Dark, gritty and crazy can make a great story or can tear it to shreds. I know all heroes have their inner struggle, but what if you can’t control what you need too. This issue captures it very well and draws you in. Jack is fighting the force or the LOA he is now bonded with. Its driving him almost mad be he says he can control it. He has recruited help from the punk mambo, the witch from last issue. This isn’t much help because the flooding memories and the Loa is playing with him to give in. Jack wants to prove everybody wrong that he can control it. The only thing in the past that has is love. From the beginning the greatest of the Shadowman had a love that helped them control the power of the insanity it can bring. The few that didn’t have this emotion went crazy and violent. Alyssa one of the Abettors sees the past of the Shadowman and hopes she can get Jack to fall in love with her.

I’m just giving you the basics of this story because the only way to see the depth is to read it. The inner turmoil is very deep and comes across almost eerie. Which of course works for a title like Shadowman. The story captures the emotion very well and the male ego that he can do it alone. This makes Jack relatable. Alyssa is yearning to help anyway she can but you know she loves Jack with everything and wants him to become the greatest Shadowman ever. It really starts moving here compared to last issue.

What shines is the gritty dark art of the book. It’s not like any other Valiant book. What it does best is capture the mood and the spirit of the book. Everything is magical and spiritual in this book the art enhances. It’s almost like you are looking from that side of the realm instead of the world we live in.

This is a pick up and you will catch on quickly. I’m glad to see the story is starting to move somewhere it seemed to stall for a bit there.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Peter Milligan Artist: Roberto de la Torre Publisher: Valiant Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 1/8/14