Review — Black Adam: Year of the Villain #1: The Battle for Khandaq

Black Adam: Year of the Villain #1 — Paul Jenkins, Writer; Inaki Miranda, Artist; Hi-Fi, Colorist

Ratings: Ray — 8.5/10

Ray: Geoff Johns’ characterization of Black Adam during his classic Justice Society of America run and beyond took Black Adam from a stock villain to one of the DCU’s most compelling villains, and now Paul Jenkins returns to DC for Black Adam: Year of the Villain #1, a one-shot that furthers that characterization and builds on it — while tying in with the Shazam Who Laughs’ rampage around the world.

The most interesting thing about Adam is that he’s not just a supervillain — he’s a king, ruler of the nation of Khandaq and beloved by his people. But the real world is creeping in, and as we see in the beginning of this issue, a rebellion for democracy is starting to build in Khandaq. The first part of the story, after a brief flash forward, shows Adam dealing with advisors who doubt his grip on the country and managing the nation’s affairs. But it’s not long before a crazed Billy Batson descends on the desert and starts talking about coups. It sort of makes sense — revolution is always chaotic, and the Batman who Laughs’ modus operandi is all about chaos.