Comics
Review: ‘The Shadow’ #6
Garth Ennis’ run on The Shadow concludes in issue 6, as Lamont Cranston and company attempt to prevent the Japanese from obtaining the materials necessary to build a death ray and end World War II. It’s the end of another solid Ennis tale, featuring the solid characterization, tight writing and – yes – gratuitous amounts of violence that he’s known for. Aaron Campbell’s art is as good as it’s been for the past few issues, enhancing the story with its vivid depictions of the action and the scenes in between. It’s a shame to see Ennis leave, but at least he’s left on a high note.
WRITTEN BY: Garth Ennis
ART BY: Aaron Campbell
PUBLISHER: Dynamite Entertainment
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE DATE: October 24th, 2012
This issue is the conclusion of Ennis’ first and only arc on “The Shadow”. And he delivers. There are some excellent character moments here, especially early on, as Taro Kondo reveals just how much of a douche he actually is. And we’re talking about a guy who’s already procured children for the pedophilic General Akamatsu earlier in the series here, so the degree of his douche-ness was fairly evident already. There’s also a significant amount of action, as The Shadow finally catches up to Kondo and his crew and exacts brutal vengeance. However, things do not go entirely as planned, but the story is resolved nonetheless and we finally get to find out what everyone’s been after the whole time as well.
As always, Aaron Campbell’s art was excellent. His panels are always clear, detailed, and manage to convey everything that’s happening in a scene. His action scenes are especially impressive, given that he communicates to the reader the sense of cacophony and chaos in the final showdown without actually creating a chaotic panel. His character work is equally excellent – just look at the general’s face in the opening pages to see why.
Between this and Ennis’ latest issue of “The Boys”, Ennis has been on fire lately. This issue falls short of perfect, but it’s undeniably excellent. We’ll see if Victor Gischler can pick up where Ennis left off in issue #7 next month.
4.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – GeorgeShunick
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
You must be logged in to post a comment.