Shadowman #4

Shadowman #4

Valiant Entertainment 2021

Written by Cullen Bunn

Illustrated by Jon Davis-Hunt

Coloured by Jordie Bellaire

Lettered by Clayton Cowles

What’s your darkest secret worth?

Danger is a drug and it’s deep in the veins of mankind. Shadowman’s on a quest to find the source of his hallucinations and Jack has less control than he once thought.

The worst has happened…Deadside has arrived!

This is such an extraordinary series. Jack has always been much more suited to the darker side of storytelling and what Cullen is doing with that is plainly put bloody mindbogglingly brilliant. This issue has so many interesting revelations and has such a strong impact on the reader. All too quietly this series is probably one of the most absolutely interesting and stunning displays of storytelling that we are seeing in comics today. In my humble opinion and with the sheer volume of books that I review this is among the top five books being published right now. It is no exaggeration either in how well I believe this is being told. Everything that Jack learns about in this issue and how he learns it is a prime example of a master storyteller at work and how natural all the information flows makes this feel like we’re experiencing this in a “real time” kind of way.

I am in love with 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 presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter make the characters feel more and more like real people. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story we get this sense that we are a part of the book.

How we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen is magnificently presented. How the layers open up different avenues, some of which work with the main story others that don’t, and in these avenues we see this amazing depth, dimension and complexity being added to the story. At one point when Jack comes to a realisation it’s that lightbulb moment for the reader as well and it’s beautifully done. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is impeccably achieved.

The interiors here are some of the best I've seen in a while. The exquisite linework is clean, crisp and sharp and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detailed work that we see throughout the book is truly astonishing. The attention to detail isn’t just in the characters but in how we see the backgrounds as well. How they enhance and expand the moments, light up the readers’ imagination and creativity is beguiling. How they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the book is masterfully rendered. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a masters eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show the eye of someone who understands colour, how it works and how to maximise the effects that it has.

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This is the best book you aren’t reading right now and that definitely has to change. Never before has Shadowman been this interesting, this powerful and portrayed with such human qualities to him. The writing is truly extraordinary and the characterisation is smart and powerful, all the while they are brought to life through this absolutely stunning interior artwork.