Art by: Goran Sudžuka
Colors by: Ive Svorcina
Letters by: Troy Peteri
Cover art by: Dan Mora (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: February 7. 2024
Shazam! #8 concludes the Captain's fight with Black Adam just in time to learn the destruction of his home is much worse than he thought.
Is Shazam! #5 Good?
Shazam! #8 is... fine? I guess? In DC's era of making every villain a hero in disguise, the last thing you'd expect is for Black Adam to be reasonable or even regretful when he makes a mistake, but here we are.
When last we left the Captain, his tussle with his Black Adam resulted in the destruction of the Billy Batson home, which spelled doom for their ability to sell it and use the money to pay for a bigger house. Meanwhile, the space dinosaurs kidnapped Mr. Tawny to force Billy to return their auditor, Mr. Dinosaur, who was having too much fun organizing the Rock of Eternity.
Now, Billy learns the destruction of the family homes also risks breaking up the adoptive family because they're now homeless. Later, the space dinosaurs deliver an ultimatum - return Mr. Dinosaur or risk having the Earth bombed with paperwork.
Drawing on his recently-increased Wisdom of Solomon, the Captain convinces Black Adam that the destruction of his house is unfitting of a leader, which causes Black Adam to retreat. The Captain sends Darla to the space dinosaurs to annoy them into submission with never-ending questions. The Captain visits Zeus with a plea to use his powers to restore the Batson home.
It all works out in the end, but no gift from the gods comes without a price.
What's great about Shazam! #8? Waid brings the conflict with the space dinosaurs to a close in an amusing, albeit silly, way. Since the beginning of this run, Waid has leaned into the Silver Age shenanigans to differentiate this title from DC's typically grim and dour offerings, so Waid nails the tone with a conclusion that's mostly satisfying for Silver Age fans.
What's not so great about Shazam! #8? There's an intangible gap at the end of this arc compared to the first few issues. Waid doesn't quite have the same charm or wit that made the intentional silliness work. That could be due to the art shift from Mora to Sudžuka, or perhaps Waid is distracted by other things. Either way, the ending feels less fun.
How's the art? Sudžuka turns in a respectable set of visuals. Admittedly, Dan Mora's work is on another level, so the comparisons are unavoidable, but Sudžuka does a nice job with the art.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces:
Shazam! #8 brings the space dinosaur arc to a close with heartwarming silliness, lessons learned, and seeds planted for future problems. That said, the writing and art lack the wit, charm, and fun of the previous issues.
6/10
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