Released by: Dynamite Entertainment
Released on: Apr. 02, 2014
The final issue in this new storyline for The Shadow has Lamont Cranston's notorious alter-ego finalizing his master stroke for the city. He uses his powers of mind-control and deception to pit both the Russian and Asian gangs in the city against each other and, ultimately, against his arch-nemesis, Shiwan Khan.
Khan has enlisted the assistance of both gangs as well as having knocked out the power to the city, all to help finish whatever his nefarious master plan is. He's aided by his granddaughter who feels she has something to prove to him and can only do so by killing The Shadow. They also have captured one of The Shadow's agents, Derrick. But the hero is up to his name, moving in darkness to infiltrate Khan's building in Midtown, rescue his agent and set Khan's minions to killing each other.
The Shadow also still has the help of Margo who's in constant radio contact and so they all converge on the Con Ed plant that seems to be the focus of Khan's efforts. This provides The Shadow with mowing down many baddies and, ultimately, a showdown between Khan's granddaughter and Margo. But, naturally, she and Khan both escape, their evil plans not fully revealed. But, as Cranston notes while having a celebratory dinner with Margo, the Khan's plans are stopped, his operation destroyed and organized crime in the city seriously decimated. Plus, he adds, everyone in the city now knows that The Shadow is back.
Combining knowing nods to both the original character as well as Howard Chaykin's mid-80s reboot The Shadow Now is a great read for both casual and hardcore fans alike. David Liss has an excellent grasp of the character and puts all those elements into a very well-crafted reintroduction. Colton Worley's artwork is of serious note here, though, as the images above should denote: Some of his images are seemingly photo-perfect. But his style is cloaked in the requisite dark shadow, too, the perfect accompaniment visually here. This series is worth picking up for this artwork alone but also well worth the investment overall.