Shadowman #9 review: Let’s all go to the castle

I’m going to be honest here, I’m not a fan of this Shadowman book. I’m not a fan of this story. I’m not a fan of this writing by Andy Diggle (so much so that I’m not sure I even want to check out the new limited book called Incursion, which is coming). I know there are ravenous fans of Shadowman within the Valiant fandom (apparently not enough to keep it from being canceled due to low sales) but I’m just not one of them. I’ve tried to be a fan of it too, I really have. It’s just not for me. 

We spent something like 5 issues going back in time to explain the loa that is attached to Jack Boniface, and the history that makes him Shadowman, all of which could have been edited and shortened into 2 books tops. The reason I bring this up is because nothing ever really happens here.

This issue is no different. Jack and Alyssa travel to a castle to find Sandria (Master Darque’s twin sister). There is something strange in the castle (of course there is), we probably shouldn’t trust the hospitality (of course you shouldn’t), it’s a trap!!! It’s just that my sarcastic rundown is more exciting than how it plays out in the book itself.

The art is shared between Renato Guedes and Eric Battle. This makes for a very different tone in the pages they worked on. The pages by Guedes use beautiful realism while the pages by Battle go back to a very cartoon-like style with heavy inks. It’s jarring and takes you out of the story.

I’d rather that Valiant would just hold the book for an extra month so Guedes could do everything and make it all look the same. As a side note, if the whole issue had been done by Battle, then that would be fine too. It’s the fracture that happens between the two very different art styles that makes it not work together. 

Wrap Up

I believe there are only two more issues left in this series and I’m really okay with this one ending. I still don’t think Shadowman has had a really good series yet, at least not one that does the character justice. So maybe, down the line, some other writer can take a crack at him and hopefully get it right.

Last Updated on February 3, 2021.