Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by Si Spurrier & Dan Watters
Illustrated by Daniel HDR
Coloured by Natalia Marques
Lettered by Simon Bowland
For the better part of a century the Shadow's sinister laughter brought the chill of fear to evil-doers – but in our modern times, the streets of Manhattan have gone largely silent. But he is not forgotten. Not by the people he's saved. Mary Jerez, is one of those people. The Shadow saved her from a horrifying school shooting – Mary knows all too well what evil lurks in the hearts of men. So when a horribly burnt man – incredibly strong and fierce, despite his terrible injuries— arrives under her care as a resident at the hospital – she believes she knows who he is, too. Is this mysterious man actually the Shadow – and with Mary's help, will evil-doers again know what it means to fear his terrible justice?
Well well well who knew this would happen? Well Si’s involved so it probably isn’t something that’s far fetched heh but this was actually kind of damn good. I mean it takes a route you aren’t expecting to see and delivers this social commentary on the world we live in and sets the stage for what we are going to see moving forward. It’s strong, powerful and way more intense than I was expecting it to be.
Usually we get these The Shadow stories that focus on Lamont and his identity crisis or what his absence means to the world. But this one is different. We are introduced to this young woman who was saved by The Shadow and set her on a course where her world would never be the same. She has this unique way of looking at the world now that she’s had this traumatic experience and is a survivor. It’s something most of us cannot comprehend but what Si and Dan with her, her characterisation and narration well it’s so crystal clear the kind of woman she has become.
My friend Daniel does the interior artwork here and I have to say it’s a really nice change from seeing the superhero stuff that i’m used to seeing. I love his attention to detail here and then the colouring that softens noticeably for the flashbacks and it makes a huge storytelling impression/difference. The use of page layouts here show a great use of angles and perspective. The attention to detail is superb and the way we see the backgrounds in play really expand the story immensely. I really like that these people look like everyday people the work is incredibly solid.
The concept of this issue is so good. Mary is a great character and that she feels so certain about the man who’s bandages she’s changing is kind of nice. It doesn’t take a lot to figure out her line of thinking once the issue ends. From the start it was interesting because she’s talking to the patient about her experience being saved by The Shadow. It’s nursing 101 right as you talk to distract the patient from realising what’s happening and you’re done before they realise it. It’s just great writing and pacing here. There is absolutely nothing wrong or that I can be critical about here and I can’t remember the last time I said that.