Darkness descends...

and the sanctum will be closed for a bit. I'm taking a break for about a week to recharge my ring and come back with more energy.

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And so ends the great cross over of The Shadow and Doc Savage. I think the reason I didn't like this much is because The Shadow exposed himself more than I would believe would make sense for his mission. I have a definite vision of The Dark Eagle and this story wasn't it.
I am anxious to see what Dynamite Comics has in store when they release the new series at the end of April. I have learned. however, not to have too high of expectations.

The Banshee Murders

Submitted under the title "Crime Over Central Park" this is another digest with a cover that just doesn't indicated it is a tale of The Shadow. Nice artwork but apparently that's the highlight of this issue. If you read this synopsis you'll find that "The Banshee Murders" doesn't seem to measure up. It is interesting to read that the failure of this tale may lie with the editors since the story comes in at 34,000 words vs. the 45,000 Mr. Gibson was accustomed to writing.

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Last clew for a bit

Another later cover. Must... get... through... them.......

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No Safety In Numbers

Nothing to say. This cover is horrid. The story is by Bruce Elliott and the submission title was "Number of Death". There is nothing more to say about this except that it assuredly was one of the nails in the coffin of The Shadow Magazine.

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Another clew

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Murder By Magic

A subject near and dear to Mr. Gibson's heart, I'm sure. Did he successfully marry magic to pulp? You'll have to make that decision for yourself. I personally haven't read this tale but this review might give you some insight to the tale. The cover? It has been done well enough but there is nothing but the masthead to let anyone know that this is an adventure of The Shadow. Too bad, could have been a really cool image had they stuck with the classic imagery.

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Now you see it...

Play the game, agents.

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Five Keys to Crime

I like the rendering of this cover but it's just not a "The Shadow" cover! What was wrong with those idiots in the later years who felt that there was no need to give our hero the just due he deserved. Years of ruling the market and legions of fans I guess didn't warrant the honor of having The Shadow grace the cover of his own magazine. And what's with that lame masthead?! I believe I've ranted about this in the past but it seemed that after years of battling gangsters and super villains the only way to eliminate The Shadow was from the inside. It's sad to see, even in retrospect. You can get an idea of the story here.

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An extra clew

I hope I don't have to give you a fifth klew.

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Happy Birthday, Margo Lane

Well, many may not consider her Margo but Penelope Ann Miller turns 48 today. Within the constraints of the script, I felt she did a great job as Margo.

Clew for you

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The Northdale Mystery

Another green costume... sheesh. I grew up thinking this was the cover for "Mobsmen on the Spot" as I was introduced to this with the Pyramid paperback reprint. Aside from all of that I sort of like this one. Even with one hand tied , The Shadow is still more than a match for that thug. Not sure about the story so let's all check out this synopsis of the tale originally titled "Face of Doom".

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Tuesday clew

Give it a try, agents.

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The Jade Dragon

So so cover. Never liked the green costume that was foisted on our hero. The whole idea of The Shadow is that the black he garbs himself in doesn't reflect color. Had I done this cover I would have had our hero grappling with the two antagonists in the foreground, forcing the gunshot wild and keeping the knife at bay yet having the second gunman in the background firing the possible killing shot. But that's just me. As to the story I can't speak to whether it is good or not. Check this out if you want to know a bit about this tale from 1942.

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Finally

I recently purchased the entire run of "The Shadow Strikes" so I will be able to post the whole run over time. I stopped buying them with issue 19 for a variety of reasons but the overriding one was that the artwork no longer appealed to me. Had I known back then that the series would stop at 31 I would have just bought another years worth.

Another bit of the clew

Finally!!! Stumped!!! Try this.

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Cover Clew

Give it a shot, guys.

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The Third Skull

Great concept but rather so so execution. I really get tired of the yellow backgrounds and this one doesn't even try to look like anything more than a flat wall of color. Too bad.
The story? Well I'm told it's a good one and if you don't want to take my second hand word for it check out this little synopsis for yourself.

Easy first clew of the new year

This should pose no problem for you, Mister Bill.

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