Wednesday, January 28, 2015

The Ghost Makers

  How very pulpy.  Not a favorite of mine but certainly a striking image.  Early images and stories are very important to what we eventually come to know as The Shadow.  This is only the 16th published novel and, as evidenced by this snippet from a review from "The Shadow in Review" by John Olsen, our hero was still in the making.

  "In one scene, The Shadow holds a crook at gunpoint and forces him to drink poison, then watches him die. That's not The Shadow that I've come to know from reading the entire series. Surprisingly brutal! But again, we can probably attribute that to the fact that the story was early in the run, and Gibson was still experimenting with the character of The Shadow."

  I have read this one and can certainly recommend it whole heartedly.  Enjoy.

"Blood & Judgment" part 4 page 1


Friday, January 23, 2015

The Broken Napoleons

Sorry for the lousy image.  I'll try to get a better copy to replace this one.  I have read this one thanks to Sanctum Books reprinting this tale.  You can't go wrong with the early stuff.  This is a great cover showing The Shadow being the menacing figure in the dark.  Apparently it was a dark and stormy night in this instance.  If you haven't read this, check out this review.  You won't regret it.

"Blood & Judgment" part 3 page 27


Thursday, January 22, 2015

Back to the Clews

This is the best image I can find.  The cover is damaged and there is some color variation but I don't think that hurts the clew.  Give it a go.

"Blood & Judgment" part 3 page 26


Friday, January 16, 2015

The Blue Light will be out for a bit...

I have some business to take care of so I won't be posting again until later next week.  Don't let crime run rampant in my absence, though.

"Blood & Judgment" part 3 page 25


Thursday, January 15, 2015

The Black Circle

Second to last tale from the original pulp run.  I wish the cover art were stronger but at least it harkens back to the old days.  It seems strangely barren to me.  No "A Street & Smith Publication" or Magazine attached to the logo.  The small 25 cent just doesn't fill any space.  This review certainly believes that The Shadow was back in form.  Mr. Gibson put our hero back on track with the final four stories of the run.  Too bad time wasn't on The Shadow's side.

"Blood & Judgment" part 3 page 24


Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Steranko Tuesday


Something a bit different.  I do think Steranko did a great job bringing the pulps into a modern era without sacrificing too much in the process.

"Blood & Judgment" part 3 page 22


Monday, January 12, 2015

The House on the Ledge

Too much going on in the space.  Hate the "strike mark" by the purple thug's hand and the knife frozen in flight.  Really not a great cover, just so so.  I haven't read this but the review thinks it's worth a read.  Remember, it's 1941 and the tales just ain't as good as the 30's.  Still, should be a decent tale.

"Blood & Judgment" part 3 page 21


Thursday, January 8, 2015

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The Fifth Napoleon

I like this cover despite its washed out color pallet.  Of course the .45 looks very small and the girasol stands out a bit much.  I'll write this off to the printing of this cover and not so much the original art.  I haven't read this one although it has been reprinted in Volume 52 from Sanctum Books.  This one is a Tinsley tale and, according to this review, quite a good one.

Another bit of a clew

Too easy, I know.

"Blood & Judgment" part 3 page 18


Monday, January 5, 2015

Friday, January 2, 2015

"Blood & Judgment" part 3 page 15


HaHaHaHappy New Year

May 2015 bring happiness and justice to all.

My apologies, agents

  I made a couple of mistakes recently and I don't want to cause any bad information to be passed on through my inattention to detail.  I will be updating the bad posts so any new views won't continue to be misinformed.

First: The artist on the cover of Jade Dragon was not Cartier but Bob Powell, who had a run on The Shadow Comics during the Golden Age.
Second: The Chinese Disks was not featured in the first reprint by Anthony Tollin's Sanctum Books, rather the second issue and partnered with Malmordo.

  I will strive to be accurate in the new year and beyond.