“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Shadow #1 (Dynamite)

“This may look cool but I always end up with scarf fuzz up my nose.”

The Shadow #1

Dynamite Publishing (2012)

“The Fire Of Creation” part 1

CREATOR: Walter B. Gibson

WRITER: Warren Ellis

ARTIST: Aaron Campbell

COLORIST: Carlos Lopez

LETTERER: Rob Steen

The ComiXology post contains all the variant covers at the time. I think this one, the first in the list, is one of Alex Ross’ contributions. It doesn’t look like Howard Chaykin’s or Jae Lee that I can tell but I don’t really know John Cassady’s covers by looking.

The Shadow takes out two Japanese agents responsible from some heinous actions to Chinese prisoners, and World War II is still a ways off. Apparently they were looking to forcibly board a boat they thought contained…something they were looking for, and a US agent as well as one of Lamont Cranston’s friends are looking into the whole mess, seeing Lamont’s help. He knows a bit about the “Orient” (as they still called it back then) thanks to his misspent youth (which apparently involves using his psychic abilities to read the memories of one of the dying agents). The rest of the story is Lamont meeting with his lover and confidant Margo Lane, and the story is to be continued.

What they got right: The art is beautiful. You get a good look at all the characters, the city, and the atrocities of the now…well, now dead Japanese agents during I think World War I or their pre-Axis actions of conquest. My history is not that good, unfortunately. We get a good sense of who the Shadow is, giving the thugs hired by the agents a chance to stand down, though ultimately only one does, but at the same time isn’t afraid to mess with other people, including his girlfriend and closest confidant.

What they got wrong: Which is often my problem with The Shadow. I’m not as well versed in the character’s history as I’d like but between this and the Alec Baldwin movie I don’t really like him as a person much. I listened to an episode of the radio show once and he didn’t seem to be this much of a donkey’s backside.

What I think overall: The story is very interesting, but this is the only issue I have in my digital library. If you can get over what a jerk Lamont is this may be worth looking into and I want to see where this story is going someday.