Spoilers for Shazam #1 ahead!
The Shazam Family is crumbling to pieces and there may be little anyone can do to stop it. In Shazam #1, readers learn that not only are the Shazam Family’s powers in flux, but the family is coming apart personally as well.
Since the character’s creation in the 1940s, there has existed some form of the Shazam Family. Consisting of the core of Shazam, Mary and Freddy, the Shazam Family is one of the first instances of such a family in comics, and has been imitated by other characters, such as Superman. When Shazam was reworked for the New 52, his family was greatly expanded; the core was joined by their foster siblings Eugene, Pedro and Darla. This new Shazam Family proved to a force to be reckoned with, but now forces are working to pull them away from each other. Shazam #1 is written by Tim Sheridan, with art by Clayton Henry, colors by Marcelo Maiolo and letters by Rob Leigh.
Shazam’s powers are on the fritz; they fail him during a fight with Chemo alongside his fellow Titan Academy classmates. The Wizard is nowhere to be found, and readers learn that Billy has not spoken with Mary, Freddy and the rest of the family in a while; Billy has missed calls and texts from Freddy. Later, Billy is confronted by Mary, who informs him that with their powers on the fritz, Freddy has lost the stamina of Atlas, causing his neurological condition to progress, giving him weeks to live. Mary begs Billy to contact Freddy, but Billy is ashamed to face him, feeling he has condemned Freddy to death. Billy tries several times to call the power down, but it does not work.
This fracturing could not have come at a worse time for the Shazam Family—their powers are not functioning properly and the one person they can turn to, the Wizard, is missing in action. On top of all this, Billy is becoming withdrawn and distant. He is the glue that holds the Shazam Family together, and without him, they are shattering. Billy’s actions are selfish, especially in light of Freddy’s condition. What is truly horrifying is that matters are only going to get worse; the recently concluded Future State painted a grim picture for Shazam's fate, one where he and Billy are separated, and left at the mercy of the demon Neron.
Time will tell if Billy is able to reconcile with Mary and the rest, but chances are he is going to need them if he wants to regain his powers and set things right. Family is an integral part of the Shazam mythos, but now, at the worst possible time, the Shazam Family is falling apart.
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July 23, 2021 at 11:31PM
