Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Giovanni Timpano
Editor: Joe Rybandt
Release date: OUT NOW!!!!
Price: $3.99

 

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!’ Those words more than any other perfectly encapsulate the ethos of the modern comic book even though the words were written nearly a century ago and that is why they appear at the start of each Shadow adventure. Read them and you know you are in for a heart-pounding thriller with a master of his craft and The Shadow #3 is no exception to that rule.

The Shadow #3 begins with the slouch-hatted king of cool taking down hideous mutated beasts whilst musing on the life and methods of Harry Houdini. Told you he was cool. But even The Shadow can’t match the icy savoir-faire of the sinister Sandman whose card-playing skills are as deadly as they are spectacular.

In The Shadow #3 we go from bloodbath to bloodbath to London in search of Gayle Argyle, not your standard little old lady, believe me, who claims to be the reincarnation of the Egyptian Queen Nitocris. What exactly that has to do with the final illusion of Harry Houdini has yet to be determined.

The Shadow #3 has all the classic elements of a vintage Shadow tale and it’s a shame that some panels, in the review copy at least, seem to be out of order which ruins the effect of what was otherwise a flawless piece of heroic adventure. All the same, you won’t fail to be intrigued as The Shadow tries to unravel the mystery behind the Society of United Magicians.

 

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Review Editor: Steve Hooker