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Shadowman (2012) (Collected Editions) #2
Shadowman, Volume 2: Darque Reckoning
The coming of Master Darque is upon us!
Jack Boniface has just been to Hell and back. After surviving the horrors of the Deadside, Jack is taking his new abilities to the limit and discovering more about the legacy of the Shadowman with each passing night. But, what if he wasn't the only thing that managed to escape back to Earth? Something dark has arrived in New Orleans, leaving death and madness in its black wake. What's more, the city's deadliest cartel assassin is after Jack, and he refuses to die - literally!
Collecting: Shadowman 5-9
Jack Boniface has just been to Hell and back. After surviving the horrors of the Deadside, Jack is taking his new abilities to the limit and discovering more about the legacy of the Shadowman with each passing night. But, what if he wasn't the only thing that managed to escape back to Earth? Something dark has arrived in New Orleans, leaving death and madness in its black wake. What's more, the city's deadliest cartel assassin is after Jack, and he refuses to die - literally!
Collecting: Shadowman 5-9
128 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2013
22 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Justin Jordan
530 books98 followersJustin Jordan is an American comic book writer. He is known for writing and co-creating The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, Spread, Dead Body Road, Deep State, Dark Gods and Savage Things. He has also written Green Lantern: New Guardians, Superboy, Deathstroke and Team 7 for DC Comics and the relaunch of Shadowman for Valiant Entertainment.
In 2012, he was nominated for the Harvey Award for Most Promising New Talent.
In 2012, he was nominated for the Harvey Award for Most Promising New Talent.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 10, 2020
Decent story.
Nothing really amazing here, but it was interesting enough that I decided to go ahead and download the last 2 volumes.
Master Darque is the main baddie with Mr. Twist a close second, and then some villains in suits and ties who look to be some sort of corporation of EVIL. <--not sure what they are but I guess they work for Darque.
I like magic stuff and tend to cut even the most dull stories a lot of slack, but you aren't actively seeking out comics with a paranormal twist? This may not be your jam.
Nothing really amazing here, but it was interesting enough that I decided to go ahead and download the last 2 volumes.
Master Darque is the main baddie with Mr. Twist a close second, and then some villains in suits and ties who look to be some sort of corporation of EVIL. <--not sure what they are but I guess they work for Darque.
I like magic stuff and tend to cut even the most dull stories a lot of slack, but you aren't actively seeking out comics with a paranormal twist? This may not be your jam.
March 11, 2017
Deadman cosplayer Master Darque wants to (sigh) take over the world – Shadowman to the rescue! …
Shadowman, Volume 2: Darque Reckoning loses the momentum set by the really good first book, instead delivering a vague and uninteresting story.
It doesn’t help that Shadowman himself is a pretty boring main character. He’s interesting visually but Jack Boniface doesn’t have much of a personality and what little he learns about his character’s legacy in this book ain’t gripping. Darque comes across as vastly more interesting though he’s reduced to playing the clichéd cackling evil sorcerer here, while Baron Samedi is equally compelling, particularly as he’s an anti-hero than a straight villain, but he’s also given a limited role. Doctor Mirage has a pointless cameo but Jaunty, a Mike Mignola-esque talking monkey demon from the Deadside, is a cool character.
The story is sketchy and unengaging. Darque wants to come to Earth for undefined reasons; Baron Samedi is being used by Darque but he knows he’s being used and he wants to help Shadowman defeat Darque; Darque’s building a big soul tower that’s meant to do something… err…
It’d have also been better if Shadowman/Darque’s powers and the Deadside had been explained. As it is, two magical characters fight and I never knew whether it was close or uneven, what their weaknesses were, why Shadowman can pass between Earth and the Deadside and Darque can’t. That’s the problem with magic stories: because magic is rarely quantified or defined it always comes off as contrived, there to suit whatever the plot demands. The ending is rushed and abrupt too.
I really enjoyed Roberto de la Torre’s Deadside artwork – it’s scratchy but immediately eye-catching, dramatic and appropriately gothic. Jaunty and Darque look very unsettling and I loved Samedi’s imposing Manse Ghede home. Patrick Zircher and a roster of artists including Lee Garbett also draw some decent pages that unfortunately pale in comparison to de la Torre’s.
If you liked the first Shadowman, don’t get your hopes up with its sequel – Darque Reckoning is a tiresome, uninspired follow-up. Shame because this title has some great characters like Darque and Samedi – hopefully we’ll one day get an awesome Shadowman series from Valiant.
Shadowman, Volume 2: Darque Reckoning loses the momentum set by the really good first book, instead delivering a vague and uninteresting story.
It doesn’t help that Shadowman himself is a pretty boring main character. He’s interesting visually but Jack Boniface doesn’t have much of a personality and what little he learns about his character’s legacy in this book ain’t gripping. Darque comes across as vastly more interesting though he’s reduced to playing the clichéd cackling evil sorcerer here, while Baron Samedi is equally compelling, particularly as he’s an anti-hero than a straight villain, but he’s also given a limited role. Doctor Mirage has a pointless cameo but Jaunty, a Mike Mignola-esque talking monkey demon from the Deadside, is a cool character.
The story is sketchy and unengaging. Darque wants to come to Earth for undefined reasons; Baron Samedi is being used by Darque but he knows he’s being used and he wants to help Shadowman defeat Darque; Darque’s building a big soul tower that’s meant to do something… err…
It’d have also been better if Shadowman/Darque’s powers and the Deadside had been explained. As it is, two magical characters fight and I never knew whether it was close or uneven, what their weaknesses were, why Shadowman can pass between Earth and the Deadside and Darque can’t. That’s the problem with magic stories: because magic is rarely quantified or defined it always comes off as contrived, there to suit whatever the plot demands. The ending is rushed and abrupt too.
I really enjoyed Roberto de la Torre’s Deadside artwork – it’s scratchy but immediately eye-catching, dramatic and appropriately gothic. Jaunty and Darque look very unsettling and I loved Samedi’s imposing Manse Ghede home. Patrick Zircher and a roster of artists including Lee Garbett also draw some decent pages that unfortunately pale in comparison to de la Torre’s.
If you liked the first Shadowman, don’t get your hopes up with its sequel – Darque Reckoning is a tiresome, uninspired follow-up. Shame because this title has some great characters like Darque and Samedi – hopefully we’ll one day get an awesome Shadowman series from Valiant.
September 17, 2022
Master Darque has taken over the Deadside and is trying to bring down the barrier between our dimensions. I would have loved to see the rules of magic further defined. However the writer keeps the rules nebulous so that magic can do whatever he wants it to. It's my problem with magic based comics in general.
May 31, 2017
Jordan writes the shit out of this character. Loving it.
September 2, 2020
To see my interview with the writer, Justin Jordan, go here: https://youtu.be/kZfmHL7CsKU
This is like the movie Insidious combined with Spawn combined with Doctor Strange combined with some other crazy shit.
It’s fucking dope, and the art is top notch.
So much action and demonic evil awesomeness. Darque is a terrifying villain, Samedi is cool af, and there are so many badass scenes. Like zombies? We got zombies. Guns, scythes, one liners, suspense... it’s just so much cool packed into such a short volume. I absolutely must keep reading this run. It’s just a blast.
Hell yeah!!! 🤘🏼💀🤘🏼
This is like the movie Insidious combined with Spawn combined with Doctor Strange combined with some other crazy shit.
It’s fucking dope, and the art is top notch.
So much action and demonic evil awesomeness. Darque is a terrifying villain, Samedi is cool af, and there are so many badass scenes. Like zombies? We got zombies. Guns, scythes, one liners, suspense... it’s just so much cool packed into such a short volume. I absolutely must keep reading this run. It’s just a blast.
Hell yeah!!! 🤘🏼💀🤘🏼
April 21, 2013
Continues to be the best of the new line from Valiant.
January 7, 2025
(2.5 stars rounded up)
This series is quickly going down hill for me. I enjoy the art style in this volume, I think it compliments the vibe of the series really well. However, I have some issues with the story and the way the trade is laid out. I am tired of stories that introduce a woman love interest solely to have her die and motivate the main character. It is lazy and dull. It is especially so here given that another death follows shortly after that makes more sense and provides for a much stronger motivation. I think the pacing of the writing suffers too. There is certainly some cool imagery and ideas, but it cannot cover the flaws. On top of that, the layout of this trade, as I have mentioned in a previous Valiant review, is atrocious. The backend content of each issue needs to stop being put in the middle of the volume. The preview content makes no sense. Not to mention that in the middle of this, one of the issues says continued in Shadowman #0 and then contains a full page advertising the same. The problem? Issue 0 is contained in the next trade and not this one. The trade editors need a good slap. It is just such a glaring mishandling of the content.
This series is quickly going down hill for me. I enjoy the art style in this volume, I think it compliments the vibe of the series really well. However, I have some issues with the story and the way the trade is laid out. I am tired of stories that introduce a woman love interest solely to have her die and motivate the main character. It is lazy and dull. It is especially so here given that another death follows shortly after that makes more sense and provides for a much stronger motivation. I think the pacing of the writing suffers too. There is certainly some cool imagery and ideas, but it cannot cover the flaws. On top of that, the layout of this trade, as I have mentioned in a previous Valiant review, is atrocious. The backend content of each issue needs to stop being put in the middle of the volume. The preview content makes no sense. Not to mention that in the middle of this, one of the issues says continued in Shadowman #0 and then contains a full page advertising the same. The problem? Issue 0 is contained in the next trade and not this one. The trade editors need a good slap. It is just such a glaring mishandling of the content.
December 29, 2016
Shadowman's first big story arc concludes in the five issues collected here as Jack tries to deal with Master Darque, now trapped in the Deadside and literally one dimension away from ruling the planet. As he warps the Deadside to his own whim, Jack has to deal with Baron Samedi, the voodoo lord of the dead who possesses a serial killer and decides to murder his way across New Orleans too.
There's so much that works well in this volume; the stakes are high, there are a lot of moving parts, and it all feels very dramatic. It almost feels like an event comic, which is what a lot of bigger storylines used to feel like all the time before event comics became a thing, and it's nice to be able to get these executed better and more often rather than blown out of proportion. This was meant to be a Shadowman review, not a Marvel rant. Whoops.
What drags this volume down is the artwork, which I think is the first Valiant book I have to complain about the artwork with. There are a lot of artists on this volume, and I mean a lot. Each issue has at least three artists, and none of them seem to fit each other's tone. There's always one straight forward artist like Neil Edwards, paired with more scratchy artists like Roberto De La Torre, and despite trying to make it work by having the scratchy artists on the Deadside storyline, but it's so visually inconsistent that it really got on my nerves by the time I got to the third or fourth issue of the five.
There's so much that works well in this volume; the stakes are high, there are a lot of moving parts, and it all feels very dramatic. It almost feels like an event comic, which is what a lot of bigger storylines used to feel like all the time before event comics became a thing, and it's nice to be able to get these executed better and more often rather than blown out of proportion. This was meant to be a Shadowman review, not a Marvel rant. Whoops.
What drags this volume down is the artwork, which I think is the first Valiant book I have to complain about the artwork with. There are a lot of artists on this volume, and I mean a lot. Each issue has at least three artists, and none of them seem to fit each other's tone. There's always one straight forward artist like Neil Edwards, paired with more scratchy artists like Roberto De La Torre, and despite trying to make it work by having the scratchy artists on the Deadside storyline, but it's so visually inconsistent that it really got on my nerves by the time I got to the third or fourth issue of the five.
June 9, 2018
This was not as good as the previous volume. Jack Boniface (Shadowman) comes across as a whiny twit and when he eventually comes back around it feels abrupt and unearned.
I didn’t like the fact they fridged the waitress, either. This book came out within the last 5 years, so there’s no excuse to use that lazy and insulting trope in the second decade of the 21st century. Surely there is another way to motivate your hero than killing the girlfriend.
Having the various characters playing each other and knowing they’re playing each other is a solid idea in theory but it doesn’t play out as well in this execution. After a while it becomes rather like those silly “I know you know” exchanges from sitcoms:
“I know you know.”
“I know you know I know.”
“I know you know I know you know”
“I know you know I know you know, you know?”
“No, I don’t think I do!”
[laugh track]
The better version of this is Constantine playing the heroes off one another in Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Three. In that one, even though Constantine actually tells Batman from the get-go he’s not down with the cause, it still comes as a delight when he screws everyone over. Here this same idea just sort of sits there while Shadowman does the usual superhero thing.
It doesn’t help that the artwork is all over the place on this one, with a seemingly endless parade of artists through each issue, with somewhat incoherent and definitely inconsistent results.
All in all it’s not terrible, it’s just ordinary, and not living up to the promise of the first volume.
I didn’t like the fact they fridged the waitress, either. This book came out within the last 5 years, so there’s no excuse to use that lazy and insulting trope in the second decade of the 21st century. Surely there is another way to motivate your hero than killing the girlfriend.
Having the various characters playing each other and knowing they’re playing each other is a solid idea in theory but it doesn’t play out as well in this execution. After a while it becomes rather like those silly “I know you know” exchanges from sitcoms:
“I know you know.”
“I know you know I know.”
“I know you know I know you know”
“I know you know I know you know, you know?”
“No, I don’t think I do!”
[laugh track]
The better version of this is Constantine playing the heroes off one another in Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Three. In that one, even though Constantine actually tells Batman from the get-go he’s not down with the cause, it still comes as a delight when he screws everyone over. Here this same idea just sort of sits there while Shadowman does the usual superhero thing.
It doesn’t help that the artwork is all over the place on this one, with a seemingly endless parade of artists through each issue, with somewhat incoherent and definitely inconsistent results.
All in all it’s not terrible, it’s just ordinary, and not living up to the promise of the first volume.
September 11, 2017
Great artwork! Great story!
Ending is similar to Ghost.
Except for Jack Boniface, who looks more Latino in this volume . . .
Ending is similar to Ghost.
Except for Jack Boniface, who looks more Latino in this volume . . .
January 11, 2023
I never really liked this and it never got anywhere above being just okay. Shadowman is disappointing.
January 29, 2018
Sometimes it's nice to read a comic book where the main character struggles. Jack has a lot getting thrown at him and it's easy to write him off because he has a hard time dealing with it. I felt there was a decent amount of growth for the character considering he just recently learned about these powers that he has and the seemingly involved history that comes with them. One of the things that struck me about this book is how Jack tries to go back to living a normal life and the consequences that come from it.
This book, more than anything else, is a way to flesh out a niche corner of the Valiant universe. This title is focused on magic and the supernatural. I thought it made perfect sense to bring in Dr. Mirage to show that there is more out there than just Shadowman and Master Darque. The Deadside provides a cool backdrop to these mystical elements and every time I see it I want more.
The art is good for the most part. I recall some panels where the perspective seemed odd. But that mostly happened early on and there are some cool images near the end of the book that make up for it.
This book, more than anything else, is a way to flesh out a niche corner of the Valiant universe. This title is focused on magic and the supernatural. I thought it made perfect sense to bring in Dr. Mirage to show that there is more out there than just Shadowman and Master Darque. The Deadside provides a cool backdrop to these mystical elements and every time I see it I want more.
The art is good for the most part. I recall some panels where the perspective seemed odd. But that mostly happened early on and there are some cool images near the end of the book that make up for it.
April 10, 2017
Aight...zzz...Papa Midnite.
World: The art is okay, it was a bit too scratchy in parts but overall it was good. The world building was a bit choppy (like the story) and cliché. Yes we've read this book before and this world before, so yeah...
Story: In currently reading Seeley's 'Revival' and what he's done is taken a premise and world what has been done so many times and with great writing and characters created something special. Here, it's just familiar. Yes Papa Midnite is in the book and yes evil sorcerer wants to take over the world, zzz. This arc just furthers that story and it's just aight. It's been done better elsewhere.
Characters: Still moving super fast so the emotions and depth that readers want from the book is missing. This seems to be a Valiant Universe thing as I've read quite a bit and I'm finding this issue throughout. We need quiet character development issues to make us care. 4 issues arcs are not leaving a lot of time for that. Everyone is paper thin.
Aight.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is okay, it was a bit too scratchy in parts but overall it was good. The world building was a bit choppy (like the story) and cliché. Yes we've read this book before and this world before, so yeah...
Story: In currently reading Seeley's 'Revival' and what he's done is taken a premise and world what has been done so many times and with great writing and characters created something special. Here, it's just familiar. Yes Papa Midnite is in the book and yes evil sorcerer wants to take over the world, zzz. This arc just furthers that story and it's just aight. It's been done better elsewhere.
Characters: Still moving super fast so the emotions and depth that readers want from the book is missing. This seems to be a Valiant Universe thing as I've read quite a bit and I'm finding this issue throughout. We need quiet character development issues to make us care. 4 issues arcs are not leaving a lot of time for that. Everyone is paper thin.
Aight.
Onward to the next book!
November 25, 2014
This was pretty good. It really all comes together when we are introduced to Mister Darque's backstory in the next trade. The Baron Samedi aspect of the story is both welcome and unsuspecting. Adding Samedi and Doctor Mirage is important to the ongoing success of this book, because the character of Shadowman is pretty flat. He isn't as much an interesting hero, as he is an eyepiece into this horrific supernatural world.
December 24, 2016
So the Big baddie Lord Darque finally meets the Shadowman , they have a very confusing battle , in a very confusing land of the dead , with a british talking monkey , useless secondary character , no details about the strengths of both the Hero and the Villain ... Basically this sucked big time , only redeeming factor is the art , The Art is simply stunning . Unsure whether I should continue with this series or not .
June 23, 2018
Shadowman battles Master Darque in Deadside, and Baron Samedi is along for the ride. I really like this series. Actually, I've liked all of the new Valiant material I've read.
This series manages to be truly creepy with moody art and an authentic "weird" vibe. I still feel like the series has only scratched the surface of it's potential so I'm curious to see where things go from here.
This series manages to be truly creepy with moody art and an authentic "weird" vibe. I still feel like the series has only scratched the surface of it's potential so I'm curious to see where things go from here.
December 31, 2016
Of all the Valiant titles, specifically those in Act 1. Shadowman seems to be the least recommended or talked about but It's continued to be one of my favorite from the Valiant relaunch.
February 14, 2017
I read the first volume of this quite a long time ago, and it wasn't that easy to jump back in. The story was OK--but the art was really good. Especially in the Deadside.
September 17, 2019
another great volume.
Darque goes to deadside and make a deal with samde lord of the dead to Go against Shadowman.
the art was amazing for this story
Darque goes to deadside and make a deal with samde lord of the dead to Go against Shadowman.
the art was amazing for this story
January 18, 2021
This series reads like the outline to a better story. The pieces are there, but the dialog is flat, you have to really squint to even make out the second dimension of the characters, and the writer seems to be figuring out the story as he tells it.
There is no rhyme or reason given to anything in this series. A dull guy in a cool costume, who is sort of an orphan, becomes magic, instantly knows how to use his power, loses a possible mentor almost right out of the gate, and battles a bunch of supposedly frightening bad guys, none of whom seem to have a plan or even really a motivation.
It's difficult to notice the art because the story keeps putting me to sleep.
If I had to compare it to a series, I'd have to say it's like Spawn, in that it's a frustatingly bad comic with a near-intriguing premise, and character design that's much better thought out on the visual spectrum than in the personality/backstory spectrum.
Many of the other Valiant series I read when they relaunched, made me want to go back and see what their 90s predecessors were like. Not this one. The mediocre Ennis/Wood/Jenkins runs were disappointing enough. I get the feeling that, while Shadowman could be a fun part of a team book, not enough thought has gone into the character to warrant his own series.
There is no rhyme or reason given to anything in this series. A dull guy in a cool costume, who is sort of an orphan, becomes magic, instantly knows how to use his power, loses a possible mentor almost right out of the gate, and battles a bunch of supposedly frightening bad guys, none of whom seem to have a plan or even really a motivation.
It's difficult to notice the art because the story keeps putting me to sleep.
If I had to compare it to a series, I'd have to say it's like Spawn, in that it's a frustatingly bad comic with a near-intriguing premise, and character design that's much better thought out on the visual spectrum than in the personality/backstory spectrum.
Many of the other Valiant series I read when they relaunched, made me want to go back and see what their 90s predecessors were like. Not this one. The mediocre Ennis/Wood/Jenkins runs were disappointing enough. I get the feeling that, while Shadowman could be a fun part of a team book, not enough thought has gone into the character to warrant his own series.
September 24, 2017
Volume One was a 3 and this is a 4. And a solid 4, at that.
Why? Character development and world building. I didn't care much for the seemingly pointless cameo from Dr. Mirage (I hope that was her name), but based on the adds in the back on the volume she had a book out and probably wanted some cross-exposure. Other than that, everyone got to grow a little bit. Not a lot. Just enough. And this series isn't saturated with meaningless characters. There isn't a roster of 10 sitting around waiting to look cool in an action scene.
The plot is tight and neat. The art is unique and fits the motif.
I'm not sure I like Shadowman more than Bloodshot yet, but there are a couple more volumes in this run. Let's find out.
Why? Character development and world building. I didn't care much for the seemingly pointless cameo from Dr. Mirage (I hope that was her name), but based on the adds in the back on the volume she had a book out and probably wanted some cross-exposure. Other than that, everyone got to grow a little bit. Not a lot. Just enough. And this series isn't saturated with meaningless characters. There isn't a roster of 10 sitting around waiting to look cool in an action scene.
The plot is tight and neat. The art is unique and fits the motif.
I'm not sure I like Shadowman more than Bloodshot yet, but there are a couple more volumes in this run. Let's find out.
December 8, 2023
This is the only Shadowman comic in my whole library system, so I had to jump in the deep end and try to learn my way around fast.
...dang, that's dark. I don't know if this is normal for Valiant comics, but this story leaned so hard into the horror I felt genuine disgust. I like these characters and felt for the struggles. And while the mentor character dying is a hero's journey trope, I can't remember ever seeing the hero have to kill the mentor. That was intense. The art was gorgeous. I am seriously considering breaking my personal rule and buying the rest of the series sight unseen. I like this Jack Boniface guy. I want to see what he does next.
...dang, that's dark. I don't know if this is normal for Valiant comics, but this story leaned so hard into the horror I felt genuine disgust. I like these characters and felt for the struggles. And while the mentor character dying is a hero's journey trope, I can't remember ever seeing the hero have to kill the mentor. That was intense. The art was gorgeous. I am seriously considering breaking my personal rule and buying the rest of the series sight unseen. I like this Jack Boniface guy. I want to see what he does next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2017
The extra stars are for Jack and Doctor Mirage, but honestly, this volume was pretty dull. Jack/Shadowman seems to be figuring his role as a hero of sorts, but gets thrown around with questionable characters. Dox and Alyssa were pretty frustrating this time around and seem to make impulsive decisions while proceeding to blame others. However, perhaps with its conclusiom, Alyssa can actually step up her game and... I don't know, actually do something besides criticizing Jack. I would definitely like to Doctor Mirage come back in this series!
October 2, 2017
Shadowman is my least favorite of the Valiant books because I'm not into the whole messing with God's domain" kind of story, especially when the villain is overcome without the explicit help of God Himself. Not that I would like to see what the creators would do with any attempt at writing God in as a character.
May 8, 2017
I generally like Valiant books, but I was a little confused about the ending of this one. A lot of stuff seemed to happen at once without much of an explanation.
February 11, 2018
The first volume in this series didn't really grab me and the second one even less so. Not necessarily bad but just not really my thing.
February 20, 2020
My new favorite character
Volume 2 didn’t disappoint. Shadowman may just be my favorite hero from Valiant now. I implore every comic book fan to check him out
Volume 2 didn’t disappoint. Shadowman may just be my favorite hero from Valiant now. I implore every comic book fan to check him out
May 5, 2022
It was okay. Doesn't seem to be a lot of rules when it comes to the supernatural part of the Valiant universe. $hit just kinda happens.
May 11, 2023
Another great Shadowman book. What's not to like?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews