The Shadow #1

Dynamite Entertainment brings another old-timey public domain hero back into the spotlight with The Shadow written by Garth Ennis with art by Aaron Campbell. As first issues go it's certainly not going to knock your socks off.

The character of The Shadow has been around since his first radio show back in 1930. Set in the early days of WWII, the comic does a fair job of reintroducing Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane to both old and new readers alike.

Ennis wouldn't be my first choice to write this character and so far I'm less than impressed with Campbell's art. The comic certainly takes the character back to his darker roots (fans of the Alec Baldwin version might be surprised by the body count in the first issue).

At best the first issue of The Shadow is a mixed success with a great cover by Alex Ross. Is that enough to keep me reading the title? Maybe, but much like Dynamite's Green Hornet titles it's going to have to get better for me to plop down $4 each month. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]