This is my first experience with The Shadow. I knew of the character since he has been around since the 1930′s but I never read a book with him in it. That being said, I am jumping into an arc eight issues deep on a character I am unfamiliar with. Now with THAT being laid out on the table, the story was relatively easy to follow although I did have some questions.
The story opens up with a couple of characters that I don’t know who they are. Telling by their names and scenery, I am guessing they are of an Asian/Orient decent. Something happens that doesn’t get explained and I’m not sure if it will. Now I meet The Shadow for the first time as his true identity, Lamont. There is a mob war going on and he wants answers and to “dispense justice” to the evildoers. The female he is with knows that he is The Shadow but I am not sure of her part in his life other than there is a romantic involvement. There is a sneaky looking custodian in the police station while some of them are talking about a recent murder. We see Lamont as his alter ego make his way into a mob meeting of some sort. I never see him do anything so I am not quite sure how he did what he did but it seemed messy. As this book moves on, Lamont’s ring starts glowing and I’m not sure why and I don’t think his female companion Margo knew why either. There are some more mob interactions and it ends with one question that is not left unanswered. ”What’s in the box! What’s in the box!”
This is seeming a little too familiar to me. It is reminding me of another vigilante that serves up justice in the shadows…*cough* Batman *cough* I know, I know. The Shadow has been around longer but didn’t appear into the comics until 1940. The Shadow did play a part in the creation of Batman but definitely not as impactful or as interesting of a character in my eyes. I would have to read more or perhaps the first seven issues of this story arc to get a bit more background on the character and what led him up to this point of the story. One of the covers of this book (like it is shown above) has The Shadow holding a gun which is one thing that Batman doesn’t really do.
In regards to this particular issue of The Shadow, it wasn’t horrible. It might be a little better if I read the initial stories but it was somewhat manageable. I might continue with it if it can draw me in a bit more in the upcoming issues. Visually, the book isn’t stunning. It reminds me of an older style of comic art when combined with the coloring. If you are a collector, you do get a choice of 4 different covers on this title from 4 different artists…including the legendary Alex Ross.
The Shadow Year One #8
WRITTEN BY: MATT WAGNER
ART BY: WILFREDO TORRES
COLORS BY: BRENNAN WAGNER
LETTERS BY: SIMON BOWLAND
