Review: The Shadow of a Man
There are few movies in the stratosphere that speaks to certain times in peoples’ lives that words could not find. I remembered the first time I watched Full Metal Jacket, it did not dawn on me how true those boot camp scenes were until I went through it myself. As the stripping away of being an individual, is certainly acute almost immediately. Then there are those movies that you never knew was you until you see it.
One such movie is Under The Tuscan Sun. As the movie followed a woman as she rediscovers herself shortly after her marriage falls apart. It through her discovery, that we identify those unfettered strings of ourselves. In the fourth volume of the Obscure Cities series, The Shadow Of A Man, we find our protagonist spiraling out of control, looking for direction wherever the light hits him.
We find the newly married Albert Chamisso, as he spends restless night after night, waking his wife at odd hours of the night, and spends anxious days an insurance adjustor. Eventually his “ night terrors “ would lead to full on paranoia and to the dissolution of his marriage. He would eventually move out of his luxury apartment, and to a remote part of the city, where he would meet a mysterious young woman, Minna. By book’s end, Minna becomes his conduit for what becomes of his dreams, allowing to finally fall in love.
The Shadow Of A Man is a disjointed tale that feels as though as it loses a lot in translation. The story by Benoit Peeters is lucid yet endearing. The art by Francois Schuiten is utterly beautiful. Altogether, it’s a story that feels like a connection of dreams that the reader can barely keep up with.
Story: Benoit Peeters Art: Francois Schuiten Translation: Stephen Smith
Story: 6.0 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
