Uncanny #3
Written by Andy Diggle
Illustrated by Aaron Campbell
Colored by Bill Crabtree
Lettered by Simon Bowland
Covers by Sean Phillips and Dan Panosian
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 28, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

“There are others like you. Edge cases. Living on the fringes, hiding in the shadows…afraid to show their abilities.”

If you had a super power, would you hide it? Would you use it to benefit others or for personal gain? In Uncanny #3 written by Andy Diggle and illustrated by Aaron Campbell, Dominic Weaver begins to realize that no matter what you choose to do with your powers, others will always seek to exploit them, because everything comes with a price tag.

Uncanny #1
Written by Andy Diggle
Art by Aaron Campbell
Colors by Bill Crabtree
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Jock, Sean Phillips, Dan Panosian
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 26, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

As kids, we all wanted a superpower…right? Okay, be honest here. That carried through to adulthood, didn’t it? Especially when we go see any of the blockbuster comic-based films that Hollywood has turned (or churned) out in the last decade or two. Well, Uncanny #1 is the story of a guy with just such an ability. What he does with it is less than spectacular, but we all make poor decisions from time to time.

Okay, first off it’s good to know who you’re dealing with here. The guy’s name is Weaver and he’s a con artist. Sure, he’s got the badass ability to siphon the thoughts and knowledge from people that he touches, but he uses it to gamble and cheat people out of their money. Unfortunately for him, this information that he absorbs is very temporary. And he’s started noticing that his power is becoming slightly unreliable, though he has no idea why. But Weaver’s life is about to change. Other folks have taken an interest in him and, luckily, they’ve got pretty good timing. A last minute rescue finds him racing off with no idea what the future holds.

The Shadow #5
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Aaron Campbell
Colors by Carlos Lopez
Letters by Rob Steen
Covers by Alex Ross, Howard Chaykin, John Cassaday & Francesco Francavilla
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: September 19, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

The Shadow #5 is the penultimate chapter in the first arc of this title, and for me, it’s gone a little downhill since the begining. What started off really strong has kind of petered out a little. Bottom line, the story arc is a little messy and the book suffers for it.

Yes, Garth Ennis is a legend in the comic book business. But, even superstars can slip up now and then. I LOVED the first few issues of this title, it was everything that I wanted it to be. You had The Shadow fighting crime in 1930s New York City. You had ALL the trademark Shadow standards, and it was entertaining beyond reason. Then, Ennis decided to take The Shadow OUT of his element and into a globetrotting adventure ala Indiana Jones, and, it just didn’t work as well as the first few issues. What you’ve got now is a very confusing story, that really isn’t a SHADOW story. You could plop any pulp character in there and it would work just as well, and that’s a shame.

The Shadow #4
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Aaron Campbell
Colors by Carlos Lopez
Letters by Rob Steen
Covers by Alex Ross, Howard Chaykin, John Cassaday & Sean Chen
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 1, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

The Shadow #8 is a MUST READ issue!!! That is, if you like awesome comics, which I’m guessing a lot of you do. I really think that I should warn you, though. This is NOT a comic book for younger readers. In fact, I’d say you should be at LEAST 30 to read this comic. Seriously.

Writer Garth Ennis delivers a knock-out issue, coming at you with guns (literally) blazing. In this issue he tells the story that Shadow fans have always wanted to read… as only he can tell it. Yes, some of us know the origin of The Shadow, but it’s never been told quite like this. It’s hard-edged, it’s hard-core, it’s magnificent. It’s comics like this that make you go to the comic store every week. It’s a great read, and not a short one, either. When reading this I was reminded of comics from the sixties, seventies, and even the eighties when word balloons took up more than half the panel. We really get a great sense of who both LaMont Cranston and The Shadow are in this issue, and both answers will surprise you. All in all, another gen from the creative team on this book.

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.