His soul cast adrift in the astral void, “DEAD AND GONE” has led Jack Boniface across the centuries in search of the origin of the Shadowman’s curse – and now it’s taking him all the way back to the beginning of mankind! Standing beside his ancestors in the kill-or-be-killed world of primordial Africa, Jack is about to awaken something ancient, hungry, inhuman…and, as darkness descends, the long-hidden face of the Shadowman loa will be known!

Interestingly enough, as Andy Diggle takes the spirit of Jack Boniface back through time and his bloodline’s relationship with the Shadowman loa, he’s been revealing as much, if not more, about the loa itself than he has about Jack. That rings even more true with this issue as we go right back to the beginning – the Stone Age and before. Finally, we will see the origin not of the Boniface bloodline, but of the Shadowman loa.

Shadowman #6 is, by it’s very nature an easy comic for new readers to pick up; this is the ultimate of all origin series, and is probably the best place for those unfamiliar with the character to jump on board that we’ve seen thus far – and yes, I am including the first issue of this series in that blanket statement. Diggle, along with artist Renato Guedes and letterer Simon Bowland have come together to produce a stunning prehistoric story that (so far at least) stands alone from the rest of the series, and the Valiant universe in general. It is full of sweeping vistas, the odd reference to later events (that you don’t need to catch) and some evocative imagery and choreography as the characters flow across the page.

Shadowman is a very rich character, with some deep history running through his veins, and now we get to see how deep.

Story: Andy Diggle Art: Renato Guedes Letter: Simon Bowland
Story: 8.7 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.9 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review