Book Of Shadows #3 Review

 

Book Of Shadows #3 Cover B by David Romero

 

Book Of Shadows #3 returns us to the realm of magic, monsters, and mass destruction. Exarch Fane and his hellhounds are blazing a trail of devastation upon the earth. Can Shadowman, Persephone, Punk Mambo, Doctor Mirage, and Gilad Anni-Padda (the Eternal Warrior) end the reign of terror?  

Books have power. This is especially true with the Book Of Shadows. Exarch Fane may hold this magical book, which manifests as a skeleton. But who controls whom?

 

LETTERING

While most of the lettering comes as easy-to-read upper-case lettering, the flowing script of the Book Of Shadows will prove more difficult. Thankfully, the font size is large, and won't strain your eyes as you parse what the skeleton (the ultimate audiobook) is telling Exarch Fane. Further on in the issue, you'll discover why Dave Sharpe made the Book Of Shadows lettering looks the way it does.

 

COLORING

Nick Filardi's graduated colors and tones imbue Book Of Shadows #3 with incredible realism. Our heroes, the villains, and the hellhounds leap off the page. Some pages take on the beauty of stain glass and light sources are always clear.

 

ART (PENCILING & INKING)

Vicente Cifuentes' characters are well proportioned and highly detailed. Heroes look heroic, and villains look suitably villainous. Backgrounds are nearly always filled in. Page composition pleases the eye. 

It's not hard to be drawn into this issue, if you'll excuse the pun.

 

STORY 

Earlier issues have set the stakes. The souls of those Exarch Fane kills are not passing on to the Deadside. Nor will all the souls on all the Earth satisfy the Book Of Shadows. The artifact imbues Exarch Fane with power, but the longer he uses it, the more it destroys. Ultimately, all worlds--the entire universe--could be sacrificed to feed its insatiable hunger.

At the heart of this series resides Persephone, a woman birthed from the Deadside. She wields enormous power. Yet she lacks memories, identity, and cannot call on all the difficult life-lessons of growing-up to aid her decision-making. Can Shadowman aid her in becoming a responsible force for good?

Cullen Bunn imbues this series with powerful artifacts. In addition to Fane's Book Of Shadows, Punk Mambo wields the Ring Of Soloman, and the Eternal Warrior now carries the Abyssal Sword. Bunn melds the ancient realm of magic with modern science in the way he describes the ring's power.

 

 

CONCLUSION

Book Of Shadows #3 follows the ongoing drama between Shadowman, Persephone, and Punk Mambo. In addition to Persephone's struggles for identity and growth, both Doctor Mirage and Gilad Anni-Padda reveal different aspects of their characters. The stakes prove so dire that even Shadowman lightens the mood with a little humor. 

This is a gorgeous book, crackling with action and drama. Full marks to Valiant Entertainment and the entire creative team for Book Of Shadows #3.

Dragon Dave 

BOOK OF SHADOWS #3
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Art by VICENTE CIFUENTES
Colors by NICK FILARDI
Letters by DAVE SHARPE
Cover A by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Cover B by DAVID ROMERO
Cover C by TRAVIS ESCARFULLERY
Pre-order Cover by KELLEY JONES

Exarch Fane, an ancient, otherworldly warlord, is intent on sacrifi cing our world to satiate his hunger. Only a team of mystic heroes stands in his way. But while three heroes—SHADOWMAN, PUNK MAMBO, and PERSEPHONE—attempt to stop Fane from forging the Chain of Ruin, DOCTOR MIRAGE and the ETERNAL WARRIOR pass through the veil of death to discover the BOOK OF SHADOWS’ terrible secrets.

On sale January 25th | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+