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The Ribbon Clues

An okay cover that apparently doesn't really convey the story contained within. Not the greatest rendering but it sure does make you feel that a walk on the docks at night isn't a great idea. The comments below are from the review. I thought they showed how the concept of continuity wasn't of paramount concern back in the day.

Just as a point of interest, it should be noted that The Shadow is never referred to as "Ying Ko" by the Chinese in this story. Since the name was introduced in the July 1, 1935 story "The Fate Joss" just three months earlier, the reader might wonder at the strange omission. The answer lies in the fact that author Walter Gibson actually wrote "The Ribbon Clues" two months before "The Fate Joss." But Street & Smith published the two stories out of order, something they frequently did. So when Gibson came up with the idea for the "Ying Ko" name in "The Fate Joss," "The Ribbon Clues" had already been written.

Click here if you want to read a review of the tale written under the working title of "Xerxes".

A little more of a clew

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Joe Kubert drew this cover. I mention this since I attended his school, worked for him through his design studio, and was a student of his. I've always loved his work but here it just doesn't say "The Shadow" to me. And as much as people identify with his Sgt. Rock work, I believe the best stuff was his adaptations of ERB's Tarzan! Anyhow, the interiors of this story are by Frank Robbins and Frank McLaughlin. And the script is by Michael Uslan rather than Denny O'Neil.
As a side note, the title that appears on this cover differs slightly from the title on the splash page. I noticed this with the last issue and checked and found that it happened a lot with this run of The Shadow. Not always, but enough to be noted as a curiosity.

Wednesday's clew

The Yellow Band

A terribly pedestrian cover. If it weren't for the silhouette (and the mast head), one would probably just past this one by. Not thrilled with the "yellow band" crossing the image but the gimmick probably worked. If you are interested in reading a review, check it out here.

Monday's mystery image

The Crime Ray

Not my favorite cover but I really do like the "shadow" on the Cranston's left shoulder. I have to say, he looks a bit old to be Lamont, but that could be the glaring light in the interrogation room. Kind of fun to see this little moment with Cardona, but truthfully it isn't really very pulpish. I prefer the more iconic covers. Check out the review here.

Clew for Thursday

Random picture

The Shadow Laughs

Ah, the early days. Sorry the image isn't the best but it's hard to find good copies of such an old and relatively rare pulp. I like this cover if only for where it stands as one of the first representations of The Shadow. The story itself shows how Gibson was experimenting with elements and characterizations of the crew that will populate this amazing universe for the next 18 years. Check out this review if you've never read this story.

Monday's Clew

I'll start the week off easy.

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The Ghost Murders

Walter B. Gibson originally titled this "The Cigarette Cipher" which explains the cover. Read this review for a little more insight into the mysterious title change. I have to say I'm not familiar with cigarette case that has a clock in it, but it may be part of the story or even a popular item in the mid 30's. Anyhow, I love the cover with the cipher images used for the backdrop. This is one story I look forward to reading.

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New Clew

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The Golden Quest

A rather interesting cover if only from the standpoint of seeing The Shadow from behind. Almost like the viewer is sneaking up on him. I'm not sure the two men in the boat convey a sense of danger which lessens the impact of this image. If they were armed, maybe. As it is I feel our hero is just jealous that these guys get to go fishing and he's stuck at his late shift job. Seeing as how this came from 1935 when the magazine was at it's best (granted it's "best" ran for quite a long while) they could have puts hearts and ponies on the cover and it would have flown off the rack. If you are interested in reading a review of this tale, submitted as "Death Below", just click here.

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The Monday Morning Clew

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The Radium Murders

Very cool cover. Back in the day when atomic was scary and glowing things meant death. Okay, atomic (now nuclear) is still scary and glowing in the dark kind of does mean death. I guess we really haven't come all that far. Does that mean The Shadow is relevant to today's society? Could the Dark Eagle clean up the streets and make us feel safe in our homes? Probably, but that is a long stretch from a cool cover. Check out this review if you want to know what the story is actually about.

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Clew for yew

I'm sure you'll get a bright idea from this one.

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The Crime Crypt

I LOVE this cover. The symmetry, colors, concept and execution are all spot on. Can you imagine seeing this cover on the stands in 1934? I probably wouldn't have been able to wait until I got home to start reading this one! According to the review this story was actually written a full year before publication and showed the Shadow as that very secretive and unforgiving scourge of the underworld. I can't wait to read this one, it seems that I've been waiting 76+ years to get to it.

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Let's give this a try.

Shouldn't be too hard. I imagine this is one of the pulps you may have even owned, Agent T.

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The Muggers

I like the rendering of this cover, just not the concept (no Shadow). The digest covers have never done much for me starting with the loss of the familiar logo. The idea that change is not only inevitable but also good has a serious example of being wrong when one looks at the digest covers that ended the Shadow's run. If you want to read a brief review of this particular story, go here.

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First Clew of October

tnegA T, siht swelc rof uoy. tropeR nehw noissim dehsilpmocca. tahT si lla.

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