Young Shadow

by Ben Sears

A young vigilante stalks the streets of Bolt City, helping the neighborhood people and going toe to toe with the bad eggs.

Includes Young Shadow vs. The Crust, and Young Shadow & The Sunken Key.

Two color risograph print.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Crime, Mystery, Adventure, Fantasy

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While out patrolling Bolt City one night, super hero Young Shadow finds a mysterious key...

The art style and the black, white, and yellow color scheme caught my eye and piqued my interest. Not long after, my wife bought it for me for some reason.

Anyway, this is a dystopian super hero story, drawn in the style that's remniscent of a children's book but with some Vaugh Bode thrown in for good measure. There's some surprisingly intricate linework in the backgrounds. It looks to me like Ben Sears used a combination of pen, ink, and charcoal for the drawings. The coloring is black, white, and various shades of yellow, giving the book a unique look.

The story is pretty standard super hero fair. Young Shadow has the MacGuffin and everyone else wants it. The characters aren't all that deep but it's a super hero book so that's par for the course. I really don't have anything bad to say about Young Shadow. I liked it but wasn't ass over tea kettle for it. I'll give Ben Sears another shot if the opportunity presents itself.

Young Shadow was a fun read for a Sunday morning. Three out of five stars.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the art, the story and characters are so so.

3.5 stars

[Mike E. Mancini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Sears first book with Fantagraphics is a YA action comic in the tradition of many superhero comic of the past. His style and storytelling are both clean and clear. These solid little action vigilante stories are common enough meaning the art is always the deciding factor. I’m interested in most anything Sears decides to draw. His work here is probably his finest yet.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Any comic book that exists, by it's very nature is phenomenal FULL STOP. Art and literature together fundamentally = amazing.

However, to apply some critique: this comic is indeed very yellow which is a bold choice in a world full of multicolour...

A nice ready for young folks who like service justice to chumps but the story is nothing wildly spectacular.
Young boy fights crime and lives for another day. The story and art didn't make me explode with any particular enthusiasm.

[Hamilton Carter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a hard time understanding what the point of the book might be. The 'young' here seems inexperienced, but gritty, maybe well-intentioned, but also ill-messaged. I suppose it's a perk that the folks he beat up turned out to actually be criminals although, to start, they merely looked homeless. For me, the story didn't go anywhere. The art is monochromatic, as you might have divined by looking at the cover. All in all, there were better ways for me to spend my time.

[Juju · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really dig the blocky and grainy art style. But our main kid here is a Grumpy Robin. Coulda used more color in the art and in the story.

[Piesito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un encantador comic dirigido a todos los públicos :)

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I missed the dude and his robot in this one but because I love Sears's art so much, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I could see myself getting attached to Young Shadow eventually. I'd love to see a team-up between him and the stars of the other books. I wish more librarians knew about this series! It fits a great niche for older elementary-aged audiences who want a little more edge to their storytelling but it's still appropriate for them. The whole series has definite appeal for middle-school and high school-aged kids as well. It's cool to see Fantagraphics put out this one--I hope they put out more of his stuff! No shade to Koyama at all! But Fantagraphics has a bit more reach as a publisher.

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed Sears’ other Double+ Adventure books and this one was no exception. Great art and a cool righteous superhero that always does the right thing and protects the city. Story isn’t the most engaging but gets the job done.

[StrictlySequential ArtNarrative · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visual: ****
Like Shaafsma said, the strength of his art surpasses his writing quality- I can even somehow "see" that he has premium passion and dedication to produce an optimum visual product. He renders an atmosphere of fun somehow, despite the settings usually being haggard, that makes me want to keep progressing through all his weird cityscapes wondering what this&that are that I notice living in the ample nooks he always seems to afford.

Narrative: ****
Ben Sears is one of the few creators who can tilt my perspective towards childlike wonder- making my sense of disbelief much more willing than usual. He writes with a lively spirit that combines so well with his engaging art! I would never have read more than two of my five "double+ adventures" [youth·in·suits crime·fighter comics] without granting him the flexible subject/genre eligibility that the greatest and my favorite creators are allowed otherwise.

A quick few who have my "Childlike Wonder Badge":
Carl Barks
Artur Laperla
Anouk Ricard
Liniers
Freres Coudray

Sure, there are more, but Sears may be one of the only non-legendary domestics since I've pushed my reading to maximum internationality.

[Ayan1909 · Rating 2 out of 5]

"It doesn’t matter which side the cops are on, I tend to be on the other. And the fewer weapons they have, the better I am."

A gang mistreating a dog, police officers employed by a gangster, a mysterious key coveted by the entire criminal underworld, Shadow, a masked vigilante who found his nights a bit too quiet now has too much work to do.

I saw this graphic novel and immediately fell in love with the art, I love the use of yellow in every page (it reminded me of the use of green in She wasn’t a guy by Sumiko Arai) but apart from the nice art I found the story itself way too basic, it’s the typical story of a hero that wants to keep his city safe from the hands of dangerous people, the characters are so unlikable and undeveloped, I didn’t get attached to any of them, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either, it’s just mid.

[Adam Rodgers · Rating 2.25 out of 5]

'Young Shadow' is the teenage crime-fighter of Bolt City. Aside to fighting the occasional street gang Shadow also cares for stray animals and helps out at his local food bank. During one of his night-time patrols he comes across a mysterious key that the local crime boss and corrupt police are intent on recovering...

The stylistic artwork is engaging, utilizing the yellow and black monochrome pallette to full effect. However, the story is a bit two dimensional. Sears has created a detailed steampunk-like location but we don't get much background information about Young Shadow, or even his civilian identity. The narrative just about works but a lot has to be crow-barred in towards the end of the book.

[Ricky Lima · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I love about this book is how wholesome it is. Young shadow is like the living embodiment of community, that's his super power! He takes care of everyone around him and they take care of him as well. Sears does a fantastic job of showing that without it being cringe. Sometimes when I read things that present idealized ways of living it can be too heavy handed and feel unreal. Like the world is too perfect, characters are too kind and understanding. But Sears gives us a character with strong values that feel natural. Also I loved all the dogs in the book! Gotta have dogs!

[Claire Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a really fun romp! The artwork is adorable and I loved the yellow color palette. The story itself was on the light side, but I didn’t really mind that because Young Shadow was a good character. I didn’t love the strong anti-police message, but I suppose within Plusworld it was warranted since every policeman we met was corrupt.

I will definitely be picking up more of these.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this based on a few drawings I’ve seen Ben post and was glad I took the risk.
Loved Ben’s art. Energetic. Precise. But still had the energy of a looser style. Panels are packed with backgrounds too.
The story is fun and feels simple but has deceptively deep world building. I’m gonna need to get more of his work.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

You may know that Batman was in part inspired by both Zorro and a 1931 creation, The Shadow, who persists to this day. Young Shadow is beautifully drawn and illustrated by Ben Sears, a kid version of a night-time crime fighter. The art is the real appeal; the story not all that engaging to this reader.

[Ulla Saar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very cool visual language and world he has created. I love it that there were so many women badasses! The fighting scenes were visually tad weak and confusing and he story could have been a bit stronger but defs gonna read more of his books!

[Bill Coffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely wasn’t expecting such a straightforward costumed superhero story out of Fantagraphics, but this was a very pleasant surprise, even if it was a little thin on the plotting. Really fun artwork and it left me wanting to read more.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'aime bien le concept et les personnages présentés de cette BD !

Un superhéro contre des flics ripoux et une volonté commune de faire le bien, le message dénoncé est vraiment chouette tout comme la part de folie.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Brian Clopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous art but the story is too slight.

[Susanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally disappointed. Forced myself to finish reading. It gets a little better but, meh!

[Raphael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Endearing characters and illustration but lacking development and narrative weight. Charming, but no desire to revisit.

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A bit hard to follow.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the art and coloring but! He story just wasn't for me.

[Jesus de Velasco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dibujo cute, temática ACAB pero historia flojita.

[hannonle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gráficamente me encanta, la historia más flojilla.

[Sergio Gomez Prados · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nivel de dibujo me encantó el estilo que tiene, la historia... meh

[Leandro Souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Alejandro Orradre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divertida y desenfadada aventuras de un chico justiciero en una ciudad futurista.

Entretenido.