Review: SHADOWMAN #1

SHADOWMAN #1
Written by Justin Jordan, Patrick Zircher
Art by Patrick Zircher
Release Date: November 7, 2012

This month sees the first Valiant release since the “Summer of Valiant” in the form of Shadowman by Justin Jordan & Patrick Zircher. Zircher pulls double duty in this intriguing release, with the veteran artist also handling co-writing duties on the book. If this is the kind of comic that gets created when Patrick Zircher doubles up and handles some writing, I say keep this man writing, and keep him writing as much as possible.

This first issue is an excellent start to what could be a very interesting series. Jordan & Zircher pace this issue brilliantly, dancing back and forth through time and creating a great amount of suspense. There is something deep below the surface of this story, waiting to erupt out at any moment and that creates a fantastic tension throughout the entire issue. Jordan & Zircher adequately introduce us to the major players in the book while also driving the story forward, hitting the marks required by a first issue as an introduction and setting themselves up for an interesting arc going forward. This plot is intriguing, entertaining, and engaging, and I look forward to reading what these two cook up next.

The real star for me in this book is Zircher’s art. I’ll agree to being a big Zircher fan in the past, his art is easy on my eyes. Shadowman is no different, and Zircher’s art feels more comfortable in this first issue than many artists do after hitting their stride a few issues in. Shadowman is visually impressive and the pencils in this issue are sharp and dynamic. Action jumps off the page, and Zircher chooses excellent angles and shots to convey the story in a visually engaging manner. Valiant editorial made a fantastic move bringing Zircher on board for Shadowman as he has brought a fantastic design to a character that strengthens Valiant’s line.

This is a solid comic book that starts this series with a bang. This is one of Valiant’s strongest series debuts yet and I can’t wait to read more.

Verdict: 8.5/10

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2 Comments

  1. Aaron Long said:

    Thanks! I’ll be very curious to see what you think of the book! I’ve enjoyed a lot of the Valiant books since the relaunch, especially X-O and Archer & Armstrong. This book is darker than A&A, but Zircher is just awesome.

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