Shadowman #1 Discussion

[bribri]

Lots of setup here. Overall I like the book. However, I did not really like Mr. Twist's introduction, nor did I like his dialogue.

I also didn't like how Jack's clothes changes when he turns into Shadowman. Would have rather seen him turn into Shadowman with the clothes he had on and then have him put the costume together later.

[swtor1091]

I loved the art was great and I loved that Jack Bonifice's dad wasn't always a hero and actually was in prison for manslaugther, theft, and arson (all in the same case maybe?)... I cant wait to see where it goes but i do hope that Mr.Twist does get some better dialog... though, "I cant promise it tastes like chicken," Did make me chuckle

[iwantvaliant]

I'm excited about this series. Great art. I really liked that they listed the Shadowman lineage.

[Dr. Solar]

This book is sick.

Tons of questions to figure out, and I think we'll get some sweet Shadowman action next issue.

I like the storytelling structure, that Jack is going to be discovering his past and what it means to be Shadowman at the same time that we do.

[BugsySig]

I thought this issue was great. After having read those previews multiple times, it went a bit quick, but that was my choice.

I didn't have a problem with Twist's dialogue, or the other monsters, as I thought it gave them a very distinct personality. My only dialogue issue was with the last two words of the last panel. No need to introduce yourself like that...it was cheesy. Though if he had said, "I'm the Shadowman," I think it would have read better. Pretty small complaint overall.

The art is fantastic, and I love the background and cast building already. The lineage naming was awesome: I caught "Maxim" (St. James?) and "Michael" (LeRoi?). Pretty cool and sets up lots of possible flashbacks with past Shadowmen and characters like EW, Armstrong and Harada.

[grendeljd]

Man, that was killer. Worth the long wait.

I have developed a deep infatuation with Patch's artwork since the new Shadowman imagery first started leaking out - its very inspiring to me personally.

After reading #1, I must say I think he has a stellar sense of sequential art, & I love his style of drawing. Great compositions [both in page & in panels] and use of perspective/camera angles, fantastic facial expressions & the details... nothing is over-rendered or crowded, but man, i love artwork that actually feels like it takes place somewhere real & solid... there are very few panels that just contain a figure with an empty color-filled background. Awesome. The deadside souls, the creature-cops, Master Darque & Mr Twist himself look absolutely amazing.

The story is a great intro, IMO. Solid characterization of what Jack is about right now, good hints of more backstory to look forward to with his parents... interesting that they have criminal records, can't wait to see what thats all about. It feels like a good dash of realism too, I imagine more vigilante type super-heroes would have run-ins with the law, even though they are trying to do something for good reasons.

I can't say I have a problem with Mr Twist's dialogue... kinda creepy & a bit sarcastic - even though he is saying things that would sound too comic-booky in the wrong writers hands, I got the sense that he is saying it all a bit tongue-in-cheek. A creature with an ego that is a bit enamoured of his own power, never mind 'The Master'. Loved the 'taste like chicken' line.

I really liked how the shadowman spirit was handled at the end, too. From the panel with Jack kneeling ahead of the shadowman symbol to the gesture of the wild and semi-abstract spirit itself, I thought that was all really cool. It's dialogue - loved the recital of past shadowmen... is it being literal or figurative in saying they are all 'son of' the last one? Obviously at this point, Jack is the son the of previous one; Josiah. I dig that last panel with the big laughter streaming across the page behind him too.

Very cool that the spirit generates the shadowman outfit. I was thinking that it should work that way [honest!!! I am going to enter that Project:Rooftop Shadowman costume redesign contest, and was basing some of my concepts on this idea].

All around impressive work, soo glad its here... can't wait for more now. I'm... gonna go re-read it now. A few times.

[greg]

No need to introduce yourself like that...it was cheesy. Though if he had said, "I'm the Shadowman," I think it would have read better. Pretty small complaint overall.

Ordinarily I would agree, but he just "became" Shadowman for the first time in that moment...
He had no idea who/what Shadowman is/was a minute earlier.
He was really announcing it to himself.

[grendeljd]

No need to introduce yourself like that...it was cheesy. Though if he had said, "I'm the Shadowman," I think it would have read better. Pretty small complaint overall.

Ordinarily I would agree, but he just "became" Shadowman for the first time in that moment...
He had no idea who/what Shadowman is/was a minute earlier.
He was really announcing it to himself.

Or was he?

I got the impression that this shadowman entity may be more of a separate spirit within Jack. Its a good nod to the original, where it always seemed like Jack changed his attitude
at night, and sort of talked about himself as a separate person from Shadowman, without ever really proclaiming that the shadowman was a separate being within... at least in the ones I had [up to #34 of the VH1 books].

[greg]

No need to introduce yourself like that...it was cheesy. Though if he had said, "I'm the Shadowman," I think it would have read better. Pretty small complaint overall.

Ordinarily I would agree, but he just "became" Shadowman for the first time in that moment...
He had no idea who/what Shadowman is/was a minute earlier.
He was really announcing it to himself.

Or was he?

I got the impression that this shadowman entity may be more of a separate spirit within Jack. Its a good nod to the original, where it always seemed like Jack changed his attitude
at night, and sort of talked about himself as a separate person from Shadowman, without ever really proclaiming that the shadowman was a separate being within... at least in the ones I had [up to #34 of the VH1 books].

Good point. Jack may not know Shadowman exists.

[pixierosa]

Argh! Stuck at work so can't write much now...

I'll just say for now.

[Elveen]

When Twist throws the "pieces of flesh" at the dudes mouths ala Aliens...... creepy.

I like the Coven in the beginning (I always thought there was more OG Valiant could have done with Netty and her crew), I'm glad they were introduced right a the beginning.

Overall a good set up issue with some good background on the characters.


I'm thinking this will be a BIG hit! Like instantly.

[Dr. Solar]

No need to introduce yourself like that...it was cheesy. Though if he had said, "I'm the Shadowman," I think it would have read better. Pretty small complaint overall.

Ordinarily I would agree, but he just "became" Shadowman for the first time in that moment...
He had no idea who/what Shadowman is/was a minute earlier.
He was really announcing it to himself.

Or was he?

I got the impression that this shadowman entity may be more of a separate spirit within Jack. Its a good nod to the original, where it always seemed like Jack changed his attitude
at night, and sort of talked about himself as a separate person from Shadowman, without ever really proclaiming that the shadowman was a separate being within... at least in the ones I had [up to #34 of the VH1 books].

Good point. Jack may not know Shadowman exists.

I don't think that Jack knows that Shadowman exists.

The way I read it, the Shadowman spirit took Jack over. In the final page, I read it to be that the Shadowman spirit was in control of Jack's body, not Jack himself.

"Jack's not here right now."

[greg]

Good point. Jack may not know Shadowman exists.

I don't think that Jack knows that Shadowman exists.

The way I read it, the Shadowman spirit took Jack over. In the final page, I read it to be that the Shadowman spirit was in control of Jack's body, not Jack himself.

"Jack's not here right now."

I can also see that in a second reading of it... in my first reading, because of the history lesson, it seemed like the Shadowman spirit was introducing itself to Jack, letting him know his "true identity".
I don't know why there would be a history lesson if the Shadowman was keeping it secret from Jack.

[Elveen]

It think it is a brilliant idea to have the Shadowman energy/force/spirit be a "thing".

[BugsySig]

Good point. Jack may not know Shadowman exists.

I don't think that Jack knows that Shadowman exists.

The way I read it, the Shadowman spirit took Jack over. In the final page, I read it to be that the Shadowman spirit was in control of Jack's body, not Jack himself.

"Jack's not here right now."

I can also see that in a second reading of it... in my first reading, because of the history lesson, it seemed like the Shadowman spirit was introducing itself to Jack, letting him know his "true identity".
I don't know why there would be a history lesson if the Shadowman was keeping it secret from Jack.

I would agree, but the dialogue immediately preceding the intro was directly addressing the comment by the monster-cops. This makes it seem, in the context of the dialogue, that he is introducing himself to them and not Jack.

Either way, I just didn't like it. It just didnt flow right, even compared to how the "Shadow Spirit" was talking in the panels just prior. It's still the only thing I didn't like about the issue, though, and in no way diminished my enjoyment of the issue.

[Dr. Solar]

Good point. Jack may not know Shadowman exists.

I don't think that Jack knows that Shadowman exists.

The way I read it, the Shadowman spirit took Jack over. In the final page, I read it to be that the Shadowman spirit was in control of Jack's body, not Jack himself.

"Jack's not here right now."

I can also see that in a second reading of it... in my first reading, because of the history lesson, it seemed like the Shadowman spirit was introducing itself to Jack, letting him know his "true identity".
I don't know why there would be a history lesson if the Shadowman was keeping it secret from Jack.

I was thinking more "ritual" during the whole introduction and the listing of the lineage.

I do like that it isn't clear exactly what this "shadowman spirit" is, and how it works.

I'm imagining Shadowman kicking some butt at the beginning of issue 2, then Jack "waking up" and thinking "what the hell was that?"

[MarrowMan]

Lotta OG Nods in this issue.

The OG ShadowMan mask on the wall of masks

The VH2 Jaunty Wax Figure in the Museum

"Maxim" mentioned as one of Jack's predecessors/progenitors

love that stuff.

[grendeljd]

Good point. Jack may not know Shadowman exists.

I don't think that Jack knows that Shadowman exists.

The way I read it, the Shadowman spirit took Jack over. In the final page, I read it to be that the Shadowman spirit was in control of Jack's body, not Jack himself.

"Jack's not here right now."

I can also see that in a second reading of it... in my first reading, because of the history lesson, it seemed like the Shadowman spirit was introducing itself to Jack, letting him know his "true identity".
I don't know why there would be a history lesson if the Shadowman was keeping it secret from Jack.

I was thinking more "ritual" during the whole introduction and the listing of the lineage.

I do like that it isn't clear exactly what this "shadowman spirit" is, and how it works.

I'm imagining Shadowman kicking some butt at the beginning of issue 2, then Jack "waking up" and thinking "what the hell was that?"

There are a couple of preview pages of #2 out there, one panel shows Jack fingering the bullet holes in his t-shirt with a thoughtful expression on his face. Without the accompanying dialogue, it could be interpreted as him wondering what the hell happened to him... as if he isn't fully aware of what he did when the 'spirit' took him

[Xtianhardy]

Absolutely loved this first issue. Don't know what that hack reviewer at CBR was thinking. This was excellent. Yes the dialogue was a little rough at spots, but honestly, that's something that can be ironed out. Sometimes it can take a writer time to find the character's voice. I thought the introduction of Mr. Twist was very well done, and frankly, I liked the added personality Jordan and Zircher gave him. He's already a more interesting villain to me than the similarly-themed antagonist of Swamp Thing and Animal Man, the Rot, which has been boring me to tears lately.

Also, I agree with the idea that Jack doesn't know he has become Shadowman, or at least, not yet. I'm also wondering if that pendant he wore in the beginning was what kept the Shadowman spirit from possessing him. If that's the case, will he have to wear the amulet in order to keep himself from becoming Shadowman entirely?

[MarrowMan]

Absolutely loved this first issue. Don't know what that hack reviewer at CBR was thinking. This was excellent. Yes the dialogue was a little rough at spots, but honestly, that's something that can be ironed out. Sometimes it can take a writer time to find the character's voice. I thought the introduction of Mr. Twist was very well done, and frankly, I liked the added personality Jordan and Zircher gave him. He's already a more interesting villain to me than the similarly-themed antagonist of Swamp Thing and Animal Man, the Rot, which has been boring me to tears lately.

Also, I agree with the idea that Jack doesn't know he has become Shadowman, or at least, not yet. I'm also wondering if that pendant he wore in the beginning was what kept the Shadowman spirit from possessing him. If that's the case, will he have to wear the amulet in order to keep himself from becoming Shadowman entirely?

The Pendant kept the spirits blind to him, and they say as much. As for whether it kept "ShadowMan" at bay is another thing, my guess is yes.

[Man Of The Atom]

I also didn't like how Jack's clothes changes when he turns into Shadowman. Would have rather seen him turn into Shadowman with the clothes he had on and then have him put the costume together later.

+1

I was thinking the same thing. It was kind of weird to see him stand up with a different outfit on.
It didn't look like Josiah's outfit changed after transforming in the beginning of the book. But, I guess it makes more sense to have his clothing mystically change in the moment rather than having Jack run into a phone booth, then jump out as Shadowman every night.

I really enjoyed this book and I think the covers will attract some new readers, but I don't the content will keep them coming back for more. I feel like there are a lot of stories with characters that are foster kids seeking information about their parents.

[greg]

POSSIBLE SPOILER!!!

I just got curious about the location where Mr. Twist is introduced... Club Humbaba.

Then, I found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbaba" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

'In various examples, his face is scribed in a single coiling line like that of the coiled entrails of men and beasts, from which omens might be read. This has led to the name “Guardian of the Fortress of Intestines.”'

Obviously, Valiant wanted someone to "Google it".

It also explains why the amulet has an Egyptian symbol on it... Humbaba is ancient, middle-eastern... and may have been 'battled' throughout all ages...
As evidenced by all those masks in the museum. A story that spans many ages... so an Armstrong connection, perhaps?

Alyssa's tattoo is an alternate version of the amulet symbol, circles, triangle-points, with a Shadowman-ish face-like center.

Slightly off-topic...
Whether it was intended or not, I'm going to say Alyssa's name is a tribute to our own Alyssa Noel Scott.

[greg]

Good point. Jack may not know Shadowman exists.

I don't think that Jack knows that Shadowman exists.

The way I read it, the Shadowman spirit took Jack over. In the final page, I read it to be that the Shadowman spirit was in control of Jack's body, not Jack himself.

"Jack's not here right now."

I can also see that in a second reading of it... in my first reading, because of the history lesson, it seemed like the Shadowman spirit was introducing itself to Jack, letting him know his "true identity".
I don't know why there would be a history lesson if the Shadowman was keeping it secret from Jack.

I was thinking more "ritual" during the whole introduction and the listing of the lineage.

I do like that it isn't clear exactly what this "shadowman spirit" is, and how it works.

I'm imagining Shadowman kicking some butt at the beginning of issue 2, then Jack "waking up" and thinking "what the hell was that?"

"The amulet hid you for so long, host" seems like the Shadowman spirit talking directly to Jack.

It seems the "blood of heroes" concept is being used with a spirit instead. Jack is being joined with the spirit of the previous Shadowmen, if not their living/non-living "deadside selves"...

What if "Project Rising Spirit" is about Shadowman?

[Donovan]

http://twitter.com/Yaciuk/status/266305 ... 04/photo/1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A left handed handshake?!?!

[BugsySig]

POSSIBLE SPOILER!!!

I just got curious about the location where Mr. Twist is introduced... Club Humbaba.

Then, I found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbaba" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

'In various examples, his face is scribed in a single coiling line like that of the coiled entrails of men and beasts, from which omens might be read. This has led to the name “Guardian of the Fortress of Intestines.”'

Obviously, Valiant wanted someone to "Google it".

It also explains why the amulet has an Egyptian symbol on it... Humbaba is ancient, middle-eastern... and may have been 'battled' throughout all ages...
As evidenced by all those masks in the museum. A story that spans many ages... so an Armstrong connection, perhaps?

Alyssa's tattoo is an alternate version of the amulet symbol, circles, triangle-points, with a Shadowman-ish face-like center.

Slightly off-topic...
Whether it was intended or not, I'm going to say Alyssa's name is a tribute to our own Alyssa Noel Scott.

Don't ask me how, but I already knew who Humbaba was so it didn't even occur to me that he may be or may be related to Mr Twist. Good catch, though

I think we may see some connections between the symbols in Shadowman like the amulet and the Geomancers. I believe FVL said the new Geomancer possesses an amulet, and the brief glimpse of the Book of the Geomancers in the A&A #5 preview seems to show an object embedded in the book.

Perhaps these are also related to the Boon in some way?