Shazam! #3

But Why Tho?

Shazam #3 features a little bit of everything. Anything that makes the character and world of Shazam brilliant is represented in this comic. The heroism and willingness to do good by Billy, with that sense of right and wrong instilled at a young age. The family unit and the friendship within that home, with the dialogue that fits a bunch of kids that have also experienced a lot of magic and superpowers. There are glimpses of action, although that is the crux of the issue. And the boundless amount of fun that is contained within these pages. What could be considered silly is actually just not believing any storyline to be off-limits and beyond possibility, and it makes the series a blast to read.

Lyles Movie Files

This title immediately shot up to must-get status as the creators fully understand how to make a great comic. If you’re into quality comics, there’s no reason to miss this book.

AIPT

From an immensely talented creative team, Shazam! #3 is another excellent chapter in a story that grows more intriguing and tense with each issue without forgetting to be funny here and there. The many plots are weaved in a way that makes the story itself feel eager to get to the next issue rather than simply going through the motions for the sake of setting up the next story. Evidently, there’s a lot of fun being had by the creatives at work, and they continue to craft an infectiously fun superhero tale that is increasingly bordering on epic.

Geek Dad

The six Gods who gave Billy his powers—and they’re tired of relying on a kid to represent them. They’re using their hold on him to take control and bring some ancient Greek justice to the world—and they’ve forced Freddy to serve as their spy and thrall by brainwashing him. Billy is very aware of what’s happening, and has come up with an imperfect solution for it—he’ll just never transform again. But as stresses wear down on him, that becomes an impossible promise to keep. This all sounds like pretty heavy material for a Shazam comic—which has been an ongoing problem for the franchise—and in some ways it is, but Waid balances it nicely with some of the most joyfully ridiculous stuff I’ve seen in a DC Comic in a while.

ComicBook.com

The stranger Shazam! grows, the better it gets. In the course of Shazam! #3, readers encounter a squabbling sextet of ancient gods, Gorilla City, an alien T-Rex accountant, and the family's talkative tiger babysitter; each of these images are rendered in fabulous fashion by Dan Mora who updates the Silver Age's greatest charms for a new era. All of these idiosyncratic elements are neatly woven together into a story that's clearly more than its individual components. Conspiracies in outer space and magical conflicts alike are slowly weaving themselves together and carving out space for robust themes to emerge as Billy questions his relationship with such immense power. While the source of the gods' angst with their champion and nebulous threats from the stars remain unclear, Shazam! #3 provides plenty of new details and spectacle as Billy learns about his new predicament and each new sequence offers an abundance of wondrous visuals. Shazam! Is a bona fide can't-miss comic for anyone who loves fun-filled superhero series.

The Super Powered Fancast

The Story: An intense and entertaining story from Waid. The action is great and I love the suspense as Billy gets pushed to change throughout the issue. The pantheon is an interesting problem for Billy to face and their influence creates some great drama for the character. I also really enjoyed the growing rift between Billy and his siblings who don’t have powers anymore. I’m interested in seeing what happens next. The Art: Mora delivers some visually impressive art throughout the issue. The pages and panels are filled with fantastic details and perfectly capture the intensity of the story.

Weird Science DC Comics

Shazam! #3 leans even further into the Silver Age wackiness with eclectic characters and clarity surrounding who is behind the Captain's bizarre outbursts. Waid's reveal makes sense, even in a silly Silver Age way, and Dan Mora's art is exquisite, but the villain doesn't seem to have a plan (yet), and Mora's exquisite art sometimes seems out of place with the Silver Age tone.

Razorfine

After being captured at the Rock of Eternity, we also find out that the gods have plans to use Freddy to better spy on their progress in turning the Captain into something more befitting their name. Our hero’s journey to the moon, which I half-expected to be a snipe hunt meant to teach our Captain some humility, sets up his next challenge against Garguax on the face of the moon.

Graham Crackers Comics

Goofy! But that’s good. Mark Waid and Dan Mora diving head first into the Old School bag of story ideas! Gorilla City, the Emperor of the Moon, arrogant and childish gods, all getting mixed up in a wonderful, somewhat comical, stew of a story that does remind me on the early days of Captain Marvel Adventures and Whiz Comics. Now if only Mr. Banjo would show up!