out a pretty decent roadmap for an ongoing series with the character... should anyone actually take the time to FOLLOW it.

* - Except for Superboy-Prime; that shallow, mean-spirited shell of a character has no place in a book as fun and  lighthearted as this one... MOSTLY is.

[Langston Lardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not as strong as Vol 1 (2013), I do believe this is another solid entry into the world of Shazam.
First things first, story wise, it was interesting, very interesting, but I gotta say, towards the very end, it was all over the place, while I was able to keep up and follow what was going on, I was also fully aware at how truly sporadic it felt and how some could even dare say a mess. For example, the fact that Superboy prime was in this story, was it cool? 110% hell yes. Now was it needed, and did it literally add ANYTHING to the story? Not at all. And as others have mentioned Black Adam does return and it is never explained how he exactly survived his death from Vol 1 or The Wizard for that matter.
Now things I did enjoy about this book though, the family dynamic is back and even stronger. Seeing little peeks into the kids backstories, like Eugene and how he used gaming as an escape, to feel like a winner. Or Eugene and how he always felt behind. All of it nice to see and I believe it only strengthens the bond of the Shazam Family. The introduction of Billy’s dad was also interesting and seeing how he played off the other family members and of course billy was well done and seeing him become the 7th member definitely was interesting. And the ending between C.C. and Shazam was truly sad.
The introduction of the seven magic lands was also refreshing and enjoyable. Each world felt super unique and felt like the book could have 110% taken place on each individual realm. And I enjoyed the idea of the “these worlds seem cooler than what’s actually beneath the surface” and the kids being scattered across the realms concept. Though it’s quickly thrown to the side for the Mr. Mind and Dr. S plot.
Speaking of, while I enjoyed seeing Dr. Mind as the actual villain, Dr. Sav is once again just a foolish host and doesn’t amount to much in the end again.
Overall I think the story has a lot of moving parts, that don’t always fluidly flow together, but when it does all come together it works, greatly. This is a nice albeit messy entry at times into the Shazam mythos.(also a legit Tawny the Tiger, how dope is that?) I actually wouldn’t mind another entry. I feel as though a back to basics story would be a nice follow up, but I’m also content if this is the end for this Shazam Fam run.

[Surly Gliffs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krazy comics reviews! Another bargain rack pickup. Warning for the uninitiated, this review goes way too inside on the DC stuff, nerdly levels of knowledge are assumed.

I read and enjoyed plenty of Johns' work back in the aughts. But between the hash of Infinite Crisis, and Johns' near-criminal involvement in myriad abysmal DC movies (the grim DC Cinematic Murderverse), I had pretty much given up on him. So this light and clever take on Shazam was quite the surprise. For instance, each of the Magic Lands cleverly inhabits its own unique part of childhood imagination; I loved the Wozanderlands, a mashup of Oz and Wonderland.

Johns refreshes Shazam in many ways. Billy Batson is now a teenager, and his foster siblings make up the rest of the Shazam family. But the bones of the old-fashioned Fawcett title are still there: the perils are not too grave, the adventures swashbuckle, the action is big and bold. Billy acts from his heart, and to the extent his siblings come into play, they struggle with familiar teen and family issues. The main critique here is that Mary Marvel shouldn't be played for sex appeal, do we really need that from a teenager in a foster family?

The villains get a similar refresh. I liked the take on Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind, which mostly balance threat with playfulness. Johns wisely keeps the violence at a mostly cartoony level, though that doesn't necessarily help with Black Adam, a character so badly done he's nearly beyond redemption. I'll save my main brickbat for the reintroduction of Superboy Prime, who doesn't fit the Fawcett vibe at all and just seemed like an unwanted throwback to Johns' Crisis work. The only upside: due to his multiversal origin, Prime's the only person who utters "Captain Marvel" in this book (among many other Marvel lampshades; intellectual property attorneys take note).

This volume is strong enough that I might actually read some of Johns' more recent work. Or he can retire and uncomfortably live off the royalties from Wonder Woman 1984, that would be acceptable as well. Either way, this fresh homage to the Fawcett characters is well done. Recommended for mainline comics fans.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness gracious... this was phenomenal. The first volume of Shazam by Johns, originally during the New 52, was also incredible. The movie was basically just that graphic novel minus Black Adam. I read the whole thing in one sitting. So when I saw that Johns did a follow-up, I decided to wait it out until the graphic novel came out. And, boy oh boy, I think this was even better than the first run.

Geoff Johns is famous for distilling characters down to one word. Superman is hope, Batman is justice, Wonder Woman is love. Based on what I've read, I assume Shazam is family. And it really pulls at the heartstrings with every page turn. Family is what you make it.

Another thing that Geoff Johns is famous for is his world-building. He's the writer that added all of the colored lanterns to the Green Lantern. Similarly, he adds seven magical realms to the world of Shazam in this story.

The art seems like the DC house style. Stylistically, it doesn't really stand out. But, make no mistake, the art in this graphic novel is unbelievable. Eaglesham uses a variety of techniques to tell the story. Pages are framed creatively and he uses full page and double page spreads effectively. He had to make A LOT of characters and worlds for this story, and every character is unique and recognizable. One of the worlds is full of animals, and Eagleshem clearly did his research to draw the tigers, lions, elephants, etc. effectively. Not only does each world have new characters, they each also employ a different style. The video game world is sort of art deco, the dark world uses black and white sort of like a Tim Burton movie, etc.

This story was a mastercraft. I read dozens of graphic novels every year and this may have been the best one I read in 2020.

By the way, there are 13 issues in this graphic novel come up plus a short story about Mary. Not 12 issues like the description says. According to comixology, Johns also did issue 14 before handing it over to a different writer. Time will tell what happens with the story.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects Shazam! issues #1-11 and issues #13-14

This collection contains 13 issues, and even though I'm not sure why DC didn't choose to separate this into two volumes, these issues all together do tell a complete story, so I could see this being a great collection for fans of Shazam and the Shazam Family (Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family - I still hate that the hero is now called "Shazam" - DC has had plenty of time to come up with something new at this point, if they couldn't use Captain Marvel anymore).

I skimmed through a lot of this, especially the fighting scenes, but there was also a lot of narrative worth reading through. Much like Geoff Johns created a new, previously unknown history in the Green Lantern mythos, he does the same thing here. This time around, Johns has created the Seven Magic Lands, which give explanations to various creatures and characters from the history of Captain Marvel.

Even though I skimmed through some of this, I really liked much of this book (but mostly the exposition).

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

This collection of thirteen issues contains maybe six or seven issues-worthy of story. The rest is just dull stretching & padding of the page count. This book is an exemplar of why the American comic-book industry is dying: It would be furious if I had bought these individuals issues instead of checking the collection out from my local lending library; garbage like this is why I stopped buying comics over a decade ago.

Less dark & nihilistic than "The New 52" version of Shazam, but otherwise the same flawed rendition of the character, mired in a hopeless Philadelphia & isolated from the rest of the DC Comics universe.

The whole story is premised on the existence of seven "magiclands" (somehow, including the Earth as "the Earthlands") & seven champions to sit on seven thrones, yet within the story itself there were originally eight magiclands, before Lewis Carroll's Wonderland & L. Frank Baum's Oz were mashed together as "the Wozenderlands." That's the lack of intelligence behind this story, an inability to distinguish seven from eight.