Shazam!: Power of Hope

Rating:
Summary: The perfect way to introduce people to the world of comics.
Review: When people find out that I STILL read comics at the stodgy old age of 30, I'm usually given "The LOOK"....like I must be a case of arrested development or something...(I AM, but that'll be our secret..). This is the kind of book that I talk about when I explain just what it is I enjoy about the Comic Book as an art form. While there is some extremely well done (and beautifully illustrated!) action to be found in The Power Of Hope, the majority of the book is grounded in simple character interaction, as Captain Marvel decides to visit terminally ill children and try to grant their wishes. The dialogue is perfect, and casually answers some nagging questions about the "Big Red Cheese" that I didn't even know I had, such as how did little Billy Batson sign the lease on his apartment? The art is simply beautiful (check out the Gorilla, and the Volcano sequence that opens the book.), and if you can get through this book without being moved to tears, well....you're a lot tougher than me.