The Shadow

The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane #1

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The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane #1As with many crimefighters, The Shadow relies on one trusted associate above all others. What happens when that association puts his sidekick (for lack of a better term) in jeopardy? That’s the crux of the matter in Dynamite Entertainment’s new five-issue mini-series The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane written and drawn by Matt Wagner.

Despite the gruesome title, no harm comes to Margo Lane in this first issue (presented from Margo’s point of view rather than that of The Shadow). Setting up the mini-series new villain known as the Red Empress whose power over the city continues to grow, the Shadow and Margo search both at home and abroad for answers about who their new adversary is and why they have chosen to kidnap a woman for the sole purpose to force a confrontation with The Shadow.

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Top Ten Super-Hero Movies (Before They Were Cool)

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Top Ten Super-Hero Movies (Before They Were Cool)

Believe it or not there was a time not so long ago where it wasn’t common to have super-heroes ruling the box office. Back in the day comic fans were lucky to get a comic movie every few years let alone multiple movies released all in the same summer. Long before Marvel Studios began building their Marvel Cinematic Universe and Christopher Nolan rebooted his Dark Knight super-heroes still found their way to the silver screen, albeit in smaller numbers. Imbued with a certain cheesy charm that today’s far gritter heroes might scoff at, these movies give us heroes in the true meaning of the word. Released between the period of 1940 and 1996, here are the Top Ten Super-Hero Movies (Before They Were Cool).

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The Shadow #1

/ / Comics

The Shadow #1Picking up from events introduced in last year’s The Shadow #0, Dynamite Entertainment launches a new series starring The Shadow and his war against a secret cabal of illusionists known as The Society of United Magicians. Opening with the death of magician George Carlini and The Shadow taking on a group of circus performers and then interrupting a seance, the first few pages (as bizarre as they are) lay the groundwork for arc as the Shadow reveals himself to a low-ranking member of the order that he, and he alone, holds Harry Houdini’s secret of “the Last Illusion” which the society covets.

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Grendel vs. The Shadow #3

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Grendel vs. The Shadow #3The conclusion of what if? tales such as Grendel vs. The Shadow are usually the weakest piece of the story, not for fault of the storyteller but simply because the end must reset back to the status quo without allowing either iconic figure to be truly beaten (or killed). Even with these limitations writer/artist Matt Wagner manages to end the three-issue mini-series in style giving us two final confrontations between Hunter Rose and The Shadow.

Of the pair’s individual tales Grendel’s works better as Hunter Rose finds himself pulled into the nostalgia and romance of his time-travel adventure only to realize the truth almost too late. The subplot of Margo Lane‘s possible departure doesn’t work as well simply because at no point are we sold on the possibility of her actually leaving Lamont Cranston.

In the end both warriors are bloodied and battered but Grendel, despite his hurt ego to go along with is injuries, manages to return back to his own time. His inability to find any mention of his adventures in the past suggests Grendel’s journey wasn’t just through time but also through an alternate dimension where crime does not pay. Worth a look

[Dark Horse / Dynamite, $5.99]

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Grendel vs. The Shadow #2

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Grendel vs. The Shadow #2The three-issue mini-series resumes as Grendel continues to grab control of the city’s various crime families and bring them under his banner while ruthlessly killing any who stand in his way. Grendel vs. The Shadow #2 also gives us the first meeting between the pair which both Lamont Cranston and Hunter Rose will think long and hard about in the days to come as each has apparently met an adversary they may not be able to defeat.

Despite the $6 price-tag, Matt Wagner again delivers with a terrific double-sized prestige comic pitting the iconic hero against Wagner’s greatest creation. Following the battle, much of the comic is set aside for each man to contemplate his enemy. Hunter Rose also continues to make a professional splash in his new home, and charm a crime boss’ daughter as well. And Grendel gets the best of The Shadow not once but twice. First, despite his defeat, he survives and escapes their initial encounter (something few villains can brag about accomplishing). And second, he immediately recognizes Cranston as the man behind the scarf setting up another battle in the final issue. Must-read.

[Dark Horse / Dynamite, $5.99]

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