Shadowman #1 Discussion & **SPOILERS**

**MadDog1981** · 11-07-2012, 05:07 PM

Me:

1. X-O Manowar
2. Harbinger
3. Archer and Armstrong
4. Shadowman
5. Bloodshot

**nosocialize100** · 11-07-2012, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by thewarning

I've actually not read the earlier Bloodshot because I've been enjoying the new spin so far. But Harbinger is pretty damning of the 90s, to say the least!

I felt the same way. Maybe because we don't get to see the protagonist as much? Even in X-O we see him do heroic things.

**Drewman** · 11-07-2012, 05:53 PM

I haven't read any of the old Shadowman books, so this is my first time getting into the title. I find this to be a solid issue. It already gave me a pretty good sense of the tone of the title, and what the Shadowman legacy is about. The dialogue could use a little more work but it's fine for me.

Count me in for more Valiant.

**rasx** · 11-07-2012, 08:35 PM

The making of Dave Johnsons cover for Shadowman#4: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/1...entertainment/

**protonik** · 11-07-2012, 09:03 PM

I loved this though I am disappointed that Jack isn't a sax player. Shadowman was one of my favorite books of all time once Bob Hall came on, aside from the Aerosmith issue that is... but when Bob came on he really gave the book a great direction and was on of the few instances where I think Dixon's inks didn't take away from the artwork produced by the artist. I never read the post-Jack issues though I did play the video game and some of this seems to pull in the video game a bit too quickly. One of the things I liked about the old Valiant was the done in one nature of each issue with the ongoing subplots and we weren't given too much at once. Here we have a great set up and I like that but... I wanted to see more of the classic Shadowman. That said, taking this as a new thing inspired by the classic... awesome. I still have my Bob Hall issues to read.

**NinjaMic** · 11-07-2012, 10:46 PM

Really enjoyed this issue. Valiant is doing great things

**SilverZeal** · 11-08-2012, 03:08 AM

Gatdamn...dis was a suparrific 1st issue, definitely hukd as a regular on dis title.

**crossbones** · 11-08-2012, 03:45 AM

man, this was even better than i thought. definitely a keeper.

**Greg Anderson** · 11-08-2012, 04:37 AM

Hmm. Guess I'm in the minority. I wasn't as hugely impressed as everyone else. I thought it was okay. Not bad, not great, just sorta there in the middle. I had a bit of issue with the pacing, some transitions just didn't seem to flow right and I think the dialogue could be a bit better. Wasn't much to make me care for what was going on, but I'll still keep going with the book for a while. Could have some promise, and I'm looking forward to seeing some Voodoo lore get introduced.

**Jake Fury** · 11-08-2012, 06:51 AM

This was my issue of the week. I honestly didn't have a single complaint. Definitely adding this to my Valiant pull list with XOMOW & Bloodshot.

**hunter_peterson** · 11-08-2012, 07:10 AM

I quite liked this issue. It set everything up well and was largely enjoyable. The dialog was slightly stiffer than I would have liked, but I think as the co-writers learn to work together it'll flow better. The last few lines would have been better if the middle bubble had been cut out, I think. The "I'm Shadowman!" thing was a wee bit hokey, but didn't feel out of place very much. Mister Twist was quite awesome and I loved seeing the body's flesh congeal into his shape. Very cool. The art was unarguably phenomenal.

As for the direction of the character... I really like the legacy aspect of it. It really does feel like the start of Starman and that is very exciting. This is clearly the most superheroic protagonist we've seen at Valiant so far, and it fits very well. It really does feel like the beginning of something that will be great. I do hope that, if he isn't currently, that Jack becomes a jazz musician like he was before. It sounds like a central part of the character and could be very interesting. His location in the museum is interesting, bringing back Johns/Robinson Hawkman memories, and it seems like fertile ground for stories. arquebus was menacing, the scythe was cool and I'm very interested to see what exactly the deal is with the dwarf+apprentice and why exactly Darque needed to be taken to the Deadside. And... demon cops.

So far, this is a pretty strong start. I'd say it's a solid 4 out of 5 stars. The CBR review is wildly retarded, of course.

**Christopher Cross Is God** · 11-08-2012, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by Greg Anderson

Hmm. Guess I'm in the minority. I wasn't as hugely impressed as everyone else. I thought it was okay. Not bad, not great, just sorta there in the middle. I had a bit of issue with the pacing, some transitions just didn't seem to flow right and I think the dialogue could be a bit better. Wasn't much to make me care for what was going on, but I'll still keep going with the book for a while. Could have some promise, and I'm looking forward to seeing some Voodoo lore get introduced.

I felt the same way. The pacing seemed off, and some of the dialogue was pretty good, but, as a whole, the dialogue wasn't that great. But, I wouldn't deem the dialogue "cheesy" like one early online review stated.

The general theme/feel of the comic seems interesting enough, it has a diverse cast, and the art's pretty good. I've quite liked all the other Valiant titles so I'll give the first arc of Shadowman a full chance.

**Destro777** · 11-09-2012, 08:42 AM

This was better than I expected. The setup was strange and dark - just like Shadowman deserves. I liked the atmosphere and nods to the old book like the voodoo mask wall. Valiant isnt holding anything back with the violence, just like old times.

This issue also kept the Valiant tradition alive of having completely iconic panels. There were several in this issue alone. The one with Jack kneeling and casting the Shadowman logo was just too awesome. I really liked the work on the page with Jack throwing the necklace into the ocean. Just amazing artwork here.

**Sentinel Supreme** · 11-09-2012, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by Destro777

This was better than I expected. The setup was strange and dark - just like Shadowman deserves. I liked the atmosphere and nods to the old book like the voodoo mask wall. Valiant isnt holding anything back with the violence, just like old times.

This issue also kept the Valiant tradition alive of having completely iconic panels. There were several in this issue alone. The one with Jack kneeling and casting the Shadowman logo was just too awesome. I really liked the work on the page with Jack throwing the necklace into the ocean. Just amazing artwork here.

Agreed. This book, X-O, and Bloodshot have all had some really iconic moments. I am still not a fan of the artwork in Harbinger, but Valiant has been consistently putting out books with high quality artwork. Considering the original Valiant had people like Barry Windsor Smith and David Lapham on pencils, I'm glad to see this tradition carried forward into their present comics.