Shazam! #13: Nowhere To Go But The Subway

Shazam! #13 picks up after Billy’s disappearance following the Rock of Eternity started breaking apart in the last arc. Freddy and Mary are hot on the case as they venture out through the streets of Philadelphia to locate the lost hero. Of course, as with any Shazam tale, mysterious villains and creatures lurk along the way, leading to a fun sequence of events in an abandoned train station. Shazam continues to be one of DC’s most fun books on the stands every month, full of so much heart and nuance.

After the dramatic conclusion to the previous arc, Shazam! #13 opts to focus on Freddy and Mary’s journey, keeping up with the characters outside of just Billy all the time. This makes sense considering Jose Campbell wrote the previous New Champion of Shazam series that featured Mary as its main character. Mary has been the only member of the Shazam family that has kept her powers so it is nice to see her take such a prominent role in the ongoing Shazam series.

Mike Norton does a great job with the art here, displaying a great action sequence that sees the characters fighting across a subway car. Norton’s take on the Shazam style of action is a joy to see on the page, especially as it is Mary taking charge of the mission. One of the major plot points of the issue is the Rock of Eternity’s plan, as it appears that Billy was only teleported away because the Rock felt that he needed to be there. This provides an excellent, in story reason to shift the focus over to Mary, while also allowing Billy’s plot to exist.

The other main player of this issue is Freddy, who actually is the narrator of the story. His story is actually fairly somber as it begins with him talking about how he feels almost useless in comparison to Billy and Mary, truly showing grief for his powers. Nonetheless, he is still the happy-go-lucky foster brother that keeps the book lighthearted. This multifaceted character brings a lot of nuance to this book, showing how great this series is because of not only its main character, but also the ensemble cast.