Reviewed by Matt Singer

Let’s just get this out of the way first:

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"

The Shadow, of course. And, likely, Leona Helmsly as well, but she didn’t have a DC Millennium Edition comic book, now did she?

The Shadow’s always been a character that fascinated me; but mostly in the "Huh?" sort of way, not the preferable "Wow!" sort of way. I don’t quite get him. I’ve read this comic, I’ve got a graphic novel by Howard Chaykin, I’ve seen the Alec Baldwin film (A headscratcher from start to finish to be sure), and I still feel like I don’t have a good handle on him.

Still, there’s something very attractive about the idea of a man who wears a cloak, has supernatural powers and dispatches justice with two handguns. Never let it be said the pulp era didn’t produce some cool characters.

This particular SHADOW comic is an attempted revival from the seventies, and the preface on the inside cover tells us that this one, much like every other refurbishing of The Shadow failed fairly quickly. And while I admire this character, and the creators here seem to have a good handle on him, it’s still a lacking comic.

The story itself, your standard whodunit, is not without its merits. It’s a nice twisty plot, and Kaluta’s artwork fits the noirish action well. Dennis O’Neil is clearly a Shadow fan, and for this sort of story, I doubt there is anyone in the 1970s that could have written the character better. It’s not a question of what’s here, but rather what’s missing.

This is a number one issue. Granted, The Shadow’s an old character, and granted, this comic places him back in 1930s-era heroism as if no time has gone by. And granted, old fans will probably love this comic to death. But the perplexed out there, like myself, will be lost. There’s no introduction to The Shadow or his supporting cast; no explanation of his powers or motivation. Luckily, I had seen that Shadow movie once on TBS, or I’d really have been up a creek without a paddle. This feels like issue ten of the series, when the readership’s been established and everyone’s comfortable with the cast. The creators are certainly comfortable, but are the readers? I, for one, would have liked to know why The Shadow entrusted his secret identity to a cab driver, who now acts as his private chauffeur. Why not just get his own Alfred? It certainly looks like he can afford it.

I don’t think I’m asking too much here. The Millennium editions were presumably some of the best or most important comics of the century (my interpretation, not DC’s). But is this one either? It’s not a particularly good introduction to The Shadow, and it’s the first issue of a series that lasted briefly. Taken out of context and shoved at an unknowledgeable reader, this book, while a fine read, isn’t really a proper introduction.

Recommended with Reservations

Matt Singer is a writer for PopImage’s From The Wire, and is vaguely familiar with the evil that lurks within the hearts of men, and it has something to do with leaving the toilet seat up.