If Andy Warhol designed a STEM book centered around small things he would’ve created Atom The Building Block of the Universe. Atom is a compact illustrated book that makes the complex seem simple but also acknowledges that it certainly can be confusing. It does this with absurd graphics, by comparing odd things and layering it all against a sea of dots that would make Nancy envious. *
Well, color me surprised when I found We The People And the President. It was in my office, tucked away in a corner where the graphic novels usually hang out. It’s a mystery how it ended up there that I attribute to my youngest son cleaning the office that I should’ve tidied before this time. I say this as a sense of surprise because this is an engaging, easy-to-read reference book that offers up tidbits of government information on every page.
Don’t call it fantasy, because those books have never resonated with me. Children of the Black Glass is probably classed as fantasy, due to its sorcery, castles, dark alleys, and musty-smelling environment. Yeah, it’s fantasy, but it’s a dingy one that’s laden with black dust. It’s not dark, dank fantasy, rather it’s a world that you’d envision is moist, cloudy, and mysterious. If you were to meet a character from Children of the Black Glass in real life they’d most likely be quiet, untrustworthy, wearing an animal pelt, could live for decades in the country without any assistance and probably smell like a billy goat.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a movie that’s in an unenviable position. It’s coming out four years after the original that made money and was profitable, but it wasn’t Marvel, phase 1, 2, or 3 profitable. It’s also post-COVID and the movie-going public, especially the family-oriented ones aren’t receiving the attention that they once did. For superhero movie fans, the most recent slate of releases has been very poorly received and a shadow of their recent quality. With all of that in the rearview mirror, Shazham! Fury of the Gods gleefully steps on the gas and has produced a fun movie. It’s self-aware, mocks its self-awareness, reminds audiences that they really don’t know the character, and probably forgot the fine points of the first Shazam movie in 2019.
Recap: Billy Batson was given mystical powers by a dying wizard. Whenever this 17-year-old kid says “Shazam” he turns into the superhero. At the end of the first film he gave some of his powers to his adopted brothers and sisters, and now they’re a flying superhero team. All of this is thankfully covered in the first 20 minutes or so, which might explain why most of the people who we asked at our screening found that to be the weakest part of the film.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods focuses on some ancient gods who have come back to life and are after an ancient staff. Once they put it together they’re halfway towards conquering Earth, as long as they can plant an apple from the tree of creation. So far it’s the same hokey, superhero in tights stuff, but as you’re viewing the film it feels, ironically grounded.
There are real issues like adoption, betrayal, imposter syndrome, trust, and more that feel welcome in a ‘superhero’ film. At times it reminded me of the first Iron Man, with just a bit of Despicable Me thrown in for good measure. Fury of the Gods was breezy, fun, and lightweight entertainment. It’s the kind of movie that 10-year-old kids will see and love. Their 14-year-old siblings will see it and enjoy it more than they’re letting on. Adults will be pleasantly surprised at the film as long as they relax, look past some of the plot holes, and focus on Helen Mirren.
Yeah, there are problems with the film. Djimon Hounsou’s beard and dreadlocks look incredibly fake in every scene. Some of the CGI scenes look like they were lifted from Doctor Strange. The age discrepancy between Shazam and his teen alter-ego is incredibly inconsistent. The teen is fun and full of life, whereas the adult superhero is too much teen and annoying at times. The humor is fine, but there are many jokes that don’t connect.
Audiences also aren’t sure who’ll be around in the next version of DCEU. There is a cameo in Fury of the Gods from a superhero who’s not even in the future plans for the DC films. Their presence is a little odd, but it doesn’t taint the movie too much. Unfortunately, this happens near the end of the film when something silly and unexplainable happens.
Having said all of that, it’s still a fun movie. Shazam! Fury of the Gods won’t charm everyone, but it’s a nice placeholder for families who want to see a good, mostly clean film for ages 10 and up. There are a couple of instances where language is used that you don’t want the younger ones repeating. This is where it deftly straddles the line between it being a movie that’s aimed at families. It won’t tread any new ground, but it’ll keep those who want to be entertained, entertained. You may want another film in the franchise, but the age discrepancy will inhibit that dramatically. If Billy Batson is a young 20-something in the next film, then the kid-like charm of Shazham is gone. Will people still want to see a youth who’s just about to leave college whine and act as hapless and insecure as the superhero does? Probably not, but perhaps they could write their way out of it. Zachary Levi does have a certain amount of charm in this titular role, but he’d have to raise his demo dramatically to keep pace with its youth version.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is rated PG-13 for action, violence and language.
Little kids want to be big kids. They want to until they have to do the big kid work, and then they’ll revert back to being little kids. Getting elementary school-aged kids to read as soon as possible is integral to their success. Being able to read and comprehend text when you’re younger will only make school easier, less frustrating, and more fun. Everybody likes to have fun, don’t they? Bug Scouts Camp Out! is the second book in this series by Mike Lowery. This graphic novel checks off so many boxes in the pre-k and early elementary school book that a housing inspector would be jealous.
“Why would I want to see something that doesn’t move the story forward and only sets up a sequel”, my oldest son pondered. That specific takeaway was in relation to a conversation about cinematic entertainment, but our conversation then pivoted to the medium of books. From the perspective of any creator, that is indeed a challenging assignment. You want to add to the overall story, yet produce an entry that stands on its own, all the while getting fans to care more about the characters so that they’re willing to see them again. When phrased like that it’s no wonder why so many middle school students struggle in finding a book series that they can engage in. Mission Multiverse Doppelganger Danger is the second book in this series. We quite enjoyed the first one, but Doppelganger Danger doesn’t connect in the same fun, carefree and adventuresome way as its predecessor.
Know when to say whenRecently I was surprised to find out that Enola Holmes was a series of books before it was a Netflix movie and before it was a graphic novel. To some folks, I realize that fact sets my surprise barometer rather low, akin to the water is wet crowd. For upper elementary, through middle school readers the Spy School series of books by Stuart Gibbs is a bulletproof vehicle for fun, fast-paced reading that helps those ages fall in love with literature. When Spy School The Graphic Novel came out I was less than impressed. As the series of mglit books goes, so goes the graphic novels and Spy Camp The Graphic Novel is upon us. And perhaps it took the Enola Holmes graphic novel to brush off our burs, but Spy Camp The Graphic Novel is an entertaining and fun book.
Old school is not a pejorative in some cases. The Cat, The Owl And The Fresh Fish is old school is the right kind of way. It feels like a fable and has the repetition that’s associated with fairy tales. There is also a fresh, unknown quality about the book that lends it to feeling as if it’s been passed down from a generation. However, there’s one aspect of it that could divide some readers or their audience.
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