As roving gangs ravage the landscape of post-Civil War America, there’s little hope and even fewer chances of escape for those caught in their clutches…except in the shadows! Enter: Marius Boniface – first bearer of the Shadowman loa and Jack Boniface’s own great-great-great grandfather! But as the sun sets, the Shadowman’s coming will lead to more than just a rebellion… Unstuck in time, Jack is about to come face-to-face with the first to bear his curse, and will finally learn the truth about the Shadowman legacy’s connection to his family’s doomed bloodline!

The existential trip down memory lane continues as Jack Boniface rides his soul train back to 1875 and the first man to host the shadow loa, civil war veteran Marius Boniface. Shadowman #5 focuses almost exclusively on Marius’ story with only the odd hint of Jack in the narration boxes. It’s this focus on another chapter in the history of the Boniface family that allows those unfamiliar with the series the opportunity to just pick up and dive right in with what promises to be a character you’ll want to see a lot more of.

It’s a shame that for all intents and purposes that this is only a one shot story, because if you’re like me, then you’re going to want to learn more about Marius. But alas, according to the previews for Shadowman #6, that’s not the case.

That being said, what we do get is fantastic; a post Civil War era story set in the American West with a character that could easily live in your nightmares. Andy Diggle weaves a wonderful script that Doug Braithwaite illustrates masterfully. The only niggle with the art work comes with Jose Villarrubria‘s colours that occasionally seem to wash out the art – now one could argue that’s a depiction of the bright sun in the specific scenes, and I could be convinced of that. But ultimately… it still bothered me enough to take me out of an otherwise fantastic comic.

Story: Andy Diggle Art: Doug Braithwaite
Colours: Jose Villarrubria Letters: Simon Bowland
Story: 8.8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review