The Shadow: Year One #4

Matt Wagner's retelling of the origins of The Shadow continue as Margo Lane earns her spot the ever-widening web of spies working silently for The Shadow. Although the issue does nothing to explain the motives of the monstrous Dr. Zorn, it does confirm he is behind the gang war whose true purpose only he seems to fathom.

Now at the halfway point of the mini-series we do have Margo and Lamont Cranston working together, but I would have expected The Shadow to at least get some inkling, if not actually have met, the figure working against him to rid the city of crime. The storyline is beginning to feel like a six-issue arc that has been unnecessarily inflated and drawn out over two extra issues. That said, what we do get in the further teasing of Zorn and the showcasing of how The Shadow builds his silent army are both handled well.

I'm hoping Wagner speeds things up a little in the next issue involving The Shadow's investigations as well as the reveal of Zorn's motives and origins. For fans.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]