The Shadow

The Shadow #7

/ / Comics

the-shadow-7-coverThe new creative team of writer Victor Gischler and artist Jackson Herbert take over the pages of The Shadow with a single-issue adventure featuring Lamont Cranston‘s return to Nepal. Seeking answers after his power to read the soul of evil men falters, Cranston travels back the the masters who trained him only to discover the temple has been destroyed by another former pupil.

The Shadow may not get the answers he seeks but he does get justice for the slain masters by confronting Red Raja who has used his powers to make himself an opium overlord in the region. This, of course, leads to an escalating level of bloodshed before the two men, whose powers to cloud the minds of men won’t work on each other, do battle in the city streets.

I’ve always been a fan of The Shadow, but Garth Ennis‘ six-issue run to launch the new series from Dynamite Entertainment wasn’t enough to keep my attention. Given the new creative direction here I decided to give The Shadow a second chance. I’m glad I did. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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The Shadow #1

/ / Comics

the-shadow-1-coverDynamite Entertainment brings another old-timey public domain hero back into the spotlight with The Shadow written by Garth Ennis with art by Aaron Campbell. As first issues go it’s certainly not going to knock your socks off.

The character of The Shadow has been around since his first radio show back in 1930. Set in the early days of WWII, the comic does a fair job of reintroducing Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane to both old and new readers alike.

Ennis wouldn’t be my first choice to write this character and so far I’m less than impressed with Campbell’s art. The comic certainly takes the character back to his darker roots (fans of the Alec Baldwin version might be surprised by the body count in the first issue).

At best the first issue of The Shadow is a mixed success with a great cover by Alex Ross. Is that enough to keep me reading the title? Maybe, but much like Dynamite’s Green Hornet titles it’s going to have to get better for me to plop down $4 each month. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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