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Shadowman #2 Review
Shadowman #2 continues the ongoing saga of the titular supernatural antihero, Shadowman. It’s written by Cullen Bunn with art by Jon-Davis Hunt, coloring by Jordie Bellaire and lettering by Clayton Cowles.
Shadowman #2 is available for sale May 26th from your local comic shop.
Shadowman #2 Story
Cullen Bunn continues to delve deeper and peel away the supernatural realm of Valiant Comics. This continuation of Shadowman feels like the perfect breeding ground for Bunn to enact his signature style of weird, creepy and surrealistic horror.
Kicking off immediately after the events of Shadowman #1, where a certain crazed Elsbeth Martinique and a house full of cultists opened up a portal to bring through a blight of flesh transforming demons into the world, Issue #2 opens with Baron Samedi reintroducing the reader in a very Crypt Keeper sort of way. A page that looks and feels like its torn straight from Tales from the Crypt, with a specific Valiant Comics flair to it.
Without providing too much in the way of spoilers and trust me, there’s a lot to spoil, Jack Boniface aka Shadowman is presented with the ongoing dilemma of having to shut numerous portals around the world. How he does it is for you, the reader, to find out.
Bunn’s measure of characterisation through the dialogue of the demons, Shadowman himself and Baron Samedi continue to inspire. Bunn has found the voice of each of his core characters so early on that it makes for thoroughly enjoyable reading. Where Baron Samedi feels like a mix between the Crypt Keeper and Neil Gaiman’s Death character (from Sandman), Jack Boniface reads like a troubled Morpheus imbued with a rogue-ish appeal. A rogue dipped in the magics of Voodoo witchcraft.
You’ll find with Shadowman #2 the most impressive display of Bunn’s script is in the narration of each panel. Bunn’s evocative sense of what’s truly terrifying finds its way onto almost every panel. He’s the type of writer you’d be inviting to the campfire for a round of ghost stories. Although, you’d probably want to get your affairs in order first.
Shadowman #2 Art
Jon Davis-Hunt’s artwork continues to be the same kind of visceral supernatural horror the original Shadowman series and video games are known for. Davis-Hunt’s artwork is the stuff of nightmares. Nightmares that jump out at you from the page, thanks to the truly evil coloring of Jordie Bellaire. While Clayton Cowles’ lettering style has a way of giving this issue a sense of fun. The same kind of fun you got from sneaking horror films into the house and watching them while your parents were asleep.
Shadowman #2 Conclusion
If there was a comic book that exemplified the fun, creepy and atmospheric tropes of 1980s supernatural horror films then this comic book series is it. Bunn and Davis-Hunt continue to double down on the horror and the scares. With this issue there’s no getting away, there’s no escape. Welcome to the Deadside!
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