Is a one and done story what this series truly needs right now or is it simpler a waste of both money and time?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

When robbers use deadly tactics to commit a series of bank holdups, The Shadow scours the underbelly of Manhattan to find the culprits. Will his plan to put together his own robbery trap the criminals or simply lead to another murderous bank heist. The Shadow Knows!

It’s a difficult prospect having a hero take a break from larger crimes to tackle something smaller and much more local.  But thankfully this exactly the type of arc the creative team and our protagonist excel at, ultimately giving fans the opportunity to watch this pulp icon work his way up the proverbial food chain.

Victor Gischler delivers what can only be described as The Shadow in his most base and simplest form. That may sound like an insult to the script but it really isn’t.  In this brief literary jaunt the series scribe sees fit to explore every established aspect of the character and in a way that makes for a welcoming jump on point for eager new readers and a clever adventure for seasoned followers.  There’s no retreaded ground here, because in its stead is a simplified adventure with an amusing climax.

Giovanni Timpano steps in to handle the art and I have to say I was thoroughly impressed.  The visualizations of the world with the heroes and villains therein melded brilliantly with the written word in a way that amplified each proverbial plot point.  Beyond that each rendition had an air or realism that was simply a welcome change of pace for a book that relies heavily on dark shadows to sell its overall authenticity.  From start to finish there were only a few minor hiccups that did little to damage a sterling effort.

The Shadow #12 is an absolutely thrilling adventure that sees our hero take down some low level criminals, while making use of his personal time and even some local contacts along the way.  Recommended.

4/5