Shadowman #5 Review

 

Shadowman #5 Cover A by Jon Davis-Hunt

Shadowman #5 opens with a very different look from its predecessors. The interior cover page resembles a child-drawn invitation to a neighborhood party. 

Cullen Bunn's story also opens with a child. In this case, an orphan.

It asks: What if a child could make his fondest wish come true?

There's a reason Spider-Man is one of the most popular characters in comics. The secret lies in his famous catchphrase. "With great power..."

Meanwhile, Jack Boniface, aka Shadowman, seems to be taking a break from his globe-trotting adventures with Baron Samedi, the king of the loa. Or, if you prefer, the god of the dead.

If you remember the end of Shadowman #4, you remember the revelations about the Deadside. You know why the veil of reality is tearing, creating blights that allow dangerous creatures to enter our world.

Shadowman has a plan to stop this deterioration.

He's just uncertain whether he can work effectively with others to accomplish it. 

He is powerful in his own right. Can he trust anyone else--either people or gods--to adhere to his plan?

In Shadowman #5, writer Cullen Bunn muses on the power an individual can wield, both for good and for ill. 

A promising illustrator, Pedro Andreo's imagery ranges from fanciful to jaw-dropping. Aided by Jordie Bellaire's cosmic coloring, and Dave Sharpe's ever-impressive lettering, Shadowman #5 opens the Deadside War story arc.

The issue introduces us to multilayered schemes, and also new friends and enemies. It makes us wonder how well we know some characters, as well as the viability of Shadowman's intentions.

As in comics, effective teamwork can achieve more than the hardest working individual. So let's join forces, and help Shadowman protect our fragile world.

The veil between our world and the Deadside next tears apart in three days, on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.

Dragon Dave

P.S. To review all three sets of preview pages for Shadowman #5, see the previous post.