The Shadow #2
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Aaron Campbell
Colors by Carlos Lopez
Letters by Rob Steen
Covers by Alex Ross, Howard Chaykin, John Cassaday, Jae Lee, and Ryan Sook
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: May 16, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

The Shadow #2 is, to put it bluntly, a mystery. But, a really FUN mystery. Filled with action and adventure, if you liked the first issue, you’ll love the second. It’s Garth Ennis and Aaron Campbell at their best.

I have to wonder what made Garth Ennis take this assignment? Does he have a love for the character? Did he want to prove something to himself by writing a licensed book? Did Nick from Dynamite throw tons of cash at him? Who am I to say? But whatever the reason, I’m sure glad he did. I can’t imagine anyone else writing this series. It’s not too over the top on blood and guts like a lot of Ennis books are, but I’m sure that’s because of the nature of the project. It does have enough edge to it to make it feel deadly serious, and not just another watered-down version of a pulp hero. The pacing is perfect, it speeds up when it needs to and slows down and gets into the heavy story beats when you need them. Something that I LOVED about this issue was that it’s SO full of story. This isn’t something you’re going to read in 5 minutes and forget about in 10. This is a comic that your actually going to get $4+ of entertainment out of.

Aaron Campbell has never been better. No other artist right now can draw period comics better than him. And yes, that’s a FACT. From cover to cover, Campbell hits a home run. There’s two things that I want you to pay attention to in this issue, his background scenery and his use of shadows, both of which are brilliant. His shadows cover just enough to make the mysterious spooky and convey a sense of danger, while his backgrounds are lush and lavish and are a great representation of the time that the books is set in. Campbell is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists around, and this book is cementing that opinion.

This issue is just as enjoyable as the first. In fact, maybe a little bit more so. We’re free from all the obligatory introductions of everyone and we hit the ground running with adventure, action, and story. Ennis is introducing The Shadow to a whole new generation of readers, and you’re going to want to be there every step of the way.