Shadowman #6 Review: the veil is slipping and war is coming in a slow but stunning book.
Written by: Cullen Bunn, Art by: Pedro Andreo, Colours by: Jordie Bellaire.
Jack Boniface is a musician from New Orleans. He has a power passed down through his lineage, through a voodoo spirit called Shadow Loa. He is one of only a few people who can protect the Earth against the evils from the Deadside (another realm). His alter ego gives him reduced fear, enhanced strength, endurance, and reflexes, as well as other voodoo powers. He is. . . Shadowman.
Back in New Orleans, the veil between the Deadside and our side is thinning. Blights are beginning to come through to bring Hell on earth. The higher council that helps Jack has been disbanded by the Deadside personified. It seems like Jack can’t reason with the blights, and worse he’s on his own against an undead army ready to unleash evil upon the world.
So now we have part 2 of the Deadside War. This issue gives me slightly mixed emotions. Cullen Bunn has created what I would argue to be the most horror-based issue of the series so far, as it’s very ominous and rife with suspense. Add to that the fantastic artwork by Pedro Andreo and colours by Jordie Bellaire, and the dark atmosphere is complete. On the other hand, there’s not much that happens in this issue, and it becomes a filler issue that just has me waiting for the war to erupt. With this in mind, it’s still a well-written book that accentuates the darker elements to the characters and the surroundings. What I found particularly good was the difference in Jack's character between the peacekeeper and the fighter. . . where he wants there to be peace between the realms but will fight if he must, making him such a compelling character.
Since picking up a copy of Shadowman #1, I was in awe of the artwork. I do think that Jon Davis-Hunt's artwork was very good, and it really did go well with the character. I don’t like to compare artists too much, as every person will see something different in art and get something out of it, but for me current artist Pedro Andreo has just stepped this book up even more. The way the scenes are set out are perfect for the horror setting and Andreo's character profiles are exquisite. The above picture I couldn’t help but linger on as the detail was perfect, and the way it’s positioned on the page drew the attention from the panels, just commanding the page as Jack commands the book. This profile just has his presence perfectly fit.
Although I’m still new to the Shadowman series, this by far is the best art I’ve seen so far. So if or when Andreo moves on, this art will be hard to top. It has me excited for the next issue of the Deadside War to see how his artwork handles what I hope to be a large scale battle.
We now have a trend going as well, with another horror movie variant cover, which I’m a sucker for as I find them so much fun and love how they adapt it to the characters with the series. The last movie homage was The Thing, and for this month we have Fright Night. Although I’ve not seen the film, I definitely appreciate the clever way the poster is referenced for this cover.
Overall, I don’t want to say I’m disappointed at not much happening as it’s still well-written and the artwork is enough even if it was a poor issue, which by no means it's bad. I think I’m just craving the big event that has been teased. Still a very solid issue, but definitely hoping for more action in the next.
Shadowman #6 was released by Valiant Comics on 16th February from your Local Comic Shop as well as comixology
Andrew Carr was blessed to grow up watching the animated series of Batman, X-Men, and his favorite, Spider-Man.This started his dive into the comics world, which resulted in meeting his amazing cosplaying wife Imogen. They live in England with their Sinister Six dogs.