The Shadow Planet

by Giovanni Barbieri, Gianluca Pagliarani (Cover Art)

The crew of the rocket Vidar lands on a barren planet to rescue a lost patrol, but what they find can destroy mankind. The Shadow Planet is a unique take on retrofuturism, a story of Lovecraftian horror in space, featuring the awesome art of renowned Italian artist Gianluca Pagliarani.

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction, Horror, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics

Kindle Edition

Published September 24, 2025

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prendete "Il Pianeta Proibito", "La Cosa", "Aliens", "Screamers" e "Punto di Non Ritorno".



Aggiungete "Dead Space" e tanto "Sex, drug and Rock'n'Roll".



Mescolate con abbondanti dosi di H. P. Lovecraft.



Agitate prima della lettura e vi sarete fatti un'idea di cosa tratta questo bel fumetto, un sentito omaggio al cinema "Fanta-Horror" ed ai vecchi cari Sci-Fi B-Movies a base di scafandri, mostri e pupe.



Aspetto trepidante un seguito ed il film ispirato al fumetto che pare essere in produzione.

[Sohan Surag · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Shadow Planet was conceived as the comic book version of a B movie never made” says the author and it’s every bit as true. Gorgeous artwork from Gianluca Pagliarani with a sci-fi body horror story from Giovanni Barbieri. Loved it.

[Alex Sarll]

It's not their main focus, but every so often, Image publish English versions of Euro comics, and sometimes you get gems, but sometimes you get The Shadow Planet. Even if I'd not seen the credits, one of the tells would be the frequent speech balloons in which a character looks as if they're saying the words "Ha ha ha!"; you can probably also factor in the way that the crew of this space exploration mission are as appallingly incompetent as the nitwits in Prometheus, but significantly hornier with it. As for the plot they stumble through...well, the blurb promises "a unique take on retrofuturism, a story of Lovecraftian horror in space", which is to say, the rocket and the robot look a bit pulpy, and there's a planet with something ancient and horrible down a hole. In other words, a story which, even if the only science fiction you know is 21st century Doctor Who, you've already seen at least twice (and I'm not counting the audio story called Shadow Planet). But the retro vibe is followed through more convincingly in the bonus material than the comic proper, and I found it needlessly irritating that the crew of the previous, presumed lost ship the protagonists find were called Reed, Susan, Johnny, Ben, and... Rachel? Still, at least it doesn't outstay what welcome it gets, barely scraping a hundred pages. Plus, the visuals of the spooky planet are pretty good, and there's some strong sound effects work, especially when a hideous beastie is getting zapped: FLARG BWOSH BLORT

(Edelweiss ARC)

[The Void Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Shadow Planet by Giovanni Barbieri, Gianluca Pagliarani (illustrator), Alan D’Amico (colorist)

Outstanding B-movie vibes, elevated by razor-sharp writing and jaw-dropping visuals.

Overview:
The crew of the rocket Vidar touches down on a desolate world to locate a missing patrol—but what they uncover threatens all of humanity. A pulpy, retrofuturist descent into cosmic horror, The Shadow Planet blends Cold War-era sci-fi aesthetics with Lovecraftian dread.

Highlights:
Pagliarani’s intricate linework channels vintage pulp covers and EC Comics energy, while D’Amico’s colors saturate the panels with eerie atmosphere. Barbieri’s script leans into genre tropes with affection and precision, delivering tension, paranoia, and a satisfying dose of existential terror.

Verdict:
A love letter to atomic-age paranoia and space horror, perfect for fans of The Thing, Forbidden Planet, and classic Heavy Metal. Stylish, spooky, and smart.

Happy reading 🚀🪐📚

[Luca Di natale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel tutta italiana, con ottimi spunti narrativi e una discreta trama che, in alcuni punti, mantiene bene la suspense nel lettore. Sicuramente non un capolavoro del genere, ma una lettura e' consigliata.

[Nathanael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure this even deserved two stars, but the art was fairly good and it doesn't seem fair to not acknowledge that. The story is terrible though. Awful dialogue, the characters are all either stupid, assholes, or both and the attempt at a twist ending made no sense at all.

[Dustin Domingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, funny, and entertaining. I surprisingly liked the characters. The book was well-paced even with a short page count. Creature and world designs were fascinating to look at. I could see this translating well as a movie.

[Luigi Simonetti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scorre facilmente, e intrattiene, ma non ha originalità né elementi distintivi, solo citazioni al genere.

[Mhorg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable without much originality. The art is nice.