Monday, May 21, 2007

the Trials of SHAZAM! #6 - DC



Judd Winick and Howard Porter are really doing an awesome job with this series. And if case I haven't said it, or you haven't heard it, "The book of Magic has been . . . rewritten." And it ain't no Black Magic Woman. This time his trial is to be by Hercules. The problem is his sitting in a maximum security federal penitentiary. For killing 14 people. Of course they were all magical beings. But since he was fighting Medusa, she made it look like, when all was said and done, that he had killed a bunch of Japanese mobsters. Oh yeah, and she set up a booby-trap, so that when Hercules tried to use his powers, it set off a shock-wave and killed 4 mortals in a passing car. Since Gods are never allowed to harm mortals, he is being punished by having to sit out the rest of his existence in a prison as a mortal. So his trial for Billy . . . if it isn't to obvious . . . is to get him out of there. But Zareb, his guide, is convinced that doing so crosses a line. "Hercules took the lives of the innocent. That breaks the magical covenant for a being of his rank. Fate has divined that he is to remain mortal as his penance. There are no loopholes. He's supposed to rot in there . . . as a man." But then Lucifer shows up with the head of Medusa, claiming that her spell can be broken. But all he really wants is to take Hercules power for himself. But there's a problem with that, as Hercules lays on the floor he says, " . . has to be earned . . you steal . . you can't hope to carry it all in your thievin' hands . . . I have more . . and it belongs elsewhere . ." And with that he gives it to Freddie. He says his magic word, and he thinks he's ready to take on Lucifer. Next issue we'll see how that all turns out. I really like this book though. And I've been a fan of Howard Porter's ever since his JLA days, and before that on the Ray. But I think this is some of his best stuff to date.

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