It's clear that the main appeal of this book is the artwork of Joshua Middleton. The plot itself, presenting the first encounter between Superman and Captain Marvel, is fairly standard super-hero fare. So first and foremost, this is an art book. One has to give Middleton credit, though. He offers an interesting vision of super-heroes that maintains a lighter, more innocent tone that's in keeping with the genre's traditional leanings while adding an eerie, supernatural atmosphere that adds much-needed tension to the story. As I said, the plot is pretty typical, even stereotypical, but Winick manages to capture my attention with his interpretation and characterization of Billy Batson.
It's been about a year since Superman made his first appearance in Metropolis, and with the new age of heroes just getting underway, the super-hero fraternity is a pretty limited club. A new figure has appeared over the skies of Fawcett City, though, a red-and-gold-clad caped hero known as Captain Marvel. While he contends with giant robots bent on destroying a solar-power research facility, Superman finds himself tied up in his city dealing with a gang of thieves pilfering Russian artifacts from a museum. He soon discovers they're no ordinary criminals.
Middleton's reputation was built in part on the rich level of detail he brought to the the fantasies he brought to life. There's plenty of that to be found here, but he also depicts the two title characters in a slightly simpler fashion, with more cartoony expressions. He casts aside hyper-realism and deveops a more stylistic approach here. His depictions of Superman and the Big Red Cheese actually remind me a bit of Mike (Hellboy) Mignola's super-hero work. The designs for the monsters are wonderful, conveying power and menace. The mystical creatures tend to be bloated and balloon-like, but it conveys their strength and power clearly. The robot designs are clearly inspired by 1940s and '50s sensibilities, just like similar elements in such recent films as The Iron Giant and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
So far, Winick has offered up a fairly standard, cookie-cutter team-up plot, but I am relieved it doesn't hinge on an initial misunderstanding that pits the two heroes against one another. Of course, there are several issues left to go in this limited series, so that cliche has plenty of time to rear its ugly head.
Where the script shines is with the brief glimpse it offers us of Billy Batson's life as a homeless orphan desperate to stay out of the social services system. I love the notion of a friend who's helping him out and who's in on the Captain Marvel secret. The friendship makes Billy seem more like a real kid and it balances the depressing nature of the character's lot in life. 7/10
