Superman/ Shazam: The Return of Black Adam –
Now, DCU has been atop the animation movies for some time now. Marvel’s Ultimate Avengers films were average at best and while they do set a good tone as to what the movie may be portrayed, their other ventures such as Dr. Strange and Invincible Iron Man simply weren’t the best that they could have been. The HULK vs Wolverine/THOR series were fun and full of kickass scenes but at the end of the day…DCU has been the only entity to me who has delivered full-on animated glory. The Batfilms of old such as Mask of the Phantasm, Subzero, Return of the Joker etc were all glorious in their own way and kept us comic book bat-fans at bay, happy and content…but when the DCU took full-on challenges that may not be on the cinema screen anytime soon…I admit I was wary!
Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier weren’t up to my high standard but Batman: Gotham Knight proved a liking as the different fighting and art styles, coupled with the anime influence, made me as giddy as a comic fan on a Wednesday. Wonder Woman remains my favorite as the action sequences and decapitation scene were simply heaven. Green Lantern: First Flight also struck a good chord in my books but Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and JLA: Crisis on 2 Earths left a lot to be desired to me. I may not have been receptive of these particular comic arcs but again, Jeph Loeb on DC isn’t the sucky Loeb at Marvel, so while these films weren’t great, they were a ton better than what Marvel were delivering. However, as a huge fan of Judd Winick, I was amazed by the Under the Red Hood film, as this captivated the raw emotion and drama of the comic to a tee. Winick alone can write this Jason Todd, not even Grant Morrison comes close, and I hope more comic writers get into comic film scripts for real-live and animated features. These are the guys who can stick to the source and also allow deviated arcs on film that appease us to the bone. Would DC deliver with Superman/Batman: Apocalypse? Well I loved Mike Turner’s Marvel art, and this book was one of my DCU faves…and the film never disappointed. The ending was better than the comics, and this conclusion delivered ultimately cool results. DCU’s fight sequences remain an animation heaven. They have amazing writers and amazing voice-casts…Timm, Romano need to be praised in heaps. With All-Star Superman, Emerald Knights and Batman Year One in the future releases, I do hope that the likes of Flash, Aquaman and Green Arrow get full animated films soon. That is unless Geoff Johns, Dan Didio and Jim Lee get them to follow on the Superman and Batman films that will grace us soon, and have DCU pump out more movies to cinemas.
Well, DCU is about quality over quantity? Let’s argue that another time…Hot on the heels of reading JMS’ and Shane Davis’ Superman Earth-1, I was in glee as I loved this book, and lo and behold, I got to see this Superman/Shazam: Return of Black Adam short one week later…color me excited. The DCU SHOWCASE is a series of short films, where characters that don’t get full features, can be represented. There will be a full release of all shorts on November 9th 2010. The Spectre, Jonah Hex and Green Arrow shorts were all well done; but would the Black Adam newly revealed short be spectacular?
Answer –
Without delving too much into the backdrops of Black Adam, we get a simple fight scene between Black Adam and some heroes. The back-story between Adam and Shazam is kept minimal but concise, and the depth to the Billy Batson plot is well done and Zach Callison delivers the innocence needed by Billy. This tale of Billy discovering his destiny while trying to help Superman combat Adam is fun and filled with lovely fight sequences, as the action never flounders! Superman’s vulnerability to magic is well portrayed on-screen and Adam is shown as a huge force to be reckoned with. Geoff Johns and DCU made Adam a frightful entity since the days of 52 and World WAR 3, and this is translated well to the flick as Adam is kicking Superman’s ass. Billy’s exchange with Shazam is also short but straight to the point, and this along with Arnold Vosloo’s villainous foray from the Mummy is something that put a smile to my face as we got a 23 minute short of pure enjoyment. Any DCU comic fan would have loved a full feature without Superman, and delving more and more into the Marvel Family at DCU. But we got a short film, and it will have to suffice. The dialogue and plot are all well drawn out, the animation art style remains a steadfastly breath-talking view, and you never lose interest in this plot as the pace is fast and keeps you glued to the TV.
Jerry O’ Connell as Marvel reminds me of Tom Hanks’ Big and he compliments George Newbern’s Superman to a tee. Overall, I was sad to see a short film, as the quality was so high, I yearned for a full on feature. I hope DC hears this and delves into a Captain Marvel feature live action! I think DCU’s magic realm has a lot to offer…and while Dr. Fate doesn’t rear his head here, look out for a nice cameo at the end. It’s grrrrreat! Maybe Captain Marvel can follow a Smallville path on the CW as there is a lot of lore to hit this off, but I hope the cinemas are graced with this tale. I love this character, the family…and especially Black Adam! Osiris, Mary Marvel etc are all part of the lore to research, and since 52…this family has been quite interesting…and Adam is still a fave of mine at DC. Freddy Freeman anyone?...
I end with simply urging you to check this…I implore you…otherwise I wouldn’t give this a 9/10. It’s a great short indeed…and I leave you with one word…SHAZAM!!!