Customer Reviews

Shazam!: Power of Hope

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When people find out that I STILL read comics at the stodgy old age of 30, I'm usually given "The LOOK"....like I must be a case of arrested development or something...(I AM, but that'll be our secret..). This is the kind of book that I talk about when I explain just what it is I enjoy about the Comic Book as an art form. While there is some extremely well done (and beautifully illustrated!) action to be found in The Power Of Hope, the majority of the book is grounded in simple character interaction, as Captain Marvel decides to visit terminally ill children and try to grant their wishes. The dialogue is perfect, and casually answers some nagging questions about the "Big Red Cheese" that I didn't even know I had, such as how did little Billy Batson sign the lease on his apartment? The art is simply beautiful (check out the Gorilla, and the Volcano sequence that opens the book.), and if you can get through this book without being moved to tears, well....you're a lot tougher than me.

I was completely impressed with the latest installment of Paul Dini and Alex Ross' tabloid size series. In these volumes, they have captured the core spirit of classic characters.

Captain Marvel is a different character than Superman. Superman feels the call of responsibility, that his powers are not his alone but a gift for all mankind. Captain Marvel feels a sense of wonder at his powers, and has fun with them. He is, after all, a kid at heart. This volume truly brings home that point. One of my favorite scenes shows Captain Marvel stifling a yawn as a bank robber brandishes a shotgun. This is a classic scene from the old Fawcetts, and it made me smile. Actually, many of the panels made me smile fondly. Maybe that is why I like Captain Marvel so much.

Naturally, it is impossible to discuss an Alex Ross piece without commenting on the art. It is extraordinary, and completely up to par. Paul Dini's prose adds to the spectacle. While saying nothing new about Captain Marvel, The Power of Hope rephrases what we already know quite eloquently.

I had my reservations when I read that Paul Dini and Alex Ross wanted to do this story with an emphasis on the innocence of the character. I've always preferred the modern take on the Captain Marvel as opposed to the usual whimsical tone of the golden age comics, but thankfully the talents with this book have struck a wonderful balance. The childlike nature of this character defines him and seperates him from the previous Dini/Ross books, especially with the fact that this character has the benefit of a mentor, Shazam, to guide him and make his life and career considerably less lonely than Superman and Batman's. Hence, there is a feel of comfort and security that cushions the drama of the story, while not undercutting its impact. That is certainly needed considering that the last time Cap was rendered by Ross in a story was in Kingdom Come and his smiling presence was designed to be disturbing admist the apocalyptic tone of that tale. Now, we can see that Captain Marvel as it should usually be, the stuff of optimism and joy while reasonably tempered with just enough drama to give resonance as a story about Cap providing joy to needy children should be. Combine this with Paul Dini's wonderful script and you have a superhero story at its finest.

Captain Marvel is the most mythological of the DC heroes- part man and part god, yet also partially a small boy. He is the essense of the best, most noble, and most purely innocent in heaven and on earth. You see, the Captain of the Thunder and the Lightning is a pure knight, there is no guile in him, no blemish to his soul. If anything, you get the impression that his alter ego, Billy Batson, is more worldly than the Captain. Yet, not even Superman is a greater champion of righteousness.

Finally, Alex Ross and Paul Dini have done justice to the Captain's character.

Captain Marvel deserved his own great story and this is it. Fortunately, for all us SHAZAM fans, Alex Ross has brought the character back in a big way - first in Kingdom Come, and now here. The only drawback for Cap fans in Kingdom Come is that the Big Red Cheese is mostly a pawn of Lex Luthor throughout the book. Here he has own story where he can be the hero. These oversized volumes by Dini and Ross can be quite touching at times. Here, the Captain visits kids at a hospital and befriends an abused child.

The art by Alex Ross is spectacular as usual - especially at the beginning where young Billy Batson visits the Rock of Eternity and the old wizard tells him, "Speak my name!"

Shazam! Once again, Alex Ross and Paul Dini take a look at the human side of DC's greatest heroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Cap. Marvel). I think that this is the best book of the series, even if it is dealing with one of the lesser known characters of the DC universe.

I had not been a Captain Marvel fan until I picked up Kingdom Come and was introduced to Billy Batson by Alex Ross. This is another great work with the character. I was impressed by the actions and thoughts of the character and I love the human take on him. What would a boy with super powers like Captain Marvel do with them? Being a hero is more then just saving people, it is also inspiring them and giving hope. The most touching moment in any of the books came at the hospital with Captain Marvel and the terminal girl, making her feel safe. Dini and Ross's best work so far, here's to hoping that the upcoming JLA work gets better.

Being a fan of both Captain Marvel AND Alex Ross, I was at the comic store the day this came out knocking the door down to buy it. This is an excellent story of Captain Marvel as he visits a hospital for dying children and he struggles to realize that he can't save everyone. He meets a young boy who is abused by his father and after the wise old SHAZAM tells him that Marvel will meet someone in need of hope, he feels this boy is that someone. But is it?

Someone else on here stated that if you could read this book without crying, you were better than he was. Friend - I'm in the same boat. I admit my eyes filled unashamedly when reading of the Captain's work with children and his love for them. We too often forget how the little things we do can touch the life of a person around us, especially a child - and this book, I believe, brings us squarely back to center. If you buy no other books this year, if you never buy ANY book - buy this one. You will be touched and enriched by it.

I'll admit that this book wasn't entirely what I was expecting. The artwork by Alex Ross was fantastic, just as expected. I learned more about the personality of Captain Marvel than I had hoped. However, I was expecting more of a comic book, like Ross' Kingdom Come series. Instead, I found the story geared more towards children. It is a tale of hope, as the title suggests and it is a powerful story that I would have no problem reading to young children. Don't buy it and expect a knockdown drag out fight. Instead, expect a wonderful parable about a boy with super powers helping other children who ends up learning something about himself in the process. And this is coming from a cynic. If I ever have children, I'll be sure to read it to them.

What can I say about this book? I've been a Captain Marvel fan all my life, literally. I've always cringed when I've heard the unknowing masses call the poor Captain "Shazam". The comics the character appears in are titled "SHAZAM!" for legal reasons that I won't cover here. On to the book:

"SHAZAM!: The Power of Hope" is the third in a series of four oversized comic-graphic novels by Paul Dini and Alex Ross. The stories are simple, focusing on a single aspect of each character: Superman's attempt to bring "Peace on Earth" for a single day. Batman's "War on Crime" and Captain Marvel visits a children's hospital for a weekend, trying to instill the "Power of Hope" in the patients there.

The story is, again, simple, clean and unsurprising not bad at all. The real star here is Mr. Ross's stunning artwork. The Captain has never looked so good! Alex Ross uses massive full page spreads to their best advantage, For the first time, you get a glimpse of what living in that wonderful, colorful universe must really be like. There, right before your eyes is Captain Marvel in all his blazing red and gold glory!

That's all you could ask for, and you get it, in abundance. For the length of this book, Captain Marvel -lives-. And for the time you spend turning those pages, you're 10 again, or 8 or 16 or whatever...the memories come flooding back.

"Good to see you again, Cap'n, don't be a stranger."