Thursday, November 26, 2015

Comic Book Review: The Shadow - Issue 4 - Dynamite


“The Shadow"  Issue #4
Written By: Cullen Bunn
Art By: Giovanni Timpano and Marco Lesko

The issue begins with the Shadow monologuing about a item he took from London in the last issue, and the author of that particular item, while making his way back to America. We then cut to Los Angeles, California, where the Shadow is attending a magicians show for high paying customers who enjoy grand spectacles. More dialogue confirms in the minds of the reader that the Shadow is a servant of justice and will stop at nothing to ensure that the guilty pay for their crimes. The Shadow makes his way back stage to discover who else is behind these recent criminal actions and he’s confronted by the Sandman once more. After a brief entanglement it’s revealed that they aren’t the only two there and it’s not looking good for the Shadow or the Sandman.

This issue was dialogue heavy which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You need some issues to explain more about what has and will be occurring in the series. This felt like that issue. While there is some enjoyable action towards the end the one aspect that I enjoyed the most was a two page spread showing the mind of a writer who composes stories from nightmares. The art work was unique and I was entranced. The panels used to tell the story were not typical squared off panels and it flowed so well across two pages. Excellent work on the art early in the issue.

The Sandman is becoming quite a complex villain as we move from issue to issue getting just a little bit more of his character with every encounter he has with the Shadow. I’m not fully convinced he’s as menacing as I feel we’re being led to believe. He feels like that one villain who talks too much, is a adequate fighter but escapes on some level of luck, similar to Bond villains. None the less, he’s proving to be a challenge to the Shadow and that keeps his character entertaining to read. 

Again, another $3.99 well spent. This series continues to build and build upon the detective type story with the golden age of Hollywood design. The Shadow and all characters present had some enjoyable dialogue this issue and I still look forward to reading the next issue. Who knows what evil lurks in the pages of the next issue? Only the Shadow knows… so stop by your local comic book shop and pick a copy up today. Oh, and tell them Maskerpiece Theatre sent you. 

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