Shadowman History & Covers

I was going to kick off my review of Bloodshot #12, the final issue (at least for now) of writer Tim Seeley's outstanding series. But the good folks at Valiant Comics sent me a press release for Shadowman, so I thought I'd better shelve the Bloodshot discussion so we could talk Shadowman today. 

I'll intersperse my comments with some of the fabulous covers Valiant is producing for their upcoming Shadowman series.

Shadowman #1 Cover A by Jon Davis-Hunt

I met Jack Boniface in the very first Valiant comic I read. That was Ninjak #10, written by Matt Kindt. Although the issue was released in December 2015, I most likely read it in January 2016. In that story, Colin King (aka Ninjak) found Jack Boniface trapped in the Deadside. Jack had been through some rough times, and was going by the name Magpie instead of Shadowman. He was a tortured soul, bound in chains, and seemingly doomed to an eternity in the Deadside.

After reading that first issue, I had to know what would happen to Ninjak in this visually stunning realm. I returned to my local comic shop the following week, and asked if the next issue was out. The owner pulled it off the shelf for me. I took it home, and read about Ninjak, and his interactions with Jack Boniface, aka Magpie, aka Shadowman. Thus began my Valiant journey. 

Shadowman #1 Cover B by Rod Reis

 

In Summer 2017, Ninjak and Shadowman returned to the Deadside. It's been awhile since I read Rapture, this four-issue story written by Matt Kindt, but I know I enjoyed it. I also seem to remember that the artwork reminded me of the epic journeys through Middle Earth chronicled in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

 

Cover C (Horror Movie Homage) by Dave Johnson

 

Valiant Entertainment first updated the 1990s interpretation of Jack Boniface with a Shadowman series in 2012. They followed this with the three-issue miniseries Shadowman: End Times in 2014. My first series of Shadowman started in March 2018. It started with a bang, thanks to writer Andy Diggle's storytelling skills. Sadly, Andy Diggle had to compensate his own series to coincide with Harbinger Wars 2. 

Harbinger Wars 2 was Valiant's big summer event, and drew in most of the major Valiant heroes. I remember the Ninja-K series coped with this by explaining that the story arc published alongside Harbinger Wars 2 took place before the big crossover event. Meanwhile, on X-O Manowar, writer Matt Kindt had Shanhara remind Aric of incidents in his past during those four issues.

On Shadowman, Andy Diggle compensated by killing Jack Boniface. No, really! With his spirit trapped, and his corpse packed off to the funeral home, Jack watched, powerless, as he was shown people from past eras who had taken on the mantle of Shadowman. While I found these stories interesting, I think new Shadowman readers may have found this approach confusing. After Harbinger Wars 2 ended, Jack returned to the land of the living, thanks to the intervention of some powerful friends. Sadly, the series ended all too soon, with issue #11.  

Pre-Order Cover by Tony Moore

 

Valiant Entertainment has over two thousand characters in its superhero universe. Still, it is a small publishing company, with limited resources. At the best of times, it can only produce a few titles every month. 

Shadowman has many passionate fans, and Valiant worked hard to get out a new series last year. Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic delayed it until this year. Finally, Shadowman is finally returning to comic book stores on April 28th, thanks to the creative efforts of writer Cullen Bunn, artist Jon Davis-Hunt, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Clayton Cowles. 

Make sure you let your retailer know what cover you want, and that you're looking forward to Shadowman's return.

Dragon Dave