One of the first collected editions I ever bought – back when I was into comics, but before I had the means to maintain a pull list – was the last collection of the classic Batman story “No Man’s Land.” The story was about Gotham’s descent into chaos following an earthquake and the United States’ government saying “eh, fuck it” and blowing all the bridges. It was awesome, and I read that trade until it fell apart. Particularly the last chapter, Detective Comics #741. It was the first time I can remember actually looking for the artist’s name because I liked it so much. Dale Eaglesham drew about half of it (the Huntress parts, if you want to go check it out on DC Universe…), and I adored it.
Since becoming a regular reader with the bandwidth and wherewithal to actually check pull lists and stuff, I have been routinely impressed with Eaglesham’s ability. He is someone who is great drawing Huntress’ last stand against a horde of faceless thugs in the snow in Gotham, and equally great drawing the intentionally bizarre Universal Inhumans (so many horse people) in Fantastic Four, or the classic, barrel-chested hero Tom Strong in The Terrifics. And of course he’s the perfect guy to be drawing the throwback magical superhero fun in Shazam.
This upcoming issue of Shazam, #7, shows just how much range Eaglesham has. He can go from frantic bunny being chased by flying monkeys to a fraught but still funny family conversation in the blink of a page. And he’s stretching himself, too – he’s got a “realist mode” that he uses for books like Secret Six or the aforementioned Detective issues, and a heroic-pose half Kirby, half Fleisher style that he used for Terrifics, Justice Society of America, and Fantastic Four, but here he’s going subtly exaggerated and cartoony. It’s really great, and we’ve got an exclusive first look for you here.
Scott Kolins joins him on art later in the issue, and he’s no slouch. Kolins has a timeless style to him that makes him one of my favorite Flash artists and another impeccable choice to join Geoff Johns in keeping Shazam alive in the Rebirth era.
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Here’s the official synopsis from DC
“Shazam and the Seven Magiclands” continues as the shocking new member of the Shazam family is revealed! This mystery person will send shock waves through the entire cast!
And here are the preview pages!
