The Shadow #20 Review


The Shadow Banner

Is there enough relevance to this tale to really make its themes accessible to a modern audience?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

The Shadow ventures beyond the Iron Curtain, deep into the heart of the Soviet Union, seeking clues to a mystery that reaches back into his own mysterious past, and which threatens to destroy the man he has become.

The Shadow 20_CThe pulp icon continues to face his history through the guided hand of a creative team that knows just how far to push this iteration of Lamont Cranston. It’s a powerful entry that first highlights a portion of the past that’s largely overlooked, as the talents steadily birth their own extra sensory details in order to make this arc stand out.  There are some stumbles along the way but for the most part they nail a proper cadence that illuminates the path ahead of our hero.

Chris Roberson pens the script and the scribe offers up a text heavy entry that’s full of depth.  It is a thick load for any devoted follower to wade through, but nonetheless it’s certainly captivating. From the first page tot the final panel what we have here is something that’s sure to garner attention and praise.  The way he moves the players while offering revelations feels more like a treat rather than a labor.  I did find a couple sequences to be wholly unnecessary, but they did offer some additional details that cemented this story and its place within its timeline.

The art by Giovanni Timpano hit the right cords with me as the brilliant line work crafted a worthwhile rendition.  Delicate pencil strokes yield details that more than back up the text, as they make the outing memorable in ways that I honestly wasn’t expecting.  I have no complaints about the renditions found within the confines of these pages, except to say our hero in winter clothes just looked a bit off and kind of silly.

The Shadow #20 is a really good comic book that does more than enough right to earn a spot on your pull-list.  Recommended.

4/5

fourstar

S#!T Talking Central