The Trials Of Shazam! #1

The wizard Shazam has been destroyed and his responsibilities now fall upon Billy Batson. This leaves Earth without a protector against magic threats. Freddy Freeman wishes to fulfill that role but must endure a series of trials and prove he's worthy. 

This twelve issues series is written by Judd Winick with art by Howard Porter. I enjoyed the concept of the story a lot. Not only that but it gave me and other readers a chance to see more of Freddy Freeman. Winick is no stranger to his character as he had him make a few appearances in The Outsiders series which was written by Winick as well. The first time I saw his character I was intrigued. This series is a great way to showcase his growth and development as he engages in a series of trials to become the new Captain Marvel. 

It would appear yelling out "SHAZAM!" no longer works as the laws of magic have been rewritten. Another nice change created by Winick. The pacing of the story was nice as we see Freeman encounter a variety of obstacles, each more deadly then the previous one. The kicker is that he has to face these challenges without his powers. Of course he gets help and advice along the way as he seeks out the gifts of the Gods who are on Earth in human form. But all that isn't enough to make this story great. Winick introduces us to Sabina who is also after these same abilities as Freeman is. This only makes these trials all the more exciting.

I really enjoyed Howard Porter's art in this series. It's not even similar at all to his style in the JLA series years ago. The art is extremely attractive and nicely designed. The painted style worked out well for this series.

This is a pretty interesting and exciting series so far that is shaping up to finish very strong. I'm intrigued and enjoying these new rules and changes to the magic world of DC Comics. Watching Freddy Freeman progress through these obstacles on his way to becoming the new Captain Marvel has been a complete joy thanks to the refreshing writing of Winick and the beautiful artwork drawn by Porter.