Shadowman #3

Shadowman #3

Valiant Entertainment 2021

Written by Cullen Bunn

Illustrated by Jon DAvis-Hunt

Coloured by Jordie Bellaire

Lettered by Clayton Cowles

What is your darkest secret worth? Shadowman must face demons from his past and demons of the present as he encounters the sinister Undertaker. Will Jack be dragged into a Hell of his making?

I am really enjoying this book. Jack isn’t used to being hunted by things he can’t counterattack and that’s becoming more and more obvious as the issue moves forward. More so since he has no idea who or what is hunting him. I will also say that I very much like the way that this is being told. The then and now aspect of what we see is handled extremely well and it provides the necessary background information for how and where we see him currently. This doesn’t feel bogged down or forced. Cullen manages to create a great experience with the way that he is telling this story as it takes us through the pages engaging the reader and getting them to feel what Jack is feeling. I really enjoy the fact that this is different from anything we’ve seen of his adventures to date and that feeling of unease and danger really should go hand-in-hand with Shadowman!

I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is perfectly presented. The character development is utterly amazing thanks to how we see the dialogue, the character interaction and the way we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we are drawn deeper and deeper in the world Shadowman inhabits.

I appreciate the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and emerge as new avenues open up to us. The layers are where the bulk of the characterisation lies as well as seeing Josef’s connection to the Loa and its these bits that add extra depth and complexity to the story. How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are beautifully achieved.

The interiors here are really rather quite dramatic. The linework is sensational and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality in the detail work leaves me gobsmacked. That half page where we meet the new player in the game is a complete and utter wow moment as the imagery is strong and powerful and downright creepy and it’s perfectly rendered. I think there are too many panels without backgrounds because when we do see them they are phenomenal! Not only do they enhance the moments and flesh out the scenes but they bring us this great depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a stupendous eye for storytelling. The colour work is brilliantly rendered. I love Samedi’s outfit and how we see it so brightly rendered and next to Shadowman’s darker visage the contrast is quite striking. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is perfectly rendered. The creativity and imagination that we see throughout including the colours add so much intrigue and interest to what we see.

​

One of the more exciting aspects is that we are seeing more and more about Loa and the different ones that walk the Earth. We know Jack has his Loa and we’re beginning to see more folks who have their own and should they live it would appear a new network is opening up to Jack. The writing here is exquisitely rendered and with this level of interior artwork bringing it to life this may be the best Valiant title to come out lately.