Superman/ Shazam: Return of Black Adam review

Last night, I bought the single-disc edition of Superman/ Shazam: Return of Black Adam as this would be the shortest of all the DCU Animated movies they put out. It’s the shortest in that the feature itself is 22-24 minutes. It also has extended version of the DC Showcase shorts of Spectre, Green Arrow, and Jonah Hex that were seen in the other DCU animated movie releases. It comes with the special features of four bonus episodes selected by animation legend, Bruce Timm with one from Batman: The Animated Series, two from Justice League Unlimited, and one from Batman: Brave and Bold.

The Superman/ Shazam: Return of Black Adam is really the origin of how Billy Batson became Captain Marvel with a twist involving Superman and Black Adam. It could have done without Superman, whom I’m sure is used to sell the DVD release. This is the first time we don’t see Superman and Captain Marvel battling each other like they usually do, but their team-up against Black Adam was really brutal and it’s up there with the animated fights between Superman and Captain Marvel. George Newburn and Jerry O Connell reprise their voiceover roles from Justice League Unlimited. The animation is similar to the one from Superman/ Batman: Public Enemies. The background is pretty realistic and the characters are relatable.

The Spectre short is a action-mystery involving the death of a film producer while the Green Arrow is action-packed with suspense involving the protection of a royalty girl, along with a special appearance from Black Canary. Jonah Hex is a western tale of revenge and it’s actually better than the live-action movie. Jonah Hex is voiced by Thomas Jane, who tried out for the role for the live-action movie, but Josh Brolin ended up getting it. These DC Showcase shorts have portrait the characters perfectly from the comics and I hope the comics writers take note of these characters in how to write them.  I hope that other DCU characters get the DC Showcase treatment that they may not get any animated films or series as this is the best thing for them.