Warning: SPOILERS for Shazam #13
Shazam #13 finds the titular character become DC's new tiniest new hero. To fight his nemesis Mr. Mind, Shazam shrinks himself by casting a spell from The Book of Champions, which begs the question, Why hasn't Billy done this before!?
After being pushed to his absolute limit by Mr. Mind, who is possessing Billy's Dad's body, Shazam makes himself the size of the hyper-intelligent worm villain. With The Book of Champions, which he only had because Mind forced him to recite a spell to unite the seven Magic Lands into one world, Billy finds a shrinking spell. Proclaiming the ever intimidating one-liner "Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" the issue ends with Shazam and Mind face to face inside Billy's father's ear.
The fact that Shazam has never shrunk down before when one of his primary villains is a literal worm is confounding, considering how long he's apparently had the means to do so. Billy Batson doesn't have too many villains in his rogues gallery that can square up equally against him, but Mr.Mind has been one that tests Shazam regularly. So it's hard to fathom that the hero has never done this before. However, it might just come down to Billy never having seen a reason to. But now, after being pushed to his breaking point by the worm, he might have seen a cause.
With Mind tricking Billy - by way of his mind-controlled father - to succeed in his plan to gain the power of the seventh champion and uniting the Magic Lands, Shazam may just have had no choice but to think outside of his usual box. Testing Shazam both physically and emotionally, Mr. Mind finally proved himself as Shazam's most formidable foe. Mind even introduced a team of villains that he leads, showing that he is the top mastermind of Billy's nemeses.
Shazam #13 teasing it's readers that the titular hero and Mr. Mind will duke it out face-to-face at the same level is exciting. And seeing what Mr. Mind can do physically will be interesting to watch play out. Mind has only ever been a mental foe for Shazam. Seeing a physical showdown between the two could be fun for fans. Even if the battle itself doesn't last long, Shazam throwing more one-liner puns about being small will be entertaining.
DC has had numerous small superheroes. From The Atom to Bumblebee, the idea of tiny heroes is far from uncharted territory to readers. These shrinking heroes prove that size doesn't matter. So, with Billy Batson becoming the most recent hero to go little, will he prove to be a champion of small as well as good? Or will this (most likely) just be a fun passing situation? Stay tuned to The Shazam comics to find out.
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August 09, 2020 at 06:45AM
