Shadowman, Volume 3: Deadside Blues

Shadowman (2012) (Collected Editions) #3

by Justin Jordan (Writer), Aleš Kot (Writer), Christopher Sebela (Writer)

The secret origin of all Shadowmen, past and present...

Long ago, in the antebellum South, Master Darque's evil spawned the one thing that could stop him: the Shadowman. Now, for the very first time, discover how the dark roots of the Darques' depravity has intertwined with Shadowman for more than a century and the betrayal that forged them both in this collection of acclaimed tales from some of comics brightest talents.

Collecting SHADOWMAN #0 and SHADOWMAN #10-12, join Harvey Award-nominated writer Justin Jordan and an all-star cast of visionary creators -including Duffy Boudreau (BlackAcre) Ales Kot (Suicide Squad), Christopher Sebela (Captain Marvel), Miguel Sepulveda (Red Lanterns), Mico Suayan (The Punisher), Jim Zub (Skullkickers) and more - for an unadulterated look inside the secret world of New Orleans' nocturnal guardian.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Superheroes, Comic Book

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Justin 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.

Reviews

[The Lion's Share · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great series. Shame Jordan left this character.

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting origin about Shadowman, a family living in the wilderness knows magic! GREAT START!

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shadowman volume 3 is an absolute mess. The artwork is so inconsistent. Issue 0 looks excellent, but follow it up with some of the blandest artwork in the next issues. Collected together like this, it sticks out so much. At this point, the story is growing old. Again, issue 0 is pretty good, but the rest really suffers. The last issue of this trade contains three separate smaller stories. It feels like the creative team got behind and they just filled the book with garbage. The stories are boring and it doesn't look all that great either. I have mostly ignored it in the first two volumes, but this series also rubs me the wrong way with its overall framework. It is definitely commonplace in entertainment, but the appropriation of voodoo and that entire culture around it is pretty icky. Maybe with the right author it could be done in a way that feels good, but I am not getting that vibe here. I am just kind of over it all.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Transitory is a good word for this third volume of Shadowman. With writer Justin Jordan on the way out, this volume tidies up the end of his run and then has a few placeholder issues before the new creative team takes over for the fourth volume.

We open with issue 0 and issue 10, which are essentially a two-part story telling the origins of Master Darque and his sister, as well as (eventually) where the Shadowman came from in the first place. It's a good end-cap to Jordan's run, giving us some background on a villain who has been fairly one-note up until now.

Then issues 11-12 are essentially filler stories. Issue 11 is set on Halloween, and brings Doctor Mirage back for a bit too. She's a character that popped up in volume 2 that I didn't expect a lot from, but I'm intrigued to get to her spin-off mini-series after this now. Issue 12 is three smaller stories about the Shadowman, none of which are particularly memorable.

Artwise, we get another mishmash of artists, which is less intrusive than last volume but still annoying. At least the two filler issues have one artist per story, at least.

This series is meandering, so I'm hoping volume 4 will be a refocus.

[Judah Radd · Rating 4 out of 5]

To see my interview with the writer, Justin Jordan, go here: https://youtu.be/kZfmHL7CsKU

Good, but a big uneven.

The first two issues are the final ones by Justin Jordan. They delve into the origins of Darque. It’s amazing. A super intriguing story paired with some exceptional art.

The last two issues are filler. #11 is a fun little adventure featuring some demons and my girl Dr Mirage. #12 is anthology style with three vignettes told by different creative teams. Not horrible, but not particularly good.

Not a huge deal. This is a transitional book. The series just finished a major arc, and a new creative team is about to take over. I’m still very much invested and ready to see where this kickass series goes from here.

[Trike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of unconnected stories by various writers and artists. Some are good, some less so. I’m guessing the regular story is finished? I don’t know, but this was fine. I really like the artwork by CAFU, whoever that is.

[Des Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume three of Shadowman is a real grab-bag. Justin Jordan leaves the book here, resulting in a messy collection of small stories instead of an honest continuation of the greater plot. The first two issues collected here are a wonderful sendoff for Jordan. They tell the origin story of Darque, his sister and ultimately the concept of the Shadowman itself. The art is captivating and moody, and the story bleeds new universal history, further establishing the unique parameters of Jack Boniface's world. Really, the first two issues deserve a five star score or something like it, but unfortunately the volume does not end there. What follows is a goofy and plain stupid Halloween story, then a handful of half-cocked plots crammed into a single issue. There was some captivating art in those last three stories, but the pages were just too crammed to get a compelling and comprehensive narrative. Volume three is a middling collection of single issues struggling to stay afloat as a new creative team is established for a monthly comic book, but the Darque origin issues almost make it worth the price by themselves.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little bummed out that Justin Jordan's tenure on this book is over. While I didn't connect with the first two volumes at all, his issue #0 in this volume finally gave me interesting characters to latch on to, a cool concept, and I was curious as to how he was going to tie it into the protagonist's story. Alas, we may never get to see Jordan's intentions here.

Instead, we get some mediocre issues that sort of spin their wheels in the Shadowman universe. They're not really connected with the previous issues, they're not set ups for what's coming. If you're going to pause a narrative so early in the run of a comic to explore other stories, you have to make them amazing, and have them flesh out a character or a setting. These issues did neither.

I am struggling to get through all these Shadowman books, and hope, despite my misgivings based on his previous work, that Peter Milligan can get this book on track.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still a 4 star.

I didn't care for the Halloween short stories that closed out the volume. So, that detracted from the overall volume for me.

That's the bad.

The good is that I absolutely loved the Zero issue this starts out with because it adds something to the mythology that made me think of everything I've read with Shadowman so far in a different way. The overall arc of the volume was also very solid. So, great start with a good body story and a kind of meh (but not bad) ending.

I will say that this Shadowman is still very different from the one I met in Rapture. I'm curious when the change will happen.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is something of a mixed bag. It doesn't follow up on the events of volume two in any specific way, but there are a couple instances where it is referenced. It's really a collection of stories surrounding Shadowman and his enemies that does a wonderful job to flesh out this corner of the Valiant universe.

First off, it opens with the origin of Shadowman's number one nemesis: Master Darque. This story is fan-freaking-tastic. It's dark (sorry) and gives an added dimension to this character. I want to read more about Darque and his sister Sandria after this one. Loved the art too. It has a quality to it that reminds me of watching really old movies, which is really fitting.

This leads into a story that explains the origin of Shadowman and how the Darques are involved. It does leave some questions, but I thought it did a great job rounding out a sort of mini-arc. Again, I enjoyed the art, although it is pretty different from the last story. The coloring really makes certain characters and images stand out.

I could see some people feeling a bit put off by the third issue. It isn't really connected to anything else in the Shadowman series up to this point. Sure, it utilizes Dr. Mirage from the second volume and gets into the supernatural more. One thing that I felt this story could have used was a better introduction to the spirits that Shadowman faces off against. Overall, it was a fun side story on what might happen in a day of the life of Jack Boniface. This probably had the weakest art in the volume. I can't say it was bad in any specific way though.

The last issue is actually three different stories that take turns exploring the character. They do a good job showing off the character of Jack, for better or for worse. We get to see a little bit of the Deadside and some of Shadowman's exploits in New Orleans. This volume as a whole builds on what was introduced in the first two books. I'd like to see a more cohesive story for the character down the road though.

[Dr Rashmit Mishra · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a load of BS!

I wanted to read Valiant comics so bad , and this one had so much hype for it and lookit , this is just abysmal .

The story of origins of all Shadowman past and present makes absolutely no sense at most times , followed by the origin of a villain whose motives remain unclear despite it being the 3rd volume and hang on , can anyone tell me what Shadowman's power actually are?

only redeeming quality of this book and this whole series so far has to be the art which remains one of the finest I've seen all year

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more a series of one shots rather than a connected story. We got to see the origin of Master Darque, as well as the origin of Shadowman in a story set during the Civil War. A Halloween themed issue saw Shadowman team up with Dr. Mirage and then we have a few one shot stories featuring Shadowman battling various evils. The art remains strong and this was another entertaining volume.

[NerdyReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an almost pointless book. It comes with issue 0 wich is Darque's origin story. The next issue is how his sister created the first Shadowman. Ok so these two are okay. Then we get four totally useless short stories that add nothing to any character/sotry arc whatsoever. One of them I could even tell what was happening because the actions from panel to panel didn't make sense.

[Tomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally the origin of Shadowman. And it is awesome ! I just admit that the rest of the book is just 2 short stories which do not do really anything but show anger growing inside of Shadowman. Which is a setup for volume 4. So no complaints there

[Reed Benson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two stories about Darque and his sister featuring the origin of Shadowman. This is fairly useful. Then it's followed by a bunch of filler. I'm already tired of Shadowman and all the voodoo; this is not the way to win me over.

[Michael D Jedlowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great. It reminded me of Lovecraft Country but how bad that show is. This story does a very similar thing but much better.

I wonder if they saw this in Shadowman? And decided to do it way worse? Man that show sucked. Proof anything Jar Jar Abrams touches turns to shite.

[A.J. Garner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was this supposed to wrap up the series or was it just loose ends? I am confused.

[Gary Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stopgap issues -- the issues dealing with Darque and Shadowman's backstories were worthwhile, the others were just spinning their wheels.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad volume. I enjoy the characters and the shadowman’s super powers, but this one seemed to have a couple ‘filler’ episodes, and the overall arc slowed because of it.

[Anchorpete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so every story in this trade was good, yet the compilation of the trade was all over the place. First, we have a two issue story setting up the origin of Mister Darque, then we have a random Shadowman story where Doctor Mirage makes a cameo. Finally, we have a set of short stories featuring characters from Shadowman's world. It was actually pretty great. There was one short story in particular that is still haunting me to this day. I am not sure what happens after Peter Milligan takes over the writing of this book, but Justin Jordan has done a really great job creating a new Mythology for Shadowman.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Masters of the Art (0, 10). Jordan's last two issues, detailing the origins of the Darques and the Shadowman are terrific: his best work on the book. #0 is particularly good with its heavy focus on horror, but the introduction of Boniface in #10 is quite interesting as well. The only problem is that the art gets really erratic in the last issue, with some of it being quite bad [8/10].

Deadside Blues (11-12). Unfortunately, these stories were a really pathetic end to the first run of the VH-1 Shadowman. They're by a variety of authors, they have no depth, and they're not important. [3/10].

[Cale · Rating 2 out of 5]

So what happens when you have your climactic showdown in Volume 2? You follow it up with an origin story and some one-offs and shorts. None of which is remarkable in any way. The origins do paint an interesting picture, showing Darque and the Shadowman as family in a long-distant past. But even that connection is hardly made. And the Halloween issue is just silly compared to the rest, and the one offs are even worse in their triviality. This volume is of a book that is trying to tread water and failing.

[Eric Novello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provavelmente por vendas inferiores ao esperado, a fase do Shadowman escrita pelo Justin Jordan acabou antes do esperado. Esse volume 3 reúne peças soltas, praticamente. O número #0 é a origem do Darque, de 10-12, temos a origem do Shadowman, um especial de Halloween, e três histórias que deviam ser roteiros descartados e que acabaram reunidas como contos. É um fim de festa da fase do Jordan, basicamente.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh hai, origin to our villain and hero's powers that would have been vaguely helpful anywhere but after the major conflict. Is this used in any way for the rest of the volume or relevant? No, because the rest is filler one-shots. I can honestly say at this point, of the five-ish Valiant series that I've read now, Shadowman is the only one that actively disappoints with its wasted potential.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume offers a collection of stories rather than a single narrative like the previous ones. The first story was spectacular. Five stars. The others were less interesting and would probably get three from me. Hence the middling four star rating for the volume as a whole.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prima di dare un giudizio vero e proprio, vorrei recuperare i due volumi usciti in precedenza.

Tre stelle sulla fiducia perché il personaggio mi intriga e la storia iniziale mi è piaciuta molto, ma le short stories raccolte in questo volume, nel complesso, non mi hanno trasmesso nulla.

[Ritinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma agradável surpresa, o incremento significativo em qualidade na passagem do Vol. 2 para este Vol. 3. Do argumento à arte, temos excelência na abertura e demência no encerramento, o que é sempre bem vindo.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The origin story of Darque and his sister, that was interesting and could have been explored more. Especially how the Shadowman was formed, which was really weird. But the Halloween one shot and the three short stories....really lackluster.

[Aaron Swensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Issue 10 and 0 were pretty decent, the rest of the issues were just dreadful.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was more interesting as we get to see more of the origin of the shadowman.