Shadowman, Fear of The Dark, the new trade collection from Valiant dives straight into the evil world of the New Orleans undead
Jack Boniface, known as the Shadowman, has returned to the world after spending 5 years in Baron Samedi’s clutches. However, circumstances come together to force him to return to the Deadside. Can Alyssa help Jack? Can Jack help Alyssa? Can we help but wonder if the whole city of New Orleans is teetering on the edge of hell?
This collection reprints issues 1-3 of the current 2018 arc of Shadowman. It’s written by Andy Diggle, with art by Stephen Segovia and Adam Pollina (colors by Ulises Arreola and David Baron).
It’s a lot to take in at first, this Shadowman saga. There’s not a lot of backstory here to help a first-time reader like me along. But little by little, we can piece together the pieces: there is a barrier between the living world and the Deadside. And the central Deadside character, Baron Samedi, is present in both worlds. From there, we know that Alyssa and Jack were an item until Jack disappeared five years ago.
Well written, and with wonderful illustrations by Segovia, this book feels like it has been influenced by Dr. Strange, and visually influenced by Gene Colan. But Diggle and Segovia are their own men, not beholden to their comic ancestors. There are some really good (and really evil) moments here to enjoy!
Bonus features in this trade collection include rough versions of the Shadowman logo, and some script excerpts and inked (black and white line) comic pages from the issues. There’s also a gallery section with full-page colour work by Travel Foreman, Ben Templesmith, and others.
Valiant, Shadowman: Fear of the Dark, $9.99 for 130 pages of content, Teen +
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