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Published by: Dynamite Comics
Released on: July 16, 2014
The Shadow seems intent on this whole “retirement†thing, as he (Lamont) and Margo set sail from NYC to Liverpool aboard the Queen Mary. But with the formidable list of enemies they've created over the years will they get the rest & relaxation they seek?
[SPOILERS LURK BELOW]
Their presence is noted in London by the two evil operatives previously shown and so plans are put into motion to eliminate Lamont Cranston and his traveling companion. So they send a teleporting/size-alerting hitman to murder them in their sleep. But the mind of The Shadow never rests and Lamont's able to fight him off - and then the attacker suddenly vanishes, leaving them with more questions than answers.
Lamont and Margo land in a dreary Liverpool and note they have a tail watching them. After they arrive in London and set up shop at the Savoy they notice they still have that tail, following every move they make. So they're not surprised when they are set upon by four would-be attackers one night. Lamont dispatches them quickly and efficiently but is a bit embarrassed to discover they are actually agents of Lord Fitzroy, one of The Shadow's many agents…
Fitzroy has become a ranking member in the recently-formed MI6 organization and is aware of a security leak within their ranks. Lamont and Margo aren't sure what - if anything - this has to do with them until Fitzroy mentions that his investigations keep turning up the name Benedict Stark, the crown prince of evil that The Shadow thought he dispatched. Apparently, he's still active and may now be in possession of an atomic bomb as well. That's enough conjecture for the couple who, after returning to their hotel, decide this might be a job best left to The Shadow (and, obviously, cutting short his retirement).
Howard Chaykin is at the top of his game here yet again, crafting a more slow-burning version of the character he notable reinvented in the 1980s. His art style has altered somewhat but it matches the changes in his narrative pattern and speed well. This issue represents the halfway point in the series and promises much more activity to follow, making it a good transitory issue, laying the groundwork quite nicely.
