Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil by Jeff Smith

A young boy living on the streets and a call from a wizard. A connection to the magic spark and a trip to The Rock of Eternity. The passing of the mantle: Captain Marvel! A rich origin story that enables a city to feel safe again?

Billy Batson learns the dynamics of his powers, and with it some very important information: he has a little sister. His goal is to find her, but his plan gets tripped up when a mistake unleashes The Monster Society of Evil. A robot controlled by Mr. Mind descends on the city, and teamed with the monsters, it is a incredible foe for the hero.

There’s a lot going on in this story: Billy’s introduction to his alter ego, a series of villians to fight, and a group of friends to help. I loved this art. I have not read Bones, but have seen many pages and need to read it soon. This one was very fast-paced; I mean, every page had a different twist or problem that Billy had to solve. It’s ideal for a new comic reader, especially the younger crowd. I only say this because there’s no graphic violence and the language is mild. (There was one questionable sequence where a female reporter was called, ‘attractive’ several times over the course of a couple pages. Not really offensive, but just kinda weird).

Overall, I would recommend this retelling of Shazam’s story to anyone looking to jump into the genre. I’m ready for more!