JUSTICE LEAGUE #0

STORY: Geoff Johns
ART: Gary Frank

Before the reboot, Billy Batson was the world's most perfect kid - he listened to his parents, did his homework, was kind to everyone he met, and generally didn't have a bad thought in his head. It was for this sterling character that Billy was chosen to be Captain Marvel, the scion of the wizard Shazam. And even though the Captain saw his fair share of evil throughout his adventures, Billy never stopped being that perfect little boy. Now, in the 'New 52, he's a brat and a jerk - he can't seem to get along with anyone, and he actively works against others whenever he can. A lot (and I mean a lot) of comic book news outlets have painted the recent Shazam back-up stories in Justice League as a terrible reintroduction to one of DC's most iconic and long-lasting characters. On the contrary, I think it's one of the wisest and most interesting changes made yet.

The 'New 52' is supposed to be about making things new, and what better way than to make the most unrelatable character in the DC universe just a bit more realistic? While many long-time comic book fans want to hold their beloved characters in a time-lock - never allowing for them to grow or change - it's a pipe dream, and one that the hardcore crowd is going to have to get over as comic books continue to move into newer, bolder territories. Similarly, some Marvel fans are up in arms about a book with the title Uncanny Avengers that features Rogue and Thor on the same team. So what?

As you guessed, Justice League #0 focuses on Billy and his transformation into Captain Marvel Shazam. Yes, this is the second big change to the character: Captain Marvel is now called Shazam, and the wizard once called Shazam is now simply "The Wizard", as there don't seem to be too many of them running around. I guess DC just got tired of lording the trademark over Marvel's head. Either way, it makes a lot more sense to call the superhero Shazam - there wasn't any real reason for the name 'Captain Marvel' in the first place.

I really do love Billy's new personality. He's an orphan whose been forced to grow up much faster than he should have. It's a sad but real problem in the world, today, that more and more children are made to raise themselves. The silver lining, of course, is that Billy understands the world much more than most other 15 year olds, and he proves it. The Wizard has been searching for centuries to find a "purely good" person on which to bestow his powers, only to come up empty-handed. "No one is pure good," explains Billy to a baffled, millennia-old wizard. Billy sees the situation for what it is: an over-romanticism of a certain, unattainable goal that would solve every problem ever and bring peace to mankind. The Wizard wants so much to believe that there must be a person who is pure good, that he's wasted eons searching for it, even though it doesn't exist. Quite eloquently, Billy goes on about bad encompassing the good in the world, no matter what. And while it seems that young Batson might be without hope, the Wizard looks into his soul a second time and finds the good buried beneath layers and layers of bad. In the end, it is the potential for good that will defeat the evil.

Gary Frank's art is fantastic. His work in the "Shazam" back-ups was good, but it feels like he put extra time and effort into these pages, as they feel more emotional, more vibrant, and more expressive than ever. His facial expressions are pure genius - Billy's being the obvious best - but he also knows how to draw bodies to convey an idea. The Wizard's slouch gives you the feeling he has been burdened by so much for so long that his guilt is literally crushing him.

Justice League #0 was a gamble. For a general public that doesn't read a lot of comic books, making this "Issue Zero" a Shazam-only story could be bad for the bottom line. Literally nowhere in theses pages are the actual Leaguers featured. Johns and Frank dedicate this issue to Shazam, giving him a damn fine introduction as he gets ready to join the League proper starting in 2013. Before the reboot last year, Captain Marvel was always the boy scout, more so even than Superman. He never erred, rarely faltered, and was liked by all. He was a bit more sickeningly perfect than Superman, which was hard to do. Now, we have a dynamic character who actually has depth, who really does have a reason for acting beyond a surface-level desire to uphold truth, justice, and the American way. Now, we have a real Shazam.

GRADE

A

(COMIC) JUSTICE LEAGUE #10

STORY: Geoff Johns
ART: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Mark Irwin, and Jonathan Glapion

We're starting to get a little more of the bigger picture of the second major arc of Justice League. "The Villain's Journey" continues this month with some revelations concerning the League's outside lives and the origin of Graves.

A good portion of this month's issue is dedicated to giving readers a bit more insight into the lives of each League member and who knows what about who. Like a what's what of how their personal lives affect them professionally. Graves has been torturing and interrogating villains associated with each League member, learning more and more about them each time. Cyborg is forced to explain to Hal Jordan (who is still consistently thick-headed in Justice League) that the more Graves knows about them, the more he can exploit their weaknesses: Barry's police-influenced desire to work within the boundaries of the law, Wonder Woman's secret rendezvous to a Native American reserve, and that Batman doesn't trust anyone on the team. These little call-outs from Cyborg not only add bricks to the 'New 52' universe, but they also give readers connections between books (Barry Allen is dating Patty Spivot in The Flash, and this relationship is mentioned during the briefing.) The notion that Batman doesn't trust anyone also brings about the revelation that the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel work together outside of the League, something that hasn't been seen or mentioned up until now.


More so than ever before, Justice League is beginning to feel like a launching point for much of what happens throughout the DC universe now. Steve Trevor's consistent presence, Green Arrow's recruitment to some "other team", the Martian Manhunter's apparent sort stint as a member, and the use of Apokolyptian boom tubes as means of teleporting all show potential to affect more than just the adventures of the Justice League. These are the story elements that will have long-term results, possibly years down the road.

By the end of their discussion, the question of trust has been raised between all of them - how can they trust one another while some know more about each other than others? In days long past, the League was a simpler entity that rarely asked questions of this nature, simply because the readership demanded nothing more than superheroes beating up super villains. Today, it's important that a more realistic base be set for the characters we read about. Mistrust amongst a group of demi-gods who don't know each others' names is a very likely scenario.


Graves shows up on the Watchtower at the end of the issue to lay the smack down on the League. From the opening vignette, we gather that David Graves got his powers from some disgraced gods in Pamir Mountains. The closing pages tell us that these powers can somehow be used to harbor other souls and/or life-forces through emotional manipulation. With little more than a mention of her beloved Steve, Wonder Woman attacks Graves and quickly goes down, the life drained out of her both spiritually and physically as he body begins to wither. Soon, the entire League is down and Graves is in control of the Watchtower. A fantastic cliffhanger if I've ever read one.


The "Shazam!" back-up actually picks up a little bit this month as Billy sneaks out of the Vasquez's house late at night. Freddy Freeman follows him to the zoo where Billy is telling a tiger that it's the only real family he's got left. Freddy interrupts and before Billy can blow up, Freddy suggests vandalizing the house of the boys who hassle the other foster kids at school each morning. This bit of bonding between Billy and Freddy provides the seeds to Freddy becoming Captain Marvel Jr., or maybe some new incarnation of hero associated with the wizard Shazam.


And speaking of the wizard, Doctor Sivana continues his archaeological dig, now complete with a fancy magic-seeing eye that helps him see the mystical spells placed on the door to a greater prize than any gold or gems. As he utters a single, "Shazam", Black Adam emerges from the tomb demanding to see the wizard! The final, double-wide pullout pages of The New 52 #1 revealed what looked like Black Adam fighting Vibe, though many posited that it was just the 'New 52' version of Captain Marvel, as Billy Batson is much more mean-spirited than his former self. Obviously, Black Adam is here, which spells trouble for our little trouble maker.

GRADE

B