Some sorta spoilers ahead but not much.
Jeff Smith's take on the world's mightiest mortal has been touted for years and today finally seen print.Now while I liked his work on "Bone",I wasn't sure how he'd do on a more mainstream super-hero title but if there's one character Smith was suited for,it's definitely the original Captain Marvel and he did not disapoint.Judging by the little preview shots seen a little while ago on these boards,I knew Smith would do a good job in the re-telling of Cap & Billy's origin and he pulled it off very well.
Probally the most defining aspect of this issue was Smith defining the dual nature of Billy & Captain Marvel.Long hinted at for years and sorta touched on by Frank Miller in "The Dark Knight Strikes Back",Smith showed that(in his version of it)Billy & Marvel are two seperate people.Billy plays host to Captain Marvel,who's hinted at having been around longer than when Billy first says "Shazam". Also the Rock of Eternity not existing so much outside of time & space but at the beginning of the Big Bang.
While the most basic aspects of the origin are kept true to the original,Smith gives a refreshing look at one of the most difficult characters to take on.Cap has always been plagued with restarts since DC aquired him and the Fawcett Universe back in the 70's.First trying to keep it the same as he was was in the 40's & 50's which didn't play out too well in the age of Neal Adams & the more realistic approach to super-heroes going on.Then the awful mini-series by Roy Thomas after Crisis by going in a darker(too dark?)direction.Jerry Ordway had modest success with his "Power of Shazam" graphic novel,but the series that followed couldn't keep it going.I personally liked the "Power of Shazam" as I thought Ordway came the closest to finding the middle ground balance between the lighter aspects of Captain Marvel while keeping a modern feel to the character.
With Winick's "Trials of Shazam" going on and Billy/Cap stuck at the Rock of Eternity in place of the Wizard,I doubt that "Monster Society of Evil" will replace any current continuity but it's a great story and I can't wait to read the rest of it.
Oh,and the art's nice to look at too.
