THE SHADOW
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"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
In the Orient a man named Kent Allard learned the secrets of the mind and led a decadent and evil lifestyle until the day he sought some sort of redemption when he came back to the United States and adopted the name Lamont Cranston and played the wealthy playboy about town by day. But by night he would don a black trenchcoat and cape with a red scarf and wide-brimmed hat, arming himself with twin Colt .45s and violently taking down criminals with his powers of mesmerism, hypnotic suggestion, and clouding men's minds.
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The Shadow - Vol. 1: The Fire of Creation
Written by Garth Ennis
Illustrated by Aaron Campbell
Colored by Carlos Lopez
Lettered by Rob Steen
Collection Cover by Alex Ross
![]()
In 1938 the evil in the hearts of men was writ large all over China by the invading Imperial Japanese army. Executions, murder, torture - there's a reason it was called "The Rape of Nanking." Back in NYC the Shadow kills off a bunch of criminals while taking out the two Japanese bad guys he's targeted. The U.S. government shows up by day looking for Lamont Cranston's help in tracking down a mysterious element in Asia before the Japanese army can. Aided by his lover Margo Lane they set out on a globe-trotting adventure filled with intrigue and action on a desperate mission to get whatever this element is as storm clouds gather around a world teetering on the brink of WWII.
Oh, where have you been all my life, Shadow? There was the Alec Baldwin bomb The Shadow (1994) and some gossipy bits from Sam Raimi trying to make a proper version of a movie with the character, but that's about it. I would hear some old timey radio bits from back in the 1930s and thought not much of it, but this comic creates a blend of pulp action and stark realism in Garth Ennis' WWII tradition.
No one can touch the Shadow and that becomes a bit of a problem in the story. I can now realize why in action films they make the hero take some sort of wound to make them more vulnerable. The Shadow can trick his enemies into thinking he's in front of them, but is not averse to shooting them in the back where he really is. With his twin .45s he makes short work of anyone he faces. He can force a dead man to do his bidding as well in some cases, so this guy knows everything.
That still doesn't subtract from the thrilling story here as it leads to what the McGuffin here is and the scummy Japanese officers in charge of finding it. It winds up leading to a very ironic ending that works well in historic context as well, so it's also a satisfying read. Even Alex Ross' beautiful covers add some coolness here.
![]()
I am actually excited to see more Shadow stuff now from this book. Recommended.
The Shadow, Vol. 2: Revolution
Written by Victor Gischler
Illustrated by Jack Herbert, Aaron Campbell, Giovanni Timpano
Colored by Ivan Nunes and Carlos Lopez
Lettered by Rob Steen
Collection Cover by Alex Ross
Collection Design by Jason Ullmeyer
![]()
A confrontation with an enemy he cannot mentally read or manipulate, the Red Raja, in Nepal leads the Shadow to finding out his masters who taught him to use his own powers are dead.
![]()
A perplexed Shadow then travels to Spain during their Spanish Civil War which makes him cross paths with future author George Orwell, whose fighting there by choice. Wondering why fate has made him cross paths with Orwell he then meets another person he cannot read, the whip-wielding Black Sparrow, a female villain trying to make some money while putting the crazed wannabe king, El Rey, on the throne. This battle will be much harder than anything he's faced before as his new enemy is beyond his mental powers.
When an omnipotent superhero suddenly is laid low by his powers failing you know things will get interesting. When the villain seems to hold the cards there's some fun to be had. The addition of Orwell doesn't seem to add much really until the end when he gets his fellow soldiers into the fray. There's a lot of action and suspense to be had, especially in the final battle juxtaposed with Lamont Cranston talking to his girlfriend Margo while having a showdown with Black Sparrow (with whom he had a tryst). Recommended.
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The Shadow, Vol. 3: The Light of the World
Written by Chris Roberson
Illustrated By Giovanni Timpano
Lettered by Rob Steen
Collection Cover by Alex Ross
Collection Design by Jason Ullmeyer
![]()
Someone is killing sinners...and it's not The Shadow. What appears to be an iridescent nun in white seems to be stabbing and slashing evildoers with twin swords and The Shadow has to track her down to stop her - with Lamont Cranston's lover Margo putting herself out in the open as bait!
![]()
It is intriguing to have another vigilante out there, this one killing off the wicked. Those who indulge in the seven deadly sins shall be executed. It's supposed to be a match for the Shadow's activities, but he quickly points out to "The Light" that these people have not committed crimes, so it's not the same, really. But words of sensibility are not enough to end this serial killing so it's all leading to another showdown among the rooftops of NYC.
The Shadow kind of does the same thing here, but someone has to be a really bad criminal committing crimes first since it ends with bad guys riddled with bullets. It's more of a detective story this time around as tracking down this woman takes up most of the story here. It's still compelling storytelling as well, even though Margo's whole baiting of the killer is just laziness a.k.a. sloth. She could have just implied that she was sore from all the sex she was supposedly having and set off the killer in a more fun way, but it works nonetheless.
The Shadow, Vol. 4: Bitter Fruit
Written by Chris Roberson
Issue #19 Illustrated by Andrea Mutti
Issues #20-25 Illustrated by Giovanni Timpano
Colored by Fabricio Guerra
Additional Colors by Thiago Ribeiro
Lettered by Rob Steen
Collection Cover by Alex Ross
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Someone is kidnapping wealthy young women for ransom and The Shadow is tracking them down. But even saving these women leads to more adventure as a severed finger wearing the same ring he does sends Lamont Cranston on a globe hopping odyssey to find it's wearer. Only a few people in the world have this same ring so he travels to a hopeless gulag in Siberia where a killer is killing prisoners for the first person.
![]()
Then in Tibet the second wearer is a Chinese officer with a dark past in a town where other officers are bursting into flame! A trip to the xinca ruins of Guatemala where a local tribe that helped him when he crashed there during WWI is having problems with some white company people who want to clear away the forest for a banana crop. But things just wind up back in the U.S. where someone killing anyone to give him an advantage to survive and move up in the world winds up being the original ring-wearer.
That's actually more interesting than the next story where a Chinese Zombie Queen suddenly lets loose a plague of seemingly undead killers on the streets of NYC from Chinatown. It will take The Shadow's entire network of agents working together to find a way to quell the chaos in the streets and make sure that the Zombie Queen reaps no profits from her demands to authorities for her terrorism, only the bitter fruit that the weed of crime must bear.
![]()
The globe-trotting story arc is much more interesting as The Shadow's background is gradually revealed by his encounters with past allies. The zombie part feels like just a cash-in from back in 2014 when it was first published and zombie stuff was everywhere. There is a real scientific reason behind the zombies, but I'm pretty zombied out at this point and wish it was another crisis that The Shadow had to face with the fate of NYC on the line.
The Shadow: Year One Omnibus
Written by Matt Wagner
Art by Wilfredo Torres
Colors By Brennan Wagner
Letters by Rob Steen and Simon Bowland
Collection Cover by Matt Wagner
Collection Design by Katie Hidalgo
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In the beginning the man once known as Kent Allard was hunting a villain who seems to be as powerful as himself across the world, which takes him to New York City on October 30, 1929 - just in time for the start of The Great Depression. He quickly takes the name and life of Lamont Cranston, who is sent away somewhere. With the man's wealth at his disposal he becomes a socialite and eventually meets the cast off lover of a gangster, Margo Lane. Everyone seems to see Lamont as the genuine article, except for her, so he makes her his new ally/lover. Meanwhile, the seats of power have shifted to the heads of organized crime since Prohibition is still going on.
The villain Lamont hunts is here in NYC even as one mad mob boss declares war on all the other organizations and as this new hero, The Shadow, hits the scene more death and destruction are wreaked through this mesmerist criminal mastermind with a connection to Lamont that makes him extremely dangerous.
![]()
At the beginning of The Shadow's vigilante career there's tons of shootouts and violence as the villain stabs his mental tendrils into one mob boss after another. This volume shows how he came about his signature look despite a rocky start.
![]()
One thing that happens is after some training Margo Lane becomes his closest confidant, which explains why she narrates the story. As The Shadow kills his way through the mobs there's still time for romance...
![]()
At the same time no one is giving up the true villain's location, despite him being disgusting and scarred. It takes a LOT of shootouts to finally find where he is...if The Shadow can stand up to an equally mentally adept adversary.
I must say that I'm happy that this is the story of an adult becoming a superhero versus the tendency of just having teens and younger people coming into their powers. Lamont (he's just called Lamont by Margo, depite her knowing he's not really Cranston) has had his adventures in WWI and gained his powers, leading to corruption and then conscience before he comes to NYC. Thank goodness for an adult superhero origin. Plenty of action and adventure makes this a very satisfying retelling of The Shadow's beginning.
The Shadow: The Last Illusion
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Colton Vorley (Issue 0) and Giovanni Timpano (Issues 1-5)
Colors by Mark Rueda (Issue 0) and Marko Lesko (Issues 1-5)
Letters by Rob Steen (Issues 0-1) and Simon Bowland (Issues 2-5)
Cover Art by Gabriel Hardman (Issue 0) and Butch Guice (Issues 1-5)
Cover Colors by Jordan Boyd (Issue 0) and Alex Guimares (Issues 1-5)
![]()
Among The Society of United Magicians a secret is sought from the widow of Harry Houdini. Somehow he told her the secret of "The Last Illusion" from beyond the grave and they want it, despite the apocalyptic consequences of using it. Into their conspiracy comes The Shadow, who trained under Houdini in the art of escaping deadly circumstances.
![]()
When he gets a hold of the secret himself the society decides to bring in another master magician, Ethan Sands to stop him.
![]()
A big magic show is planned to go on in NYC and the danger of the secret could be revealed, ending the world in the process.
When The Shadow must face seemingly supernaturally powered villains things get interesting. It would seem that some actual magical shenanigans are being used as two Fluffy from Creepshow (1982)-type monsters are unleashed to stop him at one point.
![]()
Later when it hits the fan at the magic show more mutant things seem to appear and Ethan Sands a.k.a. The Sandman must choose who it would really benefit him to serve. The threat of a Lovecraftian evil coming into our world seems apparent (Lovecraft figures into the story as an acquaintance of Houdini) and needs to be stopped. It's a bit more horror this time as only those who pass away, commit suicide, or are murdered may be able to reveal the secret, so death ensues without people getting gunned down by the Shadow.
The story is more intriguing with the magic element as now just guns may not be able to stop this conspiracy. Even his mesmeric powers and an assist from Margo may not help much. The stakes are satisfyingly high as this is beyond just smashing crime. Recommended.
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
In the Orient a man named Kent Allard learned the secrets of the mind and led a decadent and evil lifestyle until the day he sought some sort of redemption when he came back to the United States and adopted the name Lamont Cranston and played the wealthy playboy about town by day. But by night he would don a black trenchcoat and cape with a red scarf and wide-brimmed hat, arming himself with twin Colt .45s and violently taking down criminals with his powers of mesmerism, hypnotic suggestion, and clouding men's minds.
The Shadow - Vol. 1: The Fire of Creation
Written by Garth Ennis
Illustrated by Aaron Campbell
Colored by Carlos Lopez
Lettered by Rob Steen
Collection Cover by Alex Ross
In 1938 the evil in the hearts of men was writ large all over China by the invading Imperial Japanese army. Executions, murder, torture - there's a reason it was called "The Rape of Nanking." Back in NYC the Shadow kills off a bunch of criminals while taking out the two Japanese bad guys he's targeted. The U.S. government shows up by day looking for Lamont Cranston's help in tracking down a mysterious element in Asia before the Japanese army can. Aided by his lover Margo Lane they set out on a globe-trotting adventure filled with intrigue and action on a desperate mission to get whatever this element is as storm clouds gather around a world teetering on the brink of WWII.
Oh, where have you been all my life, Shadow? There was the Alec Baldwin bomb The Shadow (1994) and some gossipy bits from Sam Raimi trying to make a proper version of a movie with the character, but that's about it. I would hear some old timey radio bits from back in the 1930s and thought not much of it, but this comic creates a blend of pulp action and stark realism in Garth Ennis' WWII tradition.
No one can touch the Shadow and that becomes a bit of a problem in the story. I can now realize why in action films they make the hero take some sort of wound to make them more vulnerable. The Shadow can trick his enemies into thinking he's in front of them, but is not averse to shooting them in the back where he really is. With his twin .45s he makes short work of anyone he faces. He can force a dead man to do his bidding as well in some cases, so this guy knows everything.
That still doesn't subtract from the thrilling story here as it leads to what the McGuffin here is and the scummy Japanese officers in charge of finding it. It winds up leading to a very ironic ending that works well in historic context as well, so it's also a satisfying read. Even Alex Ross' beautiful covers add some coolness here.
I am actually excited to see more Shadow stuff now from this book. Recommended.
The Shadow, Vol. 2: Revolution
Written by Victor Gischler
Illustrated by Jack Herbert, Aaron Campbell, Giovanni Timpano
Colored by Ivan Nunes and Carlos Lopez
Lettered by Rob Steen
Collection Cover by Alex Ross
Collection Design by Jason Ullmeyer
A confrontation with an enemy he cannot mentally read or manipulate, the Red Raja, in Nepal leads the Shadow to finding out his masters who taught him to use his own powers are dead.
A perplexed Shadow then travels to Spain during their Spanish Civil War which makes him cross paths with future author George Orwell, whose fighting there by choice. Wondering why fate has made him cross paths with Orwell he then meets another person he cannot read, the whip-wielding Black Sparrow, a female villain trying to make some money while putting the crazed wannabe king, El Rey, on the throne. This battle will be much harder than anything he's faced before as his new enemy is beyond his mental powers.
When an omnipotent superhero suddenly is laid low by his powers failing you know things will get interesting. When the villain seems to hold the cards there's some fun to be had. The addition of Orwell doesn't seem to add much really until the end when he gets his fellow soldiers into the fray. There's a lot of action and suspense to be had, especially in the final battle juxtaposed with Lamont Cranston talking to his girlfriend Margo while having a showdown with Black Sparrow (with whom he had a tryst). Recommended.
The Shadow, Vol. 3: The Light of the World
Written by Chris Roberson
Illustrated By Giovanni Timpano
Lettered by Rob Steen
Collection Cover by Alex Ross
Collection Design by Jason Ullmeyer
Someone is killing sinners...and it's not The Shadow. What appears to be an iridescent nun in white seems to be stabbing and slashing evildoers with twin swords and The Shadow has to track her down to stop her - with Lamont Cranston's lover Margo putting herself out in the open as bait!
It is intriguing to have another vigilante out there, this one killing off the wicked. Those who indulge in the seven deadly sins shall be executed. It's supposed to be a match for the Shadow's activities, but he quickly points out to "The Light" that these people have not committed crimes, so it's not the same, really. But words of sensibility are not enough to end this serial killing so it's all leading to another showdown among the rooftops of NYC.
The Shadow kind of does the same thing here, but someone has to be a really bad criminal committing crimes first since it ends with bad guys riddled with bullets. It's more of a detective story this time around as tracking down this woman takes up most of the story here. It's still compelling storytelling as well, even though Margo's whole baiting of the killer is just laziness a.k.a. sloth. She could have just implied that she was sore from all the sex she was supposedly having and set off the killer in a more fun way, but it works nonetheless.
The Shadow, Vol. 4: Bitter Fruit
Written by Chris Roberson
Issue #19 Illustrated by Andrea Mutti
Issues #20-25 Illustrated by Giovanni Timpano
Colored by Fabricio Guerra
Additional Colors by Thiago Ribeiro
Lettered by Rob Steen
Collection Cover by Alex Ross
Someone is kidnapping wealthy young women for ransom and The Shadow is tracking them down. But even saving these women leads to more adventure as a severed finger wearing the same ring he does sends Lamont Cranston on a globe hopping odyssey to find it's wearer. Only a few people in the world have this same ring so he travels to a hopeless gulag in Siberia where a killer is killing prisoners for the first person.
Then in Tibet the second wearer is a Chinese officer with a dark past in a town where other officers are bursting into flame! A trip to the xinca ruins of Guatemala where a local tribe that helped him when he crashed there during WWI is having problems with some white company people who want to clear away the forest for a banana crop. But things just wind up back in the U.S. where someone killing anyone to give him an advantage to survive and move up in the world winds up being the original ring-wearer.
That's actually more interesting than the next story where a Chinese Zombie Queen suddenly lets loose a plague of seemingly undead killers on the streets of NYC from Chinatown. It will take The Shadow's entire network of agents working together to find a way to quell the chaos in the streets and make sure that the Zombie Queen reaps no profits from her demands to authorities for her terrorism, only the bitter fruit that the weed of crime must bear.
The globe-trotting story arc is much more interesting as The Shadow's background is gradually revealed by his encounters with past allies. The zombie part feels like just a cash-in from back in 2014 when it was first published and zombie stuff was everywhere. There is a real scientific reason behind the zombies, but I'm pretty zombied out at this point and wish it was another crisis that The Shadow had to face with the fate of NYC on the line.
The Shadow: Year One Omnibus
Written by Matt Wagner
Art by Wilfredo Torres
Colors By Brennan Wagner
Letters by Rob Steen and Simon Bowland
Collection Cover by Matt Wagner
Collection Design by Katie Hidalgo
In the beginning the man once known as Kent Allard was hunting a villain who seems to be as powerful as himself across the world, which takes him to New York City on October 30, 1929 - just in time for the start of The Great Depression. He quickly takes the name and life of Lamont Cranston, who is sent away somewhere. With the man's wealth at his disposal he becomes a socialite and eventually meets the cast off lover of a gangster, Margo Lane. Everyone seems to see Lamont as the genuine article, except for her, so he makes her his new ally/lover. Meanwhile, the seats of power have shifted to the heads of organized crime since Prohibition is still going on.
The villain Lamont hunts is here in NYC even as one mad mob boss declares war on all the other organizations and as this new hero, The Shadow, hits the scene more death and destruction are wreaked through this mesmerist criminal mastermind with a connection to Lamont that makes him extremely dangerous.
At the beginning of The Shadow's vigilante career there's tons of shootouts and violence as the villain stabs his mental tendrils into one mob boss after another. This volume shows how he came about his signature look despite a rocky start.
One thing that happens is after some training Margo Lane becomes his closest confidant, which explains why she narrates the story. As The Shadow kills his way through the mobs there's still time for romance...
At the same time no one is giving up the true villain's location, despite him being disgusting and scarred. It takes a LOT of shootouts to finally find where he is...if The Shadow can stand up to an equally mentally adept adversary.
I must say that I'm happy that this is the story of an adult becoming a superhero versus the tendency of just having teens and younger people coming into their powers. Lamont (he's just called Lamont by Margo, depite her knowing he's not really Cranston) has had his adventures in WWI and gained his powers, leading to corruption and then conscience before he comes to NYC. Thank goodness for an adult superhero origin. Plenty of action and adventure makes this a very satisfying retelling of The Shadow's beginning.
The Shadow: The Last Illusion
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Colton Vorley (Issue 0) and Giovanni Timpano (Issues 1-5)
Colors by Mark Rueda (Issue 0) and Marko Lesko (Issues 1-5)
Letters by Rob Steen (Issues 0-1) and Simon Bowland (Issues 2-5)
Cover Art by Gabriel Hardman (Issue 0) and Butch Guice (Issues 1-5)
Cover Colors by Jordan Boyd (Issue 0) and Alex Guimares (Issues 1-5)
Among The Society of United Magicians a secret is sought from the widow of Harry Houdini. Somehow he told her the secret of "The Last Illusion" from beyond the grave and they want it, despite the apocalyptic consequences of using it. Into their conspiracy comes The Shadow, who trained under Houdini in the art of escaping deadly circumstances.
When he gets a hold of the secret himself the society decides to bring in another master magician, Ethan Sands to stop him.
A big magic show is planned to go on in NYC and the danger of the secret could be revealed, ending the world in the process.
When The Shadow must face seemingly supernaturally powered villains things get interesting. It would seem that some actual magical shenanigans are being used as two Fluffy from Creepshow (1982)-type monsters are unleashed to stop him at one point.
Later when it hits the fan at the magic show more mutant things seem to appear and Ethan Sands a.k.a. The Sandman must choose who it would really benefit him to serve. The threat of a Lovecraftian evil coming into our world seems apparent (Lovecraft figures into the story as an acquaintance of Houdini) and needs to be stopped. It's a bit more horror this time as only those who pass away, commit suicide, or are murdered may be able to reveal the secret, so death ensues without people getting gunned down by the Shadow.
The story is more intriguing with the magic element as now just guns may not be able to stop this conspiracy. Even his mesmeric powers and an assist from Margo may not help much. The stakes are satisfyingly high as this is beyond just smashing crime. Recommended.
statistics: Posted by Tomatto — 7:26 AM - 1 day ago — Replies 0 — Views 207