The Four Signets

I'm sorry for the poor image I have of this very cool cover. Of course I have a penchant for the "hand & ring" covers. According to this review, the story within is nothing special (at least by The Shadow's standards) but the cover certainly draws one in. I know I'm intrigued by the signet rings and what the initials mean. From my point of view, that's all you can ask of a cover.

(I doctored the cover with another image I found. I hope this is adequate for anyone who pulls these off of this blog)

Last Clew for this cover

I thought I was being clever with the text, obviously not. Here's another visual sign four you.

More to the Clew

Do I need to include a signeture?

The end of The Shadow

Finished the novelization of the 1994 big screen version of The Shadow. Whereas I like Gibson's writing better, going into this realizing the need to cobble together so many versions and update it for an audience that didn't share 1930's sensibilities, I actually enjoyed some of the postulations and peeks into the past of our hero. Granted most of it can never be considered as part of the canon, anymore than the "writings" of Dennis Lynds can ever be considered a part of the true history of The Shadow. Still, the book did fill in some gaps, created some others, and generally gave me some things to ponder.
Now it's on to the real thing.

New Clew

A clew four you.

The Man From Scotland Yard

This tale started as "Washington Trail" but probably ended up with the title it did simply because it implied something exotic. Either way you can check out a review here.
As to the cover, I really like this one. Maybe it's the fact that The Shadow is confronting three ominous thugs, or maybe that it feels like I'm viewing an actual event from the story. The rendering is strong and the composition works for me. Would love to have this one in my collection.

Wednesday's Clew

The bloody pulps, indeed!

Allard makes an appearance

In the very next chapter of Luceno's adaptation the issue of Kent Allard is brought up. It seems to be a mixture of Howard Chaykin's "Blood & Judgement" version of The Shadow's history and Gibson's actual history. The whole opium trade and such are not my favorite way to view this character and I also have a problem with my hero being a true villain until he is redeemed. In the Chaykin series Lamont Cranston was the drug lord and Kent Allard was the man who was brought into the insanity. In this book Allard is the bad guy and Cranston leaves so that he can distance himself from the evil that is in this man. But the world changes and when there is no control over the sanctity of our hero then we are the true victims of the almighty dollar.
Don't get me wrong, if there were no history of The Shadow then this would be very interesting and completely acceptable. The movie & book deserve some leeway since they had so many different source materials to draw from.

Novelization vs. Movie part one

I'm finally reading the novelization of the '94 film by James Luceno. I'm enjoying it well enough, not for how well it is written (thus far it's so so) but for some of the holes it fills that the movie left open. I'm early on in the story and am only at the Cobalt Club scene. I appreciate the nod to the fact that the Club was originally a gentleman's club, something I wish had been left alone. It also made it clear that Lamont Cranston is just a cover and that Kent Allard (although not yet referred to) is who he really is. The mention of being a pilot in the Great War is great, as is the stuff about Margo Lane having a bit of a past. The description of a wardrobe and makeup compartment in Moe's cab changes the whole aspect of the physical change that Lamont undergoes. He also has little regard for Wainwright is a terrific touch. The author also sets the time era simply by referencing events that passed during Cranston's time with the Tulku.
I really appreciate how reverential Luceno is towards the canon that we all love and hold sacred.

Blue Face

This is a Tinsley tale and, according to this overview, not his best. I'm not a real fan of this cover. The cloak has a greenish tinge and the "huge smokewagons" look like PPK's. The figure of Blue Face seems awkward and a bit "soft", not like he is truly holding a 125 lb woman. I do like the rendering of The Shadow's face and the inclusion of the figure on the top of the building. Not sure about the curtain framing the left side of the cover and definitely feel the slouch hat is not slouch enough. All in all, a so so cover in my opinion.

Clew time

What could this be?

You're dang tootin'

I am serious, Agent T. DON'T MESS WITH THE RING!!!!!! Bad enough to shine up the .45's and change the Sanctum. I understand that and even applaud it. But the Ring! Never! Sheeshamolies.

Not the ring

Okay, let's get this over with. The ring. I mean THE RING! It's a beeper? Really? Sheesh. If you've read any of my posts you know I have a thing about the ring and for them to turn it into a beeper is just incomprehensible. The design is very nice, but... And then, to pass them around like his agents are in a really cool club is just, well, wrong. Sheesh

The Wealth Seeker

Nice cover if a little pedestrian. I read this years ago when H B Jove published this in paperback in the 70's. I think I'll have to revisit this one again. Love the older stuff. You can find a summary of this story here.

The Sanctum

In the film the sanctum is probably my favorite set. No, it is not like the sanctum described by Gibson (far from it) but it does work as an addition to the radio version of our hero. I would love to see the sanctum as a room with no light but the blue illumination from a single desk lamp or overhead bulb would satisfy me from the purist standpoint. However, it would not be very exciting from a visual pov on the silver screen. Which is why I have no problem with the way in which it was portrayed in the Mulcahy film. In fact it was quite well done. The great items found inside its walls really made you feel that you were in the era. The Batcave before there was a Batcave.

Back to the clews

Let's give this a try.

Those eyes

I have to say that they really got they eyes right for this. And not having the same for Shiwan Khan was perfect. For all the descriptions that Gibson put into his novels I don't see how they could have done any better. When he is on the staircase in The Hotel Monolith and there is that hard shine to those burning bits of coal, it seemed to be the personification of the look that ran in the pulps and our imaginations.

Vengeance Bay

Although not iconic I really like this cover. Well executed from a painting standpoint and full of action. Strange as it may seem (unless you know me well) I think I like the printed cover better than the original painting. I like the deep colors and the high contrast that the printing produced. I know the economics of the times dictated the quality of printing and that the editors and publishers and certainly the artist would all rather have had the cover represent the painting better but, like I said, I like it. If you want to read a bit about the story that inspired the cover you can click here.

The "Look"

As far as the costume and such I feel they very nearly nailed it in the '94 film. The tall collar, the layers (a la Kaluta), the slouch hat, the gun harness and the absence of red lining in the cloak. I also applaud the black shirt as opposed to the white, cuffed shirt depicted on the old covers, especially those by Graves Gladney.
What I didn't like were the pearl handled, chrome .45's and the ubiquitous scarf. I know the scarf is associated with the popular image these days but I've never liked it. And shiny guns, looks good on film but seems a bit silly for a crime fighter who sticks to the shadows.
All in all, I have always been impressed with this version of the character. I know there are purists out there who will argue with this but from an artistic and stylistic viewpoint, this movie hit the mark.

A little clew...

I hope this is enough for the clever agent to get.

Opening shot

In the film, the first time we get to see The Shadow in all his glory, it appears he has no cloak on yet when he strides towards Dr. Roy Tam the cloak flows fully. Strange oversight on the director's part.

Murder Mansion

On okay cover for a bland (according to this review) tale. As you can see from the comparison, the cloak isn't nearly as purple as it appeared in print. We have an antagonist firing at our hero but hitting a bottle (where does it come from?) while he keeps the masked villain from using his gat to do... what? Not a very compelling cover since it makes little sense. However, it may have been an overly art directed piece, as Agent T points out. Hey, at two a month, not everything can be a masterpiece, art or story.

Clew No. 67

Give it a try, agents...

Straight out of the Radio series

Margo: "What about Farley Claymore?"

Lamont: "Mr. Claymore's going to receive a little visit... from The Shadow."

Baldwin and Miller really brought to life the OTR feel. Nice touch.

The Case of Congressman Coyd

What a great cover. Politics. Gambling. Violence. Only thing missing is sex. This cover makes you wonder what's going on, and more than likely getting you to pick it up and reading the story. Apparently Burbank gets into the field in this one and several other agents are involved as well as Henry Arnaud making his disguised appearance. Looking forward to reading this someday.

Another clew

Try this one.

New Clew now that the Packers are back on top

Hey, it's my blog and I'll profess my allegiance to Green Bay when something as fantastic as yesterday happens. Woo Hoo!!!!! Go Pack Go
Now, on to the clew.

Head Scratcher

Why would they choose Commissioner Barth over Weston? That one has left me puzzled for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it was that they wanted to use Jonathan Winters in some manner and he didn't fit the Weston mold. Perhaps Weston would be too close to Commissioner Gordon of Batman fame and they didn't want to place the two in the same vein. Either way, Barth was a bad choice and, to me at any rate, one of the decided problems with this film. I like Mr. Winters, I don't care for the character he was asked to portray nor the manner in which said character was written.
And speaking of head scratchers, why mention Harry (I assume they meant Vincent) in passing but choose not to use him even in a passing role, such as the police officer who was an agent. Big miss on the creative team's side and one that truly showed their bent towards the radio version of The Shadow rather than the far more intricate pulp version.

The Tulku's Temple

As I pick apart the film I am coming to really appreciate, I've noticed nods here and there to items from the source material. The Temple that Ying Ko is taken is a golden Cobra. Before the first issue of The Shadow Magazine hit the stands there was a contest run using clews that were supposed to form our knowledge of the Night Master. One of those clews led to our hero sporting a cobra tattoo on his chest. I thought this was a great little aside to put into the film.

Chinese Strategy

Okay, the published title is certainly better. Teeth of the Dragon is a wonderful story that was one of the first I read way back in the day. The cover is terrific and very intriguing. Who is the girl? What does the big jade dragon head have to do with it? How could The Shadow let her get the drop on him? There is a long review of this tale to be had here. Check it out but I would find a copy of this great story instead.

"The Shadow" 1994

I've been watching the latest film version of The Shadow and have actually been rethinking my position on the film. As a film, I thought it was fun but not very true to my vision of my hero. I like him as a pulp character, not as much from the radio. But I feel they melded the two pretty well and if they had been given another shot, the franchise might have taken hold. They put, as they say, the kitchen sink into the flick and I'm guessing the rationale for that was seeing what stuck and what struck out. I liked Alec Baldwin in the role as it was written. I would have preferred someone who actually had the look as described by Gibson. I had no problem with Penelope Ann Miller as Margo as I don't care for the character at all. However, since she was a radio creation, Ms. Miller did a great job and I think her portrayal actually made me like the character more. Peter Boyle as Moe, perfect. Roy Tam is a throwaway, unfortunately. I actually really like Burbank and his cool lair.
I think I'll pick at this film over the next few days, focusing on various aspects and characters as I go.

A little more of a clew

Should be a bit easier now.

I got mine...

Thanks to John Olsen for this. What a great way to start off the 80th Anniversary of The Shadow Magazine. If you want yours, go here.

Another clew to tide you over

A bit of pattern to try your eyesight.