Review: Shadowman #8
Creative Team:
Writer: Justin Jordan
Artists: Roberto De La Torre and Neil Edwards with Lewis LaRosa
Color Artists: Brian Reber
Inkers: Roberto De La Torre and Matt Ryan with Lewis LaRosa
Cover Artists: Patrick Zircher and David Mack
How We Got Here:
It was a day like any other, or so Jack Boniface thought as his mother handed him a pendant and left for work. She was never seen again. Reports were spread that she died in a car accident. Jack spent the rest of his childhood and adolescence passed from foster homes to orphanage. His only knowledge of his parents was what little his Mother told him. Eager to learn more he took off for New Orleans and hired a private investigator to give him more detail on his past. When the background check was returned he saw a criminal past. Fed up with the lies he was told he cast aside the pendant in anger.
When Jack tosses away the pendant he kick starts a chain of events that thrusts him in the center of a war between Earth and the Deadside as he takes on the role as the new Shadowman. An evil that has been trapped in the Deadside for 20 years, known as Master Darque, is slowly making his way back to Earth. It is up to Jack and his new allies Alyssa and Dox, the Abettors, to save the world.
The Issue:
With the aid of a Devilheart, Dox entered the Deadside only to be captured by the suspecting Master Darque. Pinned to a pyre that holds a collection of souls, Dox can only watch as Darque harnesses more energy to allow for his to cross the threshold back to Earth. Back on Earth, Shadowman is faced with the consequences of his leaving Dox an Alyssa to their own devices as he aligned himself with Baron Samedi, Lord of the Dead, to battle Darque.
What Shadowman, and Samedi weren’t aware of was that Darque was aware of Samedi’s betrayal and used him as a mere distraction. Unwilling to wait for the battle to come to them, Shadowman takes Samedi back to the Deadside with him. Upon seeing what is happening to the dead, Baron Samedi agrees to side with Shadowman in his battle. The two side by side take to fighting through Darque’s Eaters to attempt to save Dox and halt the eternal threat to Earth.
What I Liked:
When this series started I wasn’t a big fan, but slowly but surely I’ve been won over by each successive issue. There is a darkness here that doesn’t feel campy, or cool. It’s not that it’s scary, but it walks a fine line successfully. A thing that helps here is that there are stakes. Master Darque is this great powerful bad guy who has been trapped in the Deadside for over two decades, and in this time he has only gotten stronger. His foil is Jack Boniface who is the successor to the mantel of Shadowman, but he has no experience in this role. This isn’t a new dynamic to anyone who has read comics, but what is interesting here is how far over his head Jack really is. He’s brand new to being Shadowman while having no real idea who he is.
Master Darque at this point feels unstoppable. He was even able to empower a God, albeit a dormant one, and allow him to cross back to Earth. He has trapped Dox, and all the Earth has left to defend it is Baron Samedi, Alyssa, and Jack. What makes the odds so great is that they can’t fully trust Samedi, and they aren’t expert planners. Meanwhile Darque has continued to push forward in his mission despite several roadblocks. This appears to be a plan he has been working on years and he’s ready for anything that gets in his way.
When we’ve seen Darque in the past few issues it has been as an incoming threat. We’ve seen the pyre of spirits, but now we’re seeing what actually happens to them. Not even death can save you from Darque, and to think these souls will be tortured for all of eternity just to help him finish this task is incredible. The weight added to him just through fear now exists because of what we know he can, and will do, to get his way.
What I Didn’t Like:
I initially wanted to complain about the amount of exposition that existed, but it served a purpose. After being by himself for 20 or so years you can’t blame him for gloating, right? I know I would. This was a fairly strong issue, and might have been the best yet in the series. One part that did bother me was the line where Jack states he wasn’t going to lose another family. This is nitpicking, but the line is fairly cheesy and Jack has barely known Alyssa and Dox long enough for such a statement. But hey, maybe he’s just sentimental?
Grade:
Coatesvillain
Just a guy who was into this nerd stuff before it's popular. Now that is I'm just happy I have people to talk about it with.
