Deadside’s blights have spread far and wide across the land of the living, infecting the Earth with a terrible darkness. Shadowman, Punk Mambo, and the all-new Abettors must seek answers in the unlikeliest of places but will even they be able to recruit enough power to stop Deadside’s hostile takeover? The fate of the entire Earth rests in their shadowy hands in Shadowman #8!

The conclusion to The Deadside War is here, and much like he has done for the entire the story thus far, writer Cullen Bunn has defied what you would typically expect from a larger event-type story that Valiant had billed this as. Where the previous issue was a lot of narration over some fantastic action sequences, this issue has some cracking sequential story telling in conjunction with everything the previous issue had (which also featured some great story telling).

Artist Pedro Andreo, with an assist by Alvardo De Miguel, and colourist Jordie Bellaire are (perhaps unsurprisingly at this point) on top form. Shadowman #8 looks absolutely gorgeous. There’s an otherwordly quality to how the pages comes at you, and I can’t quite put my finger on whether it’s the line work and layouts or Bellaire’s vibrant colours. Not for a panel did I lose sight of the sheer amount of magical power being thrown about in this issue, and yet the story is still very intimate. Clayton Cowles lettering adds another punch to the proceedings as he varies the text, style and colour of the bubbles between characters.

This volume of Shadowman has been a true example of why sometimes it’s best to let a creative team breath between arcs; the entire eight issues have been utterly captivating. I tip my hat to Bunn and his co-conspirators; this has been my favorite Shadowman story yet.

At the end of the day, the final chapter of The Deadside War did what I had hoped it would, and took everything that Bunn had been building and wraps almost all of it up brilliantly. I say almost everything, because there’s the deliberate loose ends that will be chased in the next arc – Book Of Shadows – and I’m looking forward to that even more than I was before I read this issue. For my money, Cullen Bunn’s Shadowman has earned its place as one of Valiant’s top books since the relaunch a decade ago.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Pedro Andreo Art Assist: Alvardo De Miguel
Colors: Jordie Bellaire Letters: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.7 Art: 9.9 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

The horrors of the Deadside have spilled over into the world of the living, led by the embodiment of terror leading the forces of darkness that Shadowman, Punk Mambo and the new Abettors are forced to confront. As the battle rages all over the world bringing in heroes of the Valiant Universe hoping to stop the tide, the supernatural protectors must prepare to make their stand. 

Shadowman #7 was a really fun read. Structurally, it’s a lot of internal narration over a 20 odd page fight scene. There’s always a chance when a comic is built like this that it’ll be either really good or over really quickly as you read the narration and kinda skip over the art (I’ve done it before, much to my own dismay), but Cullen Bunn and Pedro Andreo‘s story and art is worth digesting slowly.

Letterer Clayton Cowls gets a tip of the hat for where he’s placed the narration. His choices accentuate the flow of the comic and along with Jordie Bellaire‘s moody colouring add a smoothness to the proceedings. You’re never lost in the action, and the lack of dialogue actually works to add a sense of danger and overwhelming odds for our heroes – because when have you ever seen a comic character not go at least partially Spider-Man and start making some kind of commentary as the fists are flying? By eschewing that, Bunn ups the stakes considerably in a subtle way.

I’ve said it before, and at the risk of sounding like I’m noting more than a record on repeat, Shadowman is by far and wide the best thing Valiant is currently publishing, and for my money it’s also among the top echelon of comics that are on the racks at the moment.

The art in Shadowman #7 tells most of the story, and once again I found myself genuinely impressed by how dynamic Pedro Andreo’s work is. Keep your eye on this one, because he’s (hopefully) going to be huge. His layouts and line weights balance so well with how Bellaire brings life (And unlife) to the pages. There’s a lot of violence in the book, and it’s amongst this backdrop that the bursts of bright pink and hot yellow stand out so effectively during the action.

Now in the third chapter of The Deadside War, Shadowman #7 takes everything that the series has been building toward and just lays it out in one solid conflict. The narration is brilliant – short, sharp bursts of oddly poignant moments from Shadowman as he talks about the conflict and the hopelessness of it. The Deadside War was never going to be a typical comic story, and this issue reinforces just how good of a grasp Bunn has on the character. The series is utterly fantastic.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Pedro Andreo
Colors: Jordie Bellaire Letters: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.7 Art: 9.9 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

The next chapter of the critically acclaimed Shadowman series has arrived! With the epic event Deadside War poised to sweep across the Valiant Universe, Shadowman is going to need some help to take the fight to the Deadside. As the battle begins to heat up, only the new group of Abettors and the fan-favorite Punk Mambo herself can stand against the impending war alongside Shadowman. But will they be enough? 

Shadowman #6 opens right where the previous issue ends, with Shadowman trying to talk his way out of the seemingly invitable war between the Deadside and the live side. This approach to the conflict is something we’ve rarely seen (or at least something I’ve rarely seen) when it comes to comics, and so with Cullen Bunn‘s approach to the story there’s oddly more tension with the attempted diplomacy than I’d have expected.

I’ve said it before, and it’s still true, but Shadowman – written by Bunn, with art by Pedro Andreo and colors by Jordie Bellaire – is by far and wide the best thing Valiant is currently publishing, and for my money it’s also among the top echelon of comics that are being published right now.

When it comes to the art in Shadowman #6, I found myself genuinely impressed by how dynamic Pedro Andreo’s work was. He layouts and line weights are interesting, and I’m low key obsessed with how Shadowman’s face has taken on more of an unnatural skull-like visage with the overly pronounced cheekbones, which gives the hero more of an otherworldly sense about him. Compounding on this otherworldly sense, though, is Jordie Bellaire’s colouring. She elevates already compelling artwork to the next level with a mostly low key colour palette of muted greys, and murky shadows infusing the other backgrounds. It’s amongst this backdrop that the bursts of colour stand out so effectively.

The second part of The Deadside War reinforces the stakes that Shadowman is facing, and reintroduces a couple of familiar faces that readers will recognize from earlier volumes of Shadowman published since Valiant’s relaunch in 2012 (that it was ten years ago is slightly blowing my mind, I won’t lie). Bunn pulls on threads that make the comic feel much more connected to the Valiant universe than we’ve seen in awhile as more than a few of the miniseries released could have existed in their own world. That Shadowman is bucking this trend with a story that, we’re told, will have huge implications for the publisher’s comics as a whole whilst still being a fantastic read for anybody who picks the comics up has me feeling really excited for what comes next.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Pedro Andreo
Colors: Jordie Bellaire Letters: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.7 Art: 9.9 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

I first read this book around Halloween last year which was probably the first treat I’ve received around that date in…. oh far longer than I care to think about. Although if I’m honest I only went trick or treating the once when I was around 14 because it wasn’t a thing that we did in my home town (which was in England, where Halloween wasn’t celebrated the same way as it is in the US and Canada twenty odd years ago – it may still not be as big a deal, but I haven’t lived there in fifteen years so I don’t honestly know). Regardless, when I read the early version of Valiant’s Shadowman #5, I was pretty damn excited.

Shadowman #5 kicks off the Deadside War, something we’ve seen writer and horror extraordinaire Cullen Bunn build toward over the previous four issues of Shadowman. What I found interesting, and kinda cool, was how Bunn used the dialogue between Alyssa and Jack to gently remind readers of the events in previous issues as it has been some time between the fourth and fifth issues (at least three months given that I read a rough version of this back in October and forgot to review it).

Of course, being an early version, the colouring work of Jordie Bellaire hadn’t been applied to the pages, so I didn’t get to see the finished product until this week. It was a long wait, I won’t lie, but it was well worth it.

The comic, written by Bunn, with art by Pedro Andreo and colors by Jordie Bellaire, is by far and wide the best thing Valiant has published in a while, but it’s also among the very best of comics that are coming out right now. For my money (and despite getting review copies, I’m still buying this) Shadowman tops everything being published right now. It’s hard for me to overstate how much I love this book, and even harder to stay away from too much hyperbolic wording, but flipping through this book will give you an idea. Andreo’s art in this comic is breathtaking, and while no small part of that is because of Bellaire, Andreo gives the colourist a great base to build from as she plays with layers of subtle colouring and shades to pull your eyes across the page.

I’m also super happy that Cullen Bunn is back; his approach with Shadowman’s character has been remarkably enjoyable. Despite this being a fifth issue, you’re still able to pick it up and enjoy the story even with only minor knowledge as to who the character is because of how Bunn frames the story within the comic. There’s a little bit of politicking involved, a bit of action, and a good chunk of intrigue. More than anything, however, is the sense that there’s a little more than we see going on. It’s almost uneasy, and it works to keep you paying attention.

If you’ve never read a Shadowman comic, then this is a better place than most to start what has been one of Valiant’s better series in recent years. Shadowman #5 is simply amazing in every way. There’s not much else to be said.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Pedro Andreo
Colors: Jordie Bellaire Letters: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.7 Art: 10 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics