The Shadow: Blood and Judgement

The Shadow: Blood & Judgment #1-4

by Howard Chaykin (Author, Illustrator), Anthony Tollin (Foreward), Joe Orlando (Contributor)

The laugh had vanished... the mocking, sinister laugh that signalled doom for the petty souls whose wrongdoing stained the world. It was gone, lost in the night that echoed it. Now, one by one, his friends and operatives are being ruthlessly murdered. Someone is trying to draw him out. Thirty-five years later, it is time for him to return.

Reprints/Collects:
The Shadow (1986) #1-4

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Fiction, Pulp, Science Fiction, Comic Book

128 pages

First published December 1, 1987

About the author

Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker.

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genius often times messes things up.

When I watch American football, I frequently ridicule a coaching move because it was a little too fancy and failed miserably. I’m an old school football fan, I prefer a solid running game only peppered with some passes, ball and time controlled, stay in bounds with a vicious and relentless defense. A coach who calls plays that gets a little too cute and I’m calling him out. Of course, when a creative, innovative play WORKS, his genius and boldness are met with cheers of accolades and praise.

So we come to Howard Chaykin’s 2012 collection of his 1980s run on the classic title The Shadow. I know Chaykin’s work from his brilliant 1980s First Comics run on American Flagg, an imaginative and profane alternate future that reveals a wealth of social and political satire and commentary. I picked up The Shadow as I guess I was hoping he could weave his ingenious magic into this 1930s archetypal crime story.

He kind of called a double reverse hook and lateral play that resulted in a loss of yardage. He got a little too cute.

I liked it, don’t get me wrong, and he provided some intriguing backstory to the old tale and some creative twists for the new 1930s era crime fighter in the 80s …

But it could also be hard to follow and maybe his genius dropped the ball and tripped over his own creativity.

But, there are some cool scenes, the artwork was visually impressive, melding the classic 30s style with the 80s fashion worked better than you might imagine and where else but in a Chaykin book can you get a group called “Atomic Sex Vampires”. And the ending was very good, better than I expected.

For Chaykin fans and if you like the Shadow character, give it a go and try to be open minded.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shadow a lethal two gun carrying vigilante from the Thirties and forties makes his return in the eigthies when somebody is killing his surviving paladins (people the Shadow worked with mosty after saving their lives from doom.
Howard Chaykin draws this menacing figure for an mature audience mostly because of some gore when it comes to violence. This series was in 4 parts upon release and did not rekindle any fanhood for the Shadow. It became a standalone sadly.
That said the Shadow does belong in the pre-war and war years before the world really lost its innocence and became more 'realistic". The Shadow was not seen or created as a political correct person and even in the eighties when he returns looking as young as he did when he dissapeared 50 years earlier. Something that does not sit well with his former paladins who felt left behind.

This tale tells of the story of a mad criminal that lost all when he was on the run with Allard (pre-Shadow) crashed in the Himalayas and got saved by a civilization way ahead, and then tried to run with one of its scientists and got stopped by Allard (on the verge of becoming the Shadow). The criminal did survive somehow and returning to the US started his criminal empire only to hide it when the Shadow started his reign. When the shadow disapeared so this this realm in the Himalyas and this criminal has one last plan. Kill the companions of the Shadow and draw hm out and then force him to take him back to the Himalaya realm to restore his mind in the body of one of his special bred offspring.
A brilliant one-off that shows the strength and determination of the Shadow and he return in ful power something his opennents underestimated because they never considered the myth to be the truth.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

So The Shadow's gone away for a while and his agents have all gotten old... and then he returns, in the (then) present day, ready for new adventures. Could've been good. I liked this interpretation of his backstory, and where he'd learned all that cool stuff he could do, so there was that.

The rest of it wasn't nearly as good as it could have been, though. The story was a hot mess in terms of pacing and writing and villains, the old guard didn't have nearly enough to do, and the new generation wasn't especially likeable. There was some stuff about pitting his generation against the new one, in terms of values and progressiveness and such, but I didn't like either side much at all.

It's not the worst, but it's not that great either. One and a half star or such.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books or Graphic Novels you buy and read because of the Writer and/or the artist.
I have to confess, that's not the case for me when it comes to The Shadow. I buy them simply because I love the character so darn much!
Which is not to say that I don't enjoy the writing or the art, I also happen to be a long-time Howard Chaykin fan. But I have to admit that The Shadow is a guilty pleasure that I find very difficult to pass up.

[Charles · Rating 1 out of 5]

Managed to make it 3/4 of the way through before deciding I had to shelve this one. Let me start by saying I really enjoy The Shadow. I like more of the modern take but have also read some stories from decades back that were good as well. Going into this, I knew that others had either a love or hate view of the story. It's not the violence or the UZIs that bother me. This isn't a "That's not MY Batman" type if issue I have with this. In fact, going in, I tried to think of this as a sort of Elseworlds tale of The Shadow. Sadly, the more I read, the less I could try and convince myself of it. This story is a hot mess that swings between repetitive boredom and brutal pacing. The increase violence doesn't push the story more or speed it up. In the end this story portrays The Shadow like a serious asshole. The art... Sweet baby Jesus. What a mess. I don't know if it was trying to be edgy or avant-garde, but it's along the lines of Miller's scribbles in the unreadable Ronin. The 80s dialogue really felt like it was someone completely out of touch and going with "Yeah! Yeah, that's how the kids talk!" What a weird mess. It feels like the abnormal lovechild of The Watchmen and Ronin which for me is an exercise in patience. To sum it up, if you decide to read this, forget whatever it is you knew about The Shadow before diving in.

[Emilio Arias H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Desaparecido desde hacía 35 años, La Sombra regresa a la ciudad para enfrentarse a un anciano de 95 años que quiere transferir su mente a un cuerpo joven y fuerte. Para ello, el villano amenaza a La Sombra con volar Nueva York por medio de un misil nuclear (que, por cierto, ni dicen cómo pudieron robarlo) si no lo lleva a Shambala, una mística ciudad, perdida en algún rincón del Tíbet, que posee una tecnología avanzada y en donde podrían llevar a cabo con éxito el trasplante.
La historia está tratada de una forma tan desenfadada y ridícula (todo es naíf, a la par que violento) que hasta se aprecia un halo de ironía. Howard Chaykin no se tomó muy en serio el concepto original de La Sombra, que cargaba con prejuicios de la época, y resaltó su lado machista, llevándolo al extremo. Agarró al personaje y lo modificó a su antojo para dar su visión particular y ochentosa del héroe pulp.
Una de las cosas más ridículas y geniales del cómic es la atracción sexual, casi sobrenatural, que sienten las mujeres hacia La Sombra, quien posee una personalidad hipnótica y que en un abrir y cerrar de ojos tiene a cualquier mujer llamándolo "amo".

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Updating' a classic character into the (then) modern age made for an ok story when first printed, I guess, but it's been done so often and so much better since that it's a pale imitation even if it is original.

[Zachary King · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one didn't knock me out. The pacing is a mess, since the villain's scheme isn't even referenced until the end of the third issue (of four). The art is neat, Chaykin doing his usual fine work, but especially for a Shadow novice like myself this was not a gripping read. When it comes to dollar bin comics, you win some, and you lose some.

[Abbas Saleem Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a 10 year old. This is not the comic that anyone should sell a 10 year old but nonetheless I loved it then. I love it today. It's great. It's one of the best comics from the late 1980s explosion in sequential storytelling.

There is no one else who is more perfect to handle The Shadow than Howard Chaykin.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is so incredibly stupid that I'm angry that I'm still going to read the second half. If he were to write the perfect book from here to the end -by divine intervention- it would still be turd altogether. The whole sci-fi angle is so bad that it would be an honor if I called it nerdy. I don't have the proper level of insults for the concept and the story and dialogue stink too. What the hell was he thinking? The introduction lets you know that he was writing it his way or not at all which shows you why editors are so necessary.

The coloring by Wald is terrible. One good lead character and Chaykin's art is all this has to offer.

Once all the stupid setup finished he closed it out like a crappy action blockbuster.

[Matty Dub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chaykin tends to be too messy and all over the place for me but his narrative is unusually tight and focused here and it’s juxtaposed with often over the top art set pieces that comes together to form an excellent story and exactly what I want The Shadow to be. It reads like a mix of Jodorowsky, Moore and O’Neil with an art style unique to Chaykin. Very much of the class of 80s grit that redefined superhero books via deconstruction and a precursor to both Watchmen and The Question. This is a very significant part of comic mythology and a must read for fans of the genre.

[José Antonio · Rating 2 out of 5]

No me ha convencido nada esta afamada mini serie que pretendía llevar a La Sombra a los años 80. El dibujo está bien, como cabía esperar de un Chaykin entonces en plenitud de facultades. Pero la historia empieza confusa y nunca termina de remontar. Quiere abarcar demasiadas cosas en pocos números y no logra profundizar satisfactoriamente en ninguna. Y en fin, me confirma algo que hace tiempo pienso de Chaykin: fue un gran dibujante, pero un escritor normalito.

[Kevin Mann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, in fairness, i have to give this 2 reviews. One review looking at it with 1980s mindset & reflective of those times (which i lived through, so i get all the references Chaykin crams in) and, Two, one review looking at it from 2014 "how does it rate vs. Other Shadow epics?" mindset. This would be a 3 and a half star book at the time it was made, it hits all the hot culture buttons of late-1980s America, so there is that going for it, if you are a teenager in 1987, in that it is OF IT'S TIME....And would have been killer to read THEN. .....However, i am reading this now, 25+ years later, viewing this work for the 1st time thru 2014 eyes...and it is a hideous, vomitous reminder of a horrid time in our pop culture and to say it is extemely dated is somewhat gentle and kind. This works against it as an all-time "great Shadown work"....it is too self-conscious and "look at me" about the plot devices and techniques used. Instead of enjoying the storytelling and art, we are subjected to a creator screaming "look at me make storytelling and art!"....it cant get out of it's own way and the shock & gratuitousness doesnt wear well over these past decades.....the Shadow stories i have enjoyed most have a timeless quality to them, while they might set in the period from 1930s or 1940s, they operate in some timeless world that isnt real specific. Thats the magic of The Shadow and why we still bother to read it. And this Chaykin art, at times is highly magnificent & creative...and other times was so poorly executed it hurt my eyes , caused headaches and prompted seizures...and worse of all, the action was in places, flat out difficult to distinguish. Sorry, Howard......viewed thru 1987 eyes : 3.5 STARS. Thru 2014 eyes : 1 STAR. Buy other Shadow classics before this one. It isnt a top 20 SHADOW all time work.

[Roman Stadtler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was highly entertaining, no matter what many reviewers below say! I think one problem for many other reviewers is Chaykin's style; he's innovative, highly stylized, and he's famous for not dumbing down his stories. He says in the great interview in the back of the book how the first issue/part one is intentionally a bit confusing - and it certainly is - because he wanted to mislead the reader so we won't see the big payoff/revelation coming. It was, perhaps, too misleading, 'cause after the first part, I was bracing myself for a rough read, but the second issue/part 2 was brilliant! I loved this version of the Shadow's origin, I loved an updating of Shambala to something more than just the typical Western idea of a mysterious mystical lost city, which always is a little racist, with their simplistic robed monks who are out of touch with the outside world. Isolated by choice with advanced knowledge doesn't automatically mean innocent and simpler, the mystic version of the Noble Savage.

The other thing that throws people is Chaykin's usual elements; kinky sex, strange degenerate characters, violence (which, being the Shadow, is required here, and it's used very well; chaotic, sudden, reflecting the randomness of violence in any time), strange details (why's an important agent in an iron lung, with handy helper chimp alongside? Who knows? But who cares? It was a cute aside, but it's not important. Made me smile. Wacky!), and a good ending. The Shadow himself is arrogant, sexy, violent and unyielding, but that was all there before Chaykin. It's a great set up for the ongoing, and better, if I remember correctly, series that followed by Helfer. I'm excited to reread that next!

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Chaykin eleva el medio de la historieta con sus historias inteligentes y emocionantes. No soy fan de los cómics cargados de diálogo, pero Chaykin lo hace funcionar dando ambiente a las palabras y haciendo que el libro avance con imágenes interesantes. Al principio me molestó que en cada inicio de escena, se muestre un edificio con dos burbujas de diálogo sin uno saber quiénes están conversando. En los capítulos anteriores, afortunadamente esto se arregla y la historia se mueve de manera más variada. Los diálogos son naturales para la década de los ochenta, pero un poco de lo que se habla será anacrónico para quien lo lea en estos días.

Debo darle una sección aparte al colorista, Alex Wald. El manejo de luces y sombras, para la época, son excepcionales. Para ser un cómic sobre un personaje tan oscuro, es súper colorido y te mantiene despierto con cada panel.

Nada que decir sobre la rotulación, pues cumple con el deber de guiar el ojo entre las letras y las imágenes de manera imperceptible.

Por encima de todos estos bombos, el autor hizo lo posible para traer a la Sombra a la edad contemporánea, pero fracasó sin ser su culpa. Debido al manejo editorial que La Sombra ha tenido por muchos años gracias a Condé Nast, el personaje funciona mejor congelado en su época, esto limita y desafía a quien le toque escribirlo. Por consecuencia, no se siente como una historia de La Sombra, tanto por la introducción como por el final y hasta el manejo de los personajes. Aún que recomendado. Para leerlo en su propio mérito.

[Rory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay I'm going to be honest here, I didn't understand much of what happened in this book. Sure there's things happening but I'm not sure if it was the art, the wtiting or a combination of the two but I found this to be an incomprehensible reading experience.

So I've never read The Shadow, but he has been a character that has fascinated me in recent years (plus I'm an absolute sucker for pulp fiction) but I'm not sure if this story did anything to sway me. He (along with some other supporting characters - don't come across as very interesting at all) in fact he seems overly conceited, but I'm not sure if this is how the character is supposed to be so I can't comment on that. The supporting players are dished out the same deal because I never truly got a feeling that they were once close friends at one point*.

*I did some research and found that they were supposed to be his main allies in the past.

They try to explain the events leading up to the present (I forgot to mention that this takes place in the 1980s as opposed to the 1930s when the original books were published.) but it seems too ham fisted, and might not have helped in the impression realising that the story was losing me.

The art works well in context and so does the writing, but this didn't feel like a Shadow story. I appreciate the effort that went on in the author's update of the character but for me it didn't translate all that well.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting re-reading this after so long--and as a digital comic via Comixology no less. Despite the seminal place this holds in my history as a comics reader, i's clear now I had no idea what I was encountering when I was a teenager. I doubt I understood it it either for it's formal experimentation or for its more "mature" themes. It is very much of the 1980s, audacious enough to send its hero into a new wave club where he poses as a punk rock singer, shameless enough not to be even remotely concerned about how embarrassing it is, and also pushed forward by Chaykin being one of the old men he writes about who simultaneously dismisses and critiques the new things he doesn't understand. Kind of brilliant, and kind of a mess, there's a feeling that the author tosses everything into the pot and sees what boils, and it's kind of a blast watching him do it.

[Alex Sarll]

The Shadow is the vigilante Batman wants to be when he grows up. Howard Chaykin is a writer/artist I've really been getting into lately, with a hyperkinetic pulp style, all square-jawed, raised-eyebrowed heroes and slinky femmes fatales. This meeting of the two is often held to be the finest example of either, but didn't wholly work for me. Yes, when the Shadow is in action, it's excellent - in particular, the way his speech is depicted on the page, and his terrifying laugh becomes part of the landscape. But there's all too little of that. Elsewhere we get more explanation than I wanted of his origin, which works better when left vague - and his power to cloud the minds of men seems to get used in some distinctly iffy ways when it comes to women.
(Also, his nose isn't nearly aquiline enough. Am I biased on account of my own? You bet)

[Howard Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great update

I was introduced to the Shadow with DC’s O’Neil and Kaluta comic books. This update by Chaykin feels like it is the same character. His agents have aged and that is dealt with and that is addressed in the story, since Lamont Cranston has not aged one bit.

His reappearance into modern society ties very much into his origin, which is recounted here and is integral to the story. It’s not unnecessary exposition.

A very interesting and enjoyable tale that is well told and drawn.

[Tomás · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primer acercamiento a The Shadow que tengo como lector, aunque más allá de eso siempre había querido leer este comic por el autor.

Es un comic muy entretenido, bien pulp, con dialogos ligeros y mucha violencia desbordada. Howard Chaykin estaba acá en su mejor momento y creo que hasta ahora, los dibujos de esta historia son los que más me gustaron de él (incluso más que los de Black Kiss).

Muy recomendable para pasarse un buen rato y leer algo con buena acción y dibujos espectaculares.

[Stratospherus · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of coolest comics ever. Imagine a pulp story from the 80s and you get this. After disappearance of more than 50 years, Shadow returns in blaze of glory, Uzi wielding angel of death, avenging deaths of his colleagues. True, the series may be a bit tough to swallow for newcomers. But intriguing plotting made it up. Add that to sympathetic Chaykin's art, grotesque violence, and always healthy and welcome dose of sexism and black humor, rife with 80s pop culture references. As I said, cool!

[Rodrigo Tello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gran reboot ochentoso de The Shadow. Chaykin arma un clásico relato noir que estoy seguro que si no fuera por el horrible rotulado de la edición en revista de ediciones Zinco, lo hubiera disfrutado mucho más. Lo mejor: The Shadow cargándose a todo santo con una Uzi en cada mano. Buen guión y dibujos de Chaykin para la época, más no se puede pedir

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actualización polémica pero natural para el clásico del Pulp.Gusto adquirido tras un par de relecturas.

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood and Judgement proved very divisive when first published in 1986 as Howard Chaykin took the essence of the violent vigilante dispensing retribution from the original 1930s pulp novels and transferred him to the 1980s.

So where’s the Shadow been since he disappeared in 1949? Chaykin has a surprising answer for that, incorporates the Shadow’s origin, and moves events at a cracking pace. He even features the Shadow’s 1940s crew of assistants, now all elderly, but in a largely respectful fashion. That, perhaps doesn’t apply to Lorelei, trapped in an iron lung, tended to by monkeys and financing her condition via operating a sex chatline. It’s such touches that antagonised the Shadow’s fans, perhaps unable to see the wood for the trees. Chaykin’s presentation of the Shadow himself is a largely faithful representation of what the Shadow was. His is an appalling moral code making no allowance for mitigating factors applied to criminal acts, and Chaykin’s visual presentation of those crimes certainly gives the impression of people beyond redemption. “From what Harry’s told me you’re responsible for a thousand murders”, the Shadow is told. “Executions… in the name of just-”, he replies, being cut off with “Cut me some slack, pal. Who died and left you in charge?” The combative nature of this relationship defines the 1980s era by removing the reverential out-dated servitude of his original assistants.

Chaykin applied the same sophisticated storytelling approach he’d taken with his innovative American Flagg! series. There’s the cross-cutting dialogue, the TV commentary, incorporating Ken Bruzenak’s invasive sound effect lettering for atmosphere, and initially puzzling by presenting a series of one and two page vignettes about apparently unconnected people. According to your own views you’ll either consider he has a healthy attitude to sex, or is guilty of objectification. A new character, FBI agent Mavis Lockhart, partially addresses the latter in passing.

The art is spectacular. Chaykin may have set his story in the 1980s, but he ensures there’s enough space to satisfy his liking for the styles and vehicles of the past, and he emphasises personalities not only via clothing but by posture. In an interview at the back of the book Chaykin mentions how he found the supporting cast more interesting than the Shadow, and they’re all respectfully rendered, with little laughing at the elderly. Harry Vincent is at times a bumbling James Stewart, and at others John Wayne, but he’s the only one sometimes undignified, and then solely for plot purposes. Also concerning the art, the original colouring left something to be desired, especially with regard to skin tones, and that’s now been rectified.

Late in the book the villain of the piece says “You wanted sex and death. You got sex and death.” So do we, and wrapped into that is an imaginative tongue in cheek plot. It’s a lot of fun. Almost thirty years later Chaykin returned to the Shadow with Midnight in Moscow.

[Jer Clarke · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fascinating dive into 1930’s misogyny transplanted into an edgy 80’s comic book adaptation.

Picked up this trade paperback of the 4 issue initial 80’s run of The Shadow because it was in a dollar bin and the cover promised it was “The controversial mini-series in one complete volume”. I love a good cheap AF trade and the fact that it seems to have been printed in 1987 caught my attention.

It’s a DC series but oh so dark and violent and filled with sex and S&M themes. The whole series came before the existence of Vertigo as the imprint DC would later use for these not-for-kids comics and I’ve always had an interest in this early era of DC’s eighties punk attitude that led up to Vertigo (books like Sandman and Swamp Thing are from this era, though more directly tied to Vertigo by being horror/fantasy titles).

I wasn’t familiar with The Shadow but this print conveniently comes with a resume of the series and it’s various radio/novel/comic adaptations since the 30’s, written by some kind of super nerd with a The Shadow museum in his house. It contextualized these new comics as part of a long tradition of ultra-violence and appeal to a misogynistic audience.

If that’s what you’re looking for these comics won’t disappoint. Right from the start we are greeted with horrific violent murders alongside sexy half-naked or sneaky-naked-no-nipples women and corpses of women.

When we finally meet the hero he is an unapologetic 30’s man with no time for back-talking women. Instead he uses his magic power of “voice” to compel women to do what he wants, whether it’s just having a loyal secretary or compelling a modern feminist woman to sleep with him despite her horrified reaction to his attitudes.

Overall it was astounding and an interesting read just as a window into this mindset of pure chauvinism.

In an interview at the start of the book (which should have been at the end) the author/artist behind the book justifies the misogyny as a way of honoring the original time period of The Shadow. This is amazing BS and I commend the editor interviewing him for basically calling him on it.

The Shadow, Blood and Judgement is a time capsule of regressive 80’s thought about the rise of feminism. It’s fearless in its disrespect for women and revels in male privilege.

[Checkman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Purchased this omnibus edition in 1987. I was nineteen and had been a fan of The Shadow since the seventies when the novels were reprinted by Pyramid and Jove. I loved the stories and thought the Shadow was just great. I was very excited when Howard Chaykin updated the character and gladly parted with the $12.95 (the equivalent of almost $38.00 in 2025) when the compilation was released.

At the time I found it to be disturbingly violent. The villains were psychotic and over the top (which is faithful to the pulp fiction days) and the artwork was impressive. It was edgy and provocative, and this nineteen-year-old reader thought it was very cool. The Shadow had met sex, drugs and rock and roll. Yeah!

I've held onto the edition for the past thirty-eight years, but until two days ago I hadn't actually read it (front to back) since the Nineties (30 years at least). It isn't terrible, but it has the same feeling as an episode of "Miami Vice" or classic MTV (Martha Quinn and Nina Blackwood ring any bells?). Garish, topical and slick but somehow clunky in 2025. Like looking at a photo of me wearing parachute pants at a Young Republicans gathering circa 1984. Incidentally I have to agree with some of the criticism aimed at Chaykin's illustrations. The Shadow's nose is too small and where is the red scarf? I also disagree with replacing the two Colt 45 pistols with Uzi pistols. At the time I was okay with the changes, but all these years later I have to agree that such radical alterations might be indicative of Chaykin's disinterest in such an iconic character. I do have to wonder why he took on the job if he felt that way.

Well, whatever the reasons, in 2025 this Eighties update is showing its age. I'll hold onto my copy (nostalgia is powerful) but it won't be one of my favorites.

[David Palazzolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, Howard Chaykin is a decent author and an excellent illustrator/graphic designer, but fair warning, you cannot simply glance at the art while reading and expect to get everything that is going on. Perhaps because of the low page count afforded him by DC Comics to tell the story (it was originally a four issue mini-series) he occasionally packs a ton of info into a few panels—most of the time it works, sometimes it doesn’t and you’re drawn out of the narrative to parse the scene. Also, another fair warning because of the compact nature of the story, if you are unfamiliar with the Shadow’s classic adventures you may initially be a little overwhelmed by the first chapter (my situation back in the 80’s during the original publication). I’ve always felt the story would have worked better as a six issue run, but for the most part it works as a story. Also be aware that Chaykin’s version of the Shadow is more than a bit of an ass. He is arrogant, chauvinistic and doesn’t really value his operatives as human beings, just as tools for his missions and other needs—all his operatives call him “master”. There is also one glaring plot hole—the Shadow left the scene nearly 40 years ago, presumably never to return, but he still had an active network to pull operatives and gain sensitive info from. My pet theory is that—given how his operatives address him and how some are willing to do anything ordered at the drop of a hat despite many never having met him themselves—the Shadow’s network is actually a kind of cult that stayed active during his absence. I believe that had Chaykin done the sequel ongoing series himself he would have addressed it (and I can’t remember if the creative team of that book did).

[Linnea Gelland · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just don't get it.

The artwork is kind of messy, and could well work in a run-down grimy setting, but I don't know, it's all a little too angular for my personal taste.

As Howard Chaykin himself said in an interview at the end of the series: "The Shadow himself is not very interesting to me, but the people around him are". That explains a lot. The Shadow, whoever he really is, is just a somewhat heroic vessel, too shallow to even be problematic in the way he treats his co-workers (or 'subjects', I guess he'd call them). These narcissistic tendencies could have been an interesting character flaw, but there just isn't enough of him on display to raise him even to the level of being two-dimensional.

And as for the rest of the cast... Lots and lots of them. But even though some larger stories and internal conflicts are hinted at, they all come off as walk-on's. Margo's story could have been something. She seems like the most interesting (and pissed-off) character in there. And what's with the weird sex-motive? What? What? Nah, I don't get it.

Oh, and I get that the dialogue is supposed to sound natural, but it just annoyed me how every single thing someone says is an unfinished sentence cut off by someone el--

Anyway, one thing I liked. The colouring is really nice. Well, except for how all Asian characters are yellow - can they just stop that?! Even though the colours are a bit inconsistent, that's what stands out the most about the art. So very, very '80s. That neon sparkle of pink and blue. I did like that.

[Joe Kucharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first read this back in 1986 - already a Howard Chaykin fan in my early teen years - DC Comics' modernization of The Shadow was seen as cool. This was violent. Even a little nasty.

Re-reading in the mid-2020s? Maybe none of the above.

Chaykin's script is all over the place. He spends much too precious time focusing on the deaths of Shadow operatives from the 1930s - characters that no one in the 80s (let alone the 21st century) have any idea about. The scenes erratically jump between locations and timelines that actually might work in a long-play Netflix series but makes for sloppy comicbook reading.

Chaykin also recreates or readdresses items from the Shadow's introduction that did not need exploration. Shalla-bal is introduced as a hi-tech paradise... with floating cars? The Shadow is not even Lamont Cranston? Wha?

And speaking of, you know, the titular character? He doesn't even appear in costume until after the mid-way point in the third issue. Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men? Howard Chaykin actually might not be the one to ask...

The Shadow: Blood and Judgement is a sloppy, frustrating read. I'd give it 2.5 stars but am rounding up to 3 seeing as how the art is pretty righteous and Ken Bruzenak's lettering style is superb.

[Tom Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dynamite Entertainment's trade collection allowed me to easily revisit this memorable DC mini-series from the eighties. I wasn't overly knowledgeable about The Shadow at the time, but Howard Chaykin's American Flagg! made me interested in his work. At the time, this was a bold, edgy, modern take on a classic character.

Coming back to this series almost 40 years on, the levels of violence and sexual content don't have that shock value anymore, particularly for those who follow Chaykin's work. But the story is still notable for being a solid revival of the character, reinterpreting him for a new era while still being respectful of what has come before, taking disparate elements of the character and his history and weaving them together into a coherent whole, forming the basis of this power/revenge thriller. It was a solid read back then and I'd argue it has stood the test of time.