Customer Reviews

Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

(From an extended feature, copyright 2007 Michael F. Hopkins)

This is an excellent time for Captain Marvel. Buoyed by the
stalwart work of Jerry Ordway throughout the 1990s, one
of Comicdom's elder characters is currently enjoying some
prime treatment from an array of top notch talents, from the
current TRIALS OF SHAZAM from Judd Winick, to the superb
one-shot SHAZAM: POWER OF HOPE from Paul Dini and Alex
Ross. The one many have been waiting for, the Sequential
saga from the pioneering author of BONE, is finally here.
Jeff Smith's SHAZAM: THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL is now
assembled in one highly impressive volume from DC Comics,
its oversized pages full of the wide-eyed wonder and
satiric wit which has distinguished the finest Captain Marvel
adventures across the decades.

In fact, the character's daring and whimsy has never been
handled better than here, in this cavalcade of thrills and
charm, magic galore and perils deeply rooted in the current
day. One look at Smith's rendition of Sivana, a holder of
high office mouthing self-serving platitudes borne dead
from the political cesspools of post-2001 Americana, and
you begin to feel the unique genius of this tale. Balance
this with his Billy Batson and Captain Marvel, as much a
wry nod to Alan Moore's MARVELMAN (No small miracle here)
as they are incisive hat tips to author Otto Binder and
artist C.C. Beck, and you perceive the achingly humorous
and meticulously wise work which Smith has wrought.

If that's not enough, try the outrageously effective
re-working of Mary Marvel as a precocious child grounded
in sheer nerve, linking the child in us all to teach this
generation what's at stake (check her final confrontation
with Sivana, if you doubt). As for Talky Tawny, the creator
of BONE's roguish tiger Rocque Ja brings an exceptional
take to one of the most revered characters of the entire
Captain Marvel mythos. As jocular as ever, Tawny bears a
whole new dignity and impact which further distinguishes
this tale as a standout epic.

Don't worry about fitting this tale into continuity (Which
one?). SHAZAM: THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL is a whopping
great storybook, filled with good vs. evil, monsters big
and small, and a colorful, hearty compassion which reaches
out to all willing to read this tale on its own merits.

Turn the fawcett on, and drink deep.

This graphic novel puts together the entire story-arc presented in SHAZAM!: THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL 1-4, retelling the story of Billy Batson and the origin of Captain Marvel. Billy Batson is a homeless boy, on the mean streets of New York City. But, when he rides a fantastic train he meets a wizard named Shazam, and he unleashes the power of Captain Marvel. But, when Billy's curiosity gets to be too much for him, and he travels beyond the beginning of the universe, he unleashes a power from beyond time. Can Billy and Marvel overcome the mysterious Monster Society of Evil? Read and find out.

I must admit to being somewhat ignorant of the Golden Age Captain Marvel, and as such, I cannot discuss how this Marvel is different than that one. But, what I can discuss is what I think about this here book. Well, I must admit that I really liked it. Too many modern comics are too adult, focusing on politics or the political issue de jour, whereas this graphic novel tells a great adventure story that is sure to please any young fan of superhero stories. Heck, I loved it myself.

Now, there are some problems with the story - the relationship of Billy and Marvel is rather strange. But, in spite of that I did think that it was a fun and highly entertaining story. I loved this book, and highly recommend it.

I grew up a Marvel fan...not Captain Marvel here, the company. Spidey and the like. Anyways, for the longest time, I discounted the various DC classic characters as cheesy, old and just plain annoying. Very recently I started pick up various titles for DC...well, mostly Batman honestly. And as I looked into the characters I still felt a few were too old for me to get into. Captain Marvel was one of them. He just seemed far too old set for me to get into. Then I randomly picked up this book because I saw Jeff Smith's name and thought "huh, he did a version of Shazam!?". From the moment I opened the book, I fell in love with it. The characters are well rounded, the story is simple enough for a kid but with enough nods to the classic stories[thank you Wikipedia] to keep older readers entertained. And of course, the artwork is superb. This book has won me over to the "original" Captain Marvel and I hope to read more. And I encourage anyone remotely interested in this character or comics in general to pick this up. You will not regret it.

The magic of Shazam was always that a kid, with one magic word, could become a superhero. Jeff Smith recognized that and made the story about a young Billy Batson. In this version, Smith takes his ques not only from the original comic, but also from Harry Potter, and plays up Billy's homeless orphan roots, and builds sympathy for a good kid living a hard-luck life whose life is changed for the better by wizardry.

Smith, whose art remains crisp, clean and clear throughout, is at his best early on when he riffs off Otto Binder and C.C. Beck's origin tale. I loved the mysterious elements of the story when I was a kid, and Smith captures them perfectly while adding his own little touches here and there, and when Billy finally says the magic word and becomes Captain Marvel for the first time, even if, like me, you've seen it many times before, it is a glorious moment.

Like the Golden Age stories, Billy's and the good Captain's personalities are different. Billy, like his Hogwart's counterpart, is a bit mischievous in an adventurous sense, and not always mindful of his elder's warnings, which of course, leads to trouble. However, he is also streetwise, brave, caring and capable in his own right when dealing with the non-magical portions of his "reality." Captain Marvel, on the other hand, is the steadfast and faithful adult guardian capable of incredible feats of super-heroic daring, but he is also a bit naive and so new to the modern world that he's never even had the pleasure of eating a hotdog.

However, while Smith's take on Billy, Captain Marvel and Shazam were simply modern takes on the originals, many of the supporting characters get completely reworked. For instance, Mary Marvel is changed from a teen-ager, slightly older than Billy, to a smaller and younger kid sister. Also, unlike Billy, who becomes the adult Captain Marvel, Mary remains the same age when she transforms into her magical counterpart and retains her own cute and spunky personality.

Another Golden Age character, Mr. Tawky Tawny, a talking tiger with a penchant for wearing suit and ties, is changed into a shape-shifting magical guardian who looks after Billy. He doesn't quite have the charm of the original, but I imagine this iteration is more in keeping with the times.

Where I think Smith comes up short is in his take on the villains. Dr. Sivana, who was a weird and wonderful mad scientist in the Golden Age stories, becomes a less than impressive evil government bureaucrat whose motivations are less than clear. Also, the titular Monster Society is just some randomly weird monsters who run around attacking people at the behest of the mysterious Mr. Mind. While I will leave it to the reader to discover Smith's take on Mr. Mind and his origins, the final struggle felt a bit rushed and its conclusion a tad unsatisfying.

All in all, however, this is the kind comic book that I wish there were move of these days. I can imagine younger kids, boys and girls, reading this with a sense of whimsy and wonder, but like Harry Potter, older readers can enjoy it too.

This book is pretty good in my opinion.

I gave it 4 stars because the dialogue is sometime a little too simple and kids oriented. However, even if the story and dialogue are a bit too simple, it gets the job done. The Art is pretty good and well presented.

I am not going to retell the story as other reviewers have already done that. I believe the book does what it set out to do. If you can overlook the simplistic nature of the story you will enjoy it.

Whether you have read any of Jeff's work in Bone or in RasL, it doesn't matter because the colorful art in this book will captivate you. It may deter you from reading it in public, with its kiddish-looking cover, which doubles up as a foldout poster, but this book can be a fun read if only for the charm it has, shown through the characters and said art.

On the flip side, it can pass off as insubstantial as well, bordering on shallow because of its relatively simplified dialogue.

Almost out of the blue, DC decided to release this 4 issue prestige format comic book series starring the Big Red Cheese a.k.a. Captain Marvel, and whether they intended this to be a series targeted towards the teen demographic I'm not entirely sure. But one thing I do know is that Jeff was approached specifically to produce this book and as far as what was documented in the after-notes, the book was planned to be a sort of an origin story, or at least a Captain Marvel origin story with a twist. Indeed, he does that, with no small attention to the original golden age Captain Marvel stories.

Billy Batson is a youth, a small boy who doesn't have a home to call his own. He lives in the streets. When a pair of low-life street muggers appears and demands that Billy hands over his hard earned money, a cut away scene where he encounters the Wizard in the Rock...yes...the Rock of Eternity. Sublime touches to the Wizard's chamber like the Seven Deadly Enemies of Men and the hefty stone hanging upon the Wizard's chair, threatening to fall at any moment, are nice. But the real attraction for most would be the ultimate transformation of Billy Batson into Captain Marvel, the origin we came to see.

Subtle details like Billy Batson being a mere host to Captain Marvel's presence feel accurate even to the non-fan and serves as a rather sufficient introduction to the character's mythos. However the real fun comes when Billy eventually meets his long-lost sister in a circus, where a terribly exciting confrontation with the Monster Society of Evil, alligators namely, happened.

The dialogue sounds terrific at points, as can be expected from such a book; it was meant to be readable to children. However, there are moments where you felt that the `simplified' dialogue existed even though the situation required a heavier, more serious tone and content.

For what its worth, the book does what it set out to do. Billy's interactions with his sister are always entertaining as are Mary's own actions, like climbing the statues of the Seven Deadly Enemies of Men. Always brings a smile, exuded through Jeff's colorful and well-penciled art. She represents a soft spot in Billy's life and a female equivalent of Captain Marvel himself, which makes her a particularly strong draw for female readers to pick up this book, young and old. Some sequences, like Billy struggling through a swarm of cockroaches within one of Mr. Mind's machines, are just plain cool and are especially strong points in the book, adding plenty of charm into the mix.

This is a perfect example of how a superhero's origin story can be done for children and teens but, as pointed out, adults will have to overlook the simplistic nature of the story to get a good read out of it and if you can't it's okay, there are plenty of deeper stories out there for sure. What's here is exciting though, albeit for a younger audience (and for adults who can't seem to get enough of their childhoods).

Jeff Smith, creator of Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume (Vol 1), one of the best comics in any genre of the past twenty years, brings his hand and particular sense of whimsy to one of the most famous creations in comics history, Captain Marvel.

In bringing his own take to the tale and characters, Smith takes numerous liberties with the well-recognized aspects of the story--Dr. Sivana is the Secretary of Heartland Security, the wizard, Shazam, is much more enigmatic than he's ever been in the mainstream comics, and, perhaps most importantly, Billy Batson is all of 7 or 8 years old when he becomes Captain Marvel. So, it goes without saying that this book is emphatically not for Captain Marvel purists. Too many changes have been made to make it a straight-up satisfying Captain Marvel tale.

However, taking the essential framework of a very well-known story and creating something that feels downright otherworldly is not only a daring move on Smith's part, it also separates the story from anything that came before or would come since.

His art has the same rounded, whimsical tone that his work on Bone did--the whole book has something of a 'fairytale' aspect to it. It's this that puts the story over the top, that makes it utterly charming as a work of comic art.

I truly enjoyed this. The reason for subtracting a star? For the simple fact that to a purist, this might indeed seem like a slap in the face. Someone who is devoted to a character or genre won't always enjoy when a hugely distinctive individual artist plays in that sandbox, and I understand that. And play, Smith does. I chose to enjoy the ride, even with an arched eyebrow at a few of the major changes. But I surrendered to the ride and enjoyed it immensely. Very definitely worth a look.

This collection of the 4-issue mini-series is highly enjoyable. The story retells Billy Batson's transformation to Captain Marvel in a modern-day setting, and puts Sivana at the head of the Dept. Of Homeland Security. Initially I was put off by how young Billy and his sister, Mary, were drawn, but it ends up working out well for the story. The art is colorful, the plot simplistic, and the writing minimal.

Enjoyable, but you don't get a lot for your money.

I'm just adding my voice to that of a few others. Jeff Smith's art is unique and perfectly suited to this type of story. The book looks very good, nobody can deny that. But Smith made a few choices that I can't agree with personally and that I think hurt the story objectively. First, I like Billy Batson and Captain Marvel as the same person. I like the idea of a ten year old boy with that kind of power. Definitely gives the character a different perspective than most heroes and provides an anodyne for many of today's gritty comics. But Smith makes them two seperate people. Didn't see the need and didn't care for it. I know that's the way it was originally set up, but I like the revised "two-in-one" version better. Smith didn't slavishly stick to Beck and Binder's vision(Awesome as it was!) on other issues so he didn't need to here either.It didn't help the story in fact I think it hurt it. The biggest problem though was Smith injecting his own post-9/11 political views into the story. If a comic book artist wants to communicate his political views, let him write an op/ed piece for the New Yorker. This is especially true of a character like Captain Marvel. Marvel's world was always a little bit more fanciful than ours, even more fanciful than the typical superhero's. I can appreciate how that horrible day affected Smith, but this character and story just aren't the right venue for Smith's political feelings. Like combining oil and water, Captian Marvel and modern terror politics just don't mix.

The talented creater of Bone reimagined Captain Marvel for the post 9/11 age. Billy Batson is an orphaned boy trying to survive on the streets of unnamed New York City. Then his life is changed forever when he follows a ghostly figure on a magical subway ride...

Smith makes minor changes in the classic Captain Marvel cast, many of which are based on the times in which we live: Attourny General Dr. Sivana (who famously lost an election to a dead candidate) uses the crisis to hone his power. Talky Tawny is a shapechanger here to help guide Billy and Captain Marvel. Mary, Billy's sister, steals the show. Billy is back to the fearless kid he was in the 40s. Smith also fine tunes the relationship between Billy and Captain Marvel, allowing both to appear together at the Rock of Eternity.

Like the epic Bone, MSoE is written for all ages to enjoy. The thrills and dangers are genuine. Easily the best version of Captain Marvel being published today.