Some thoughts

 

  I have to say that I really appreciated the effort that Matt Wagner put into this re-imagining of The Shadow's "shadowy" beginnings.

 

  I feel that he melded not only the pulps and radio traits of this most important character but also the 1994 film and Howard Chaykin's "Blood & Judgment" mini series.  He didn't slavishly stick with any one version but didn't ignore any of them.

  Did it all work for me?  Of course not.  I'm a purist and I've always wanted to see an exploration of his ties to Russia.  He was an agent of the Czarist regime and received his (first) ring from the Romanoff collection.  It has the sign of the Seventh Star engraved in the base.  Yet the only time that a decent investigation of this has been done was in "The Shadow Strikes".

  However, this is also at least half about Margo.  This is a total slap in the face to Walter's version.  She was shoehorned in as a reaction to the radio programs popularity and the confusion the public had with the whole Lamont Cranston persona not being his actual identity.  So a girlfriend is provided.

  But since this is the tact that Wagner takes, he makes the most of it.  I have had to get used to the idea that my thoughts are not necessarily the way all creatives see The Shadow.  (Just look at the egregious take that James Patterson and Brian Sitts  foisted on us)  

  But back to the story that Matt crafted.  He was able to explain the Maxwell Grant angle, reintroduced a couple of forgotten characters that Gibson created just as background.  And the villain?  Yep, straight up a variation of the '94 movie version of Khan.  Dr. Zorn, another of the disciples of the Tulku.  Someone who used the mystic powers of the Orient.  Don't get me wrong, it worked.  And the fact that he manipulated gangsters was great.  And the link to the underworld that Margo had.  Well written, Mr. Wagner. 

  The character of Lamont never fell into the radio version which, over the many years the program aired, meandered quite a lot.  Where Orson Welles is my favorite version of the radio version, that has more to do with the writing than any aspect of acting.  But I digress, Wagner's characterization of Lamont Cranston keeps him more in the mode of The Shadow barely keeping up the facade of civility.

  This cover pretty much sums that up.  It's almost like showing that removing the garb what we find underneath is and always will be the primal force that is The Shadow.  This creature isn't just trying to eradicate crime but evil itself.  All while trying to contain that very thing that dwells in his soul.  This is an aspect that I never got from Gibson but has become the popular and accepted characterization of The Dark Eagle.

  Overall, as I said, I really like this series and feel that Matt Wagner deftly tied a lot of differing aspects from all of the disparate mediums that The Shadow dominated over the many decades and crafted a pretty solid and well considered version of The Shadow's first year of crime fighting.  

  What did you think?  Does "Year One" resonate with you?  Does it feel authentic or is it a betrayal?  I hope you enjoyed this "reprinting" and that at least we, as fans, can feel that it worked to keep such a pivotal character in a portion of the public's eyes.  We'll start something a bit different tomorrow.  Thanks for checking in with this little corner of the sanctum.