Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam is the latest in the DC animated originals. Unlike the previous entries Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam is a combination of shorts. The previously unreleased Superman/Captain Marvel story headlines and shines all over.
The animation is smooth and crisp. It is slightly stylized to me. A marriage of traditional american hero animation and japanese anime. Here's the kicker: It's neither. It's Korean. The story is an origin story for the good captain. Simple storytelling in the classic four color style, it's a really enjoyable watch.
One of my favorite parts of the animated short is a truly inspired bit of casting. Arnold Vosloo (you may know him as the mummy Imhotep from The Mummy films, Zartan from G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra or our supremely geeky reads will know him as the titular hero Darkman from the two darkman sequels) as Black Adam. I wouldn't have thought of it but seeing it in action it seems so simple. I even believed that Black Adam looked like he was given some subtle cues of Mr. Vosloo in the animated character. Really good stuff. I have yet to be disappointed by DC's animation.
The rest of the DC Showcase animated shorts: DC Showcase: The Spectre, DC Showcase: Jonah Hex, and DC Showcase: Green Arrow are all fantastic. They were included in previous releases as extras and are all collected here in extended versions. I felt that all of them are fantastic and I really wish they were full length, especially the Green Arrow one. Knocked my socks off.
I totally recommend this purchase to anyone who might not have the other shorts on their parent discs and even if you do, you will find something for you on this compilation. There are some commentaries on all the shorts and a few Bruce Timm selections from Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: The Brave and The Bold and Justice League: Unlimited that correspond with the stars of the shorts. Give it a shot and you will not be disappointed.
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