SHAZAM #5
Cody White
Recap
Billy and Mary continue to try and escape the Funlands, Eugene and Pedro take foolhardy gambles in the Gamelands, and Freddie and Darla go on trial in the Wildlands. But while all of this happens, Black Adam is on his way through the Rock of Eternity to destroy Billy when he runs into a familiar old face.
Review
The fifth issue of SHAZAM, amidst numerous delays, was underwhelming from a story-point of view. Nothing in it was bad, per se, but given the wait time between issues, I suppose I expected something more tangible to walk away with here. The exploration of the Magiclands has been fun but it feels like its time for less exploring and more… something else. In the era of the trade paperback, though, issues 6 and 7 tend to be major turning points, so I expect these separate tales to reunite in the near future and lead us into the future.
The strength of this issue lay with the artists. A total of four artists, each taking on specific aspects of the story, should in theory be jarring and unpleasant to follow, but in this book, there was a great synergy between the four. The nuance in each artists’ style seemed an excellent match to the particular part of the narrative they were crafted, so hats of to the gang and the editorial team for keeping the flow smooth here– no easy task.
Final Thoughts
SHAZAM #5 stalls a bit narratively speaking but manages to do an excellent job of organizing a cacophony of artistic voices.
SHAZAM #5: More Adventures in the Magiclands
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 6/106/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10