The Shadow #3
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Aaron Campbell
Colors by Carlos Lopez
Letters by Rob Steen
The Shadow created by William B. Gibson
Covers by Alex Ross, Howard Chaykin, John Cassaday & Stephen Segovia
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 20, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

You know the great thing about The Shadow #3? IT’S ONLY THE THIRD ISSUE! It’s only the third issue and we’ve gotten SO much story!! I can’t really imagine how this title is going to read when it gets into the teens. So far each installment has been PACKED with information and storytelling, and this issue is no different.

Garth Ennis proves that this is definitely NOT your father’s Shadow. Or, actually, your grandfather’s Shadow. First off, a lot of times foreign enemies are portrayed as helpless stereotypes. Basically the Star Wars Stormtroopers of history. Not so, here. They are portrayed as cunning, smart, and perfectly capable of destroying the United States and whatever else they plan to conquer. That’s the first brilliant part of Ennis’ writing.

The second part comes with the main character himself. He’s not 100%…good. He kills, but given the alternative, he knows he has to. He just seems to enjoy it a little more than another hero would. Like other issues, this is an all over the globe story, but you do get your fair share of New York City thrown in. Ennis has done what few other writers has done before him – keep an air of mystery to the main character. Yes, you know LeMont Cranston IS The Shadow, but you don’t really know that much about LeMont Cranston OR The Shadow, certainly not enough to feel confident that you say you know either of the characters good enough to predict what they’re going to do next. Another superb issue by Garth Ennis.

I’m glad that artist Aaron Campbell is on this book for two reasons. One, he’s a fantastic artist and two, he’s getting some BIG TIME exposure by being on this book. And he certainly deserves the exposure after working so many years and turning out such fantastic art on other titles. The Shadow #3 is particularly one of my favorites of his just because of the sheer amount of things that he gets to draw in here!!! From exotic locations to 40’s era technology and vehicles to “dames in swanky dresses in night clubs,” he knocks every single page out of the park! There are some really great action scenes in this issue, make sure you don’t glance over them too fast!

Another month, another great issue of The Shadow. Dynamite has really put its all into this title, that you can tell for sure. They got a headline writer, a soon-to-be headline artist (mark my words!), and now they’ve got themselves a headline book. Can’t recommend this one enough, folks! These issues have been selling out left and right, so make sure it’s either on your pull list or you’re at your comic store EARLY on Wednesday!