The Shadow Year One #3
Matt Wagner takes us through another adventure with The Shadow #3. Again showing the kind of hero that The Shadow is. Someone who fights for justice and knows justice well enough to explain it as he serves it to those who take lives for their own selfish gain. Wagner has shown to be very capable of handling a pulp story at this point. The feel of the character is a bit different compared to his characterization in Masks, and his solo series, but his characterization of The Shadow in this book gives us something new.
What I like is how dark and brooding he can be, in this issue Wagner has shown this side to him both as Cranston and The Shadow. One second you have very classy Mr. Cranston, then the next second he can be something completely different. What separates this story from others is that Wagner has taken advantage of many aspects of The Shadow. He has apparent detective skills from how much he knew about Miss Lane’s past and history, then he displays his ability to be able to alter peoples minds with his ring.
I will say that the transition between parts of this issue felt a bit choppy, it felt like those 3 parts to the story were a bit rushed. Aside from that we have the villain of the story introduced, Dr. Zorn, and that should create an interesting conflict to come.
