Back to the clews

An easy one to get us into June.  Hope everyone had a restful holiday but took the time to remember why we celebrate Memorial Day.

Memorial Day weekend

Always remember...

The Black Dragon

Not my cuppa tea.  Interesting design but not for The Shadow.  I haven't read this tale but this cover surely wouldn't have encouraged me if I were unfamiliar with this magazine (and yes, I know I would have had to have been living under a rock to be unaware of The Shadow).  The Shadow in Review recommends it, though.  This statement makes me more intrigued than the cover...

"This story is definitely worth reading. It's the final pulp appearance of Myra Reldon and Doctor Roy Tam. See The Shadow and his organization confront the Japanese underground organization known as The Black Dragon Society at the height of World War II. The blood flows; the enemy bites the dust; and good triumphs over evil. It's a classic!"

More for Agent T

Hope it's enough.

Red and black(ish) clew

A crimson streak runs through this clew.

Hitchcock's version of The Shadow

Or so it might seem.  Ivor Novello in The Lodger from 1927.

The Golden Vulture

I always liked this cover.  Could have benefited from a specific background, though.  I'd like to have seen the original painting to see if there was more contrast and definition in The Shadow's face.  I wasn't that big of a fan of the story itself.  Too much Dent for my taste.  It goes to how I love the concept of Doc Savage but never could quite get into reading the novels.  Guess I'll have to give the books another chance, someday.  (Although I loved "The Sinister Shadow" but that's because I felt Murray really nailed The Shadow well.)

Weekend is upon us...

A clew to get you through.

The Third Skull

Clever cover with entirely too much yellow.  What is it with all of the yellow??!!  It must have been the mindset back in the day to catch the viewer's eye but it seems entirely overused.  I think it bothers me mostly because our hero is supposed to be cloaked in the inky blackness of night and he seems to be caught in the light so often.  Oh well, still a cool cover.  And a cool story.

Second clew

This should do it.

A new clew

My precious...

For your consideration...

Mark Strong as The Shadow...

and Lamont Cranston / Kent Allard.

The Devil's Feud

There is too much "softness" to the figures in this so-so cover.  The clothing is treated the same as the skin and there is just a lack of focus here.  I like how The Shadow's head and shoulder are framed by the goon's left arm but the girl is also given a focal point because of the cap and the back edge of the aforementioned goon.  As I said, just a so-so cover.  I'm a long way from getting to this one so I'll refer you to this review.  Have to mention that the working title "Feud of Doom" would have been an awful choice.

Eye spy...

Another damn yellow wall.

The Whispering Eyes

Meow, this cover is the last of the series.  According to Agent T this is Walter B. Gibson's cat and that makes this a cool cover despite the lack of the ring and a not so great rendering of The Shadow.  I haven't read this one and it will be the last one I do read as I'm trying to read them in some semblance of order.  A better backdrop would've helped this one but it's the fallback yellow that they use.  This one always saddens me as it is the end of the line for the pulp version of The Shadow.

All eyes on this clew

Welcome to a dark and stormy Monday.

The Devil's Partner

Gawdawful.  Nice composition but terrible understanding of the human form.  Proportions are way off, broken legs and missing legs.  Exciting concept, just poor execution.  How's the story?  I don't know.  Guess I'll just have to read this review to find out if this Tinsley tale is better than this horrible cover.  However, it's still better than most of those digest covers...

Clew # Two

It's in the details, pal.

The return of the clews

Don't fall all over yourself trying to figure this one out.

Joe Jusko does The Shadow

Pretty quick little sketch.  The hat is wrong and, well, the scarf just doesn't do it for me.