By
Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. Reprinted from Justice League
#7-11, 0, 14-16, 18-21 (2012-2013)
Well, nobody's more surprised than me
that I ended up buying this collection, and in hardcover to boot!
From the very beginning of the New 52 version of The Hero Formerly
Known As Captain Marvel, I found so many things to dislike
about Geoff Johns' portrayal, mainly centering on the surly
characterization he imparted to Billy Batson, which seemed very much
a stereotypical obnoxious brat just like his similar and nearly
simultaneous portrayal of young Bruce Wayne in Batman: Earth One.
That wasn't the only aspect of the “updating” of the
story that I didn't care for, to be sure. The new Dr. Sivana, bulked
up and looking more like a cheap Lex Luthor knock-off, also rubbed me
the wrong way. And the mess just seemed to get worse and worse as
month after month of the back-up series appeared in the pages of
Justice League, what with Billy and Freddy first attempting to
capitalize on Billy's new powers to make money, then considering
Billy's new adult appearance as a way for them to get alcohol. For
someone like me, who loves the simple, almost childlike wonder and
charm of the original Captain Marvel, which has, however
imperfectly, informed most of DC's portrayals of the character
hitherto (Dark Mary Marvel and subsequent developments being
lamentable departures from that model, essentially exceptions that
prove the rule), it seemed like these newest horrors were just going
from bad to worse. It was heartbreaking.
And then...
And then...
