In the same vein as the Bloodshot theme from a while back, I wanted to put together a character-centric theme this week for someone who isn't as popular as the heroes of Marvel and DC. THE THEME: This time around, I have five comics focusing on Shadowman, another flagship character from the Valiant Comics pantheon. Compared to Bloodshot, I've read only a few Shadowman comics, so this selection should be enlightening to me as well. THE COMICS: ![]() SHADOWMAN (1992-1995) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writers: Jim Shooter, Steve Englehart Artists: David Lapham, Joe Rubinstein This is Shadowman's solo debut comic, and it shows a bit of his origin. Before he became the titular hero, Jack Boniface was a jazz musician in New Orleans, but an attack from a demonic figure masquerading as a woman changed his tune forever. Realizing the evil that lurked in the night of his city, he was compelled to put on a mask and fight demons. The origin here is a bit different from what I know of the reboot version. ![]() SHADOWMAN YEARBOOK (1994) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Mike Baron Artist: Val Mayerik In this one, we don't actually follow Jack Boniface. Instead, this comic showcases Max St. James, who was Shadowman in the 1900s. Here, he goes on a bit of a gambling adventure to England where he meets up with Armstrong (another classic Valiant character with a long history in-universe) and manages to stop a bunch of crazy black magic practitioners from completing a blood sacrifice. ![]() SHADOWMAN (1997-1998) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Ashley Wood Here, Jack Boniface is actually dead, leading Mama Nettie (the voodoo priestess responsible for empowering many Shadowmen) to find a new Shadowman. She selects Zero, an amnesiac hitman, to serve as her latest champion. This one sets up an interesting series, as there's a whole mystery surrounding Zero's identity, and things are heating up as the dead rise thinking that there's no longer a Shadowman protecting New Orleans. ![]() SHADOWMAN (1999) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writers: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning Artists: Matt Broome, Ryan Benjamin, Sean Parsons This series continues Zero's (real name Mike LeRoi, whose backstory is vaguely referenced in this issue) adventures as the man standing between the land of the living and the underworld. He's now got a gig as a radio show host by day (which features a lot of humorous interactions with callers), but he's still doing his duty vanquishing demons and keeping the dead from conquering the Earth. Seems like the cliffhanger at the end is setting up for a major story arc. ![]() SHADOWMAN (2018) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Andy Diggle Artist: Stephen Segovia Jack Boniface has been trapped in Deadside for five years as a slave to his greatest enemy, but in this comic, he finally escapes thanks to the magic of his love interest Alyssa Myles. Now, the two must come to terms with their new, awkward situation by understanding the Shadow Loa that gives Jack his powers, but the forces of Deadside are still looking to keep the Shadowman under control. I definitely need to read more of the previous story arc, because that sounds interesting. To me, Shadowman is definitely one of the most interesting characters in the Valiant pantheon, largely because of how heavily his lore draws from vodou/voodoo. I quite enjoyed going through multiple eras of Shadowman with my selection and am definitely in the mood to read more and expand my understanding of the character's history. Hopefully this was interesting to you readers as well. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
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June 2024
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