On artist Dave Johnson's Shadowman #1 Movie Homage Cover, Shadowman removes his face to reveal...his mask. This suggests that Jack Boniface sees his alter ego of Shadowman as his true self. His natural face of skin thus is a mask he wears to hide his power.
Certainly, when he crashes Elsbeth Martinique's party in Shadowman #1, he deals with the guards in his human guise. Or should that be disguise?
For his Shadowman #2 Movie Homage Cover, artist Francesco Francavilla portrays Jack as Shadowman. His mask is pitted, etched, and cracked, revealing all the injuries he's sustained over the years. His mask, or true face, becomes a map of scars, showing all the battles he's survived.
For her Shadowman #3 Movie Homage Cover, artist Erica Henderson also focuses on the duality of Jack's true face. Yet this time, it is not his face of flesh Jack removes, but his Shadowman mask. And what does it reveal?
That our hero, Shadowman, is really a monster?
Certainly it begs the question of why Jack takes on his role of Shadowman. Does he pick up his scythe, and fight demons merely to protect the living? Does he do it because he secretly loves killing? Is he truly as altruistic, or if you will, as valiant, as we like to see him?
In Shadowman #1, Jack enters the mansion of Elsbeth Martinique in his fleshly human form. While the invited guests wear masks, he--as Shadowman--wears a mask of flesh. He also offers up this interesting commentary.
In fact, quite the opposite, he opines.
After three Movie Homage covers focusing on which face Jack presents to the world, and his insightful commentary in Shadowman #1, two question remain. How does Shadowman regard people who refuse to wear masks during a pandemic? And how does he feel about those who do?
Dragon Dave
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