Black Adam is often viewed as the anti-hero and even a straight up villain at times. However, he is the more relatable character in this issue. Read Full Review

This is a rare Year of the Villain tie-in that has little to do with Lex Luthor's plot, but it moves us closer to Hell Arisen " Jenkins will also be writing Commissioner Gordon's one-shot in a few months. This is the last of the villain one-shots, as next month we start focusing on the Infected, and I feel like all of them have done a great job getting into the minds of the DCU's deadliest rogues and wild cards. Read Full Review

I picked up Black Adam: Year of the Villain #1 expecting a super hero throw down among some sand dunes. What I got was that, plus a lot more. Politics and the nature of power are woven into the book to complement and work with the action. This allows the book to be so much more than I expected. And I couldn't be happier for it. Read Full Review

Inaki Miranda puts the cherry on top of this sundae with some great art that showcases the powers of both characters and the scale of their battle. Read Full Review

Black Adam: Year of the Villain #1 is a great check-in on Black Adam and the world of Khandaq. Read Full Review

Good, but not great. This book could've been a lot of fun, but unfortunately, it missed the boat. If you're enjoying the Year of the Villain specials, pick this up. If you're just a casual Shazam fam, I'd recommend picking up the regular book or even Batman/Superman instead. Read Full Review

This is one of those issues that is going to be looked at differently depending on what you want out of it.  If you are looking for an offer or anything Year of the Villain related besides a Lex Luthor mention, you will be disappointed.  If you are looking to get more Black Adam in your life (and who isn't?) and some infected Shazam to boot, you should check this out.  I have to take points off since "Year of the Villain" is in the title, but I still had a good time with this issue. Read Full Review

This is a book you don't really need to read; it's really just a fight that explains a little more about King Shazam, and gives an excuse as to why Black Adam isn't that involved in Year of the Villain. But for what it is, it's good! It gives me pleasant memories of 52 and does a nice job of presenting Black Adam as a hero " stories we need if we want the world to know how nuanced he can be when his movie arrives. Here's to more like it! Read Full Review

This is recommended for major Black Adam fans. If you want a very loosely connected Year of the Villain tie-in this one is OK but hardly a necessary read. Read Full Review

"Black Adam: Year of the Villain" #1 is a derivative superhero battle with elements of political tension enhancing the script slightly. Read Full Review

This issue is ultimately a weak return for both Paul Jenkins and Black Adam, who have both proven they have the potential for better stories than this. Read Full Review

A vague sense of competence doesn't make the delivery of this purposeless story worth any readers time. Read Full Review

Prelude:
A Year of the Villain story that relates to the Secret Six, not the Justice Doom War. This could be interesting.

The Good:
Black Adam makes this issue worth it.

It doesn't tie into Year of the Villain too much and I'm fine with that. It's more of Secret Six and the general DCU as a whole currently.

The Bad:
King Shazam was a bit much this issue. Black Adam's voice was a bit off too so these are both some mischaracterisation.

Conclusion:
An interesting story about Kahndaq, Black Adam and the state of the current DCU. Not too much of a Year of the Villain tie-in but I enjoyed it for what it is.

I don't understand the bad reviews of this issue in many ways. To me, Black Adam is DC's Doctor Doom in some ways apart from not as intelligent. Like Doom and Latveria, Black Adam's skills as a ruler comes across here and it was very interesting.
There is one criticism I do agree with though and that's the premise. Shazam defeated by prayer? How? Why? Why wasn't this a defense used before?

" It's okay that's called voted you'll get used to it-- "
- Shazam

If the sources are correct, and Black Adam's movie will start shooting next year, we can expect to witness more of the character in comics. He'll be pushed hard, and I don't think it's inherently a bad thing, since he can be fascinating as a character, if used correctly. And hopefully he won't have any bloody scribbles tattooed on his face, like Joker and Harley, completely ruined in the movies, with no glimmer of hope.

This comic does that for the most part - I mean, it uses Adam right, not turns his face into a last page of a teenager's notebook. It focuses heavily on the question "what does it mean to be a leader?", possibly whitewashing Adam in the process, and portraying him as a good guy overall, but I can't say I dislike it. Adam is a tragic antihero, coming from the lowest societal class, once being a slave. It's still a relatable story, even if few thousand years passed since. After all, we live in sickening times when 3 Americans own as much wealth as the bottom 50% of the damn society.
Seeing him as someone who learns from his mistakes, and seems to genuinely care about his people, is entertaining and makes the reader relate to Adam. He's more than a despot, a tyrant, a manipulator.

On top of that, the comic doesn't shy away from political commentary, albeit it's neither super deep or detailed. There's few references to US' imperialism and perception of everything (*cough* oil *cough*) in the Middle East belonging to it, as well as a point or two related to democracy, empowering the proletariat, and working colectively for the common goal. If you're a political junkie like yours truly, you may enjoy them. If not, worry not, they are rather subtle, and never overshadow the story itself.

Could the comic be better? Yeah, definitely. The art is, at times, pretty mediocre (especially character faces - just look at the cover. Look at it, seriously), dialogues could have been more organic and definitely less stiff, and the general story has too many references to other events, from Luthor's Year of the Villain, through Event Leviathan, to, naturally, Batman Who Laughs' Secret Six (I mean, this one is self explanatory, isn't it?). Most of these won't be remembered in years to come, which I could imagine, will hurt the reading experience of next generations of comic fans.

Anyways, I recommend this issue. Not the greatest thing out there on the shelves, but one with plenty of potential that hopefully will be picked up ad utilized by other writers, to develop and explore the character of Adam more, and more. more

This was fine. Some unsubtle political commentary with some fighting... That's it. But it wasn't as obnoxious as it gets with things like Wonder Twins. This just doesn't need to be a book and it's not fun enough to make up for that.

Man, Black Adam can be so much more than this.

Disappointing and mundane.

Spend your money wisely and buy the Lex Luthor Year of the Villain special instead.

The story might have been decent had it not that the "Who Laughs" crap thrown into it or the left leaning political insinuations. Honestly the writers should be embarrassed.