Let's see what Cartier did with "Voodoo Trail"

I have to say that Edd's work is much better than the cover that Rozen did.  Which is too bad because the cover art could have been so much more dynamic with just the elements he worked with.

No sense of terror in the damsel's face and The Shadow almost looks like he was posing for a photo-booth picture strip before the detached hand with the viper thrust itself into the scene.  Would love to know how Steranko would have handled this one.

Anyhow, this is about Cartier, not Rozen or Steranko.  Without reading the caption or chapter one can see that Edd has made it clear that The Shadow is in the cab and trying to keep these yahoos from causing mayhem in their awesomely rendered classic cars.  Great stuff.

Let's finish off the covers for "The Fire of Creation" with Alex and Howard

 The six issue story arc came to a satisfying enough conclusion (as long as one gives into the new narrative).  However, the one standout for me was the awesome cover by Alex Ross that revealed the original concept of the 'horror face' that Gibson put forth in the early days of The Shadow Magazine.  The idea that Kent Allard was so horribly disfigured by his actions in WW1 and has to create a face to function in society (hence the master of disguise bit) really stuck with me.  I believe it is also what Sam Raimi latched onto when he wanted to do the film version of The Shadow but had to settle for Darkman.  Alas, it was a short lived idea and probably was best laid to rest as it would have been a distraction from the storytelling of the pulps adventures.  Still, a piece of The Dark Eagle's past that I loved seeing brought to life by Mr. Ross.

Here is Chaykin's effort.  Not nearly as dramatic but it probably had a bit more of a tie to the story than the Ross illustration.  The teddy that he has Margo in is just Chaykin being Chaykin, however.

"Death's Harlequin" page 6

 "The rest of us became gradually bored."

"But for this you have been blackmailed?"

Part 5 of "The Fire of Creation" cover gallery

 

Ross, Chaykin, Cassaday and Francavilla.

Garth Ennis has done a nice job with the story but, as I stated previously, it ain't The Shadow, at least not the one I recognize.

And we now come to the end of The Golden Vulture

 

Just great storytelling with the images of Edd Cartier.  The Shadow Magazine was very fortunate to have, for the most part, excellent interior art.  As great as the covers often were I absolutely love and prefer the interior black and white art.  Just wonderful.

"Death's Harlequin" page 5

 "Ah, yes.  The old club.  Less a few."

Making my way through the first story arc of Dynamite's "The Shadow"

 I'm in the middle of issue four.  Nice Chaykin cover and the interior art is some of the better of Dynamite's run with the series.  However, I can't help but think how far the character has strayed and changed since his creation in 1931, mostly due to the aforementioned Howard Chaykin and his 1986 mini series, The Shadow: Blood & Judgment.  This introduced the backstory of Kent Allard and Lamont Cranston and their dark dealings in post WW1 Asia.  This was then picked up by the team of Koepp and Mulcahy for the 1994 film and has become canon for a later generation of fans.  I don't argue that it is interesting and informs the modern version of the character but I do argue that it ain't The Shadow of Gibson.  The Shadow of the pulps was dramatic and intriguing without dragging his past through the mud and proposing the idea that people can only do the right thing if they've been reborn and seen the light.  Obviously this is just my take and I readily admit that I am a curmudgeon, so rebut me if you like.  With his sudden ability to draw information from dead people, his ability to see the future and his horrible treatment of Margo Lane (and I'm not a fan of hers so that says something) down to his superior attitude as Lamont Cranston rather than an aloof playboy, this is not at all the character I've idolized for nearly a half century.  I'd like to hear why these changes make the character more interesting than he already was.  

ON THE AIR: February 4, 1940

Another episode that I've listened to over and over and over and... well, you get the idea.  I think I use the word classic too often only because there are only so many surviving episodes.  Still, I think this one may qualify.  This one has The Shadow letting Weston take credit for taking out the supposed de-... well, if you haven't listened to this one I won't spoil it for you.  Take half an hour out of your day and enjoy The Return of Carnation Charlie.

The Golden Vulture part 3

 Aside from the awesome use of coquille board and grease pencil I think his use of the cutaway illustrations with the paths makes for some excellent storytelling.  I wonder if Bil Keane remembered these when he first started using this concept for his comic, Family Circus?

More Cartier goodness from The Golden Vulture

 The forms that Edd Cartier gave to his images just gave one the sense of being there.  A true master of his art.

Ah, the good old days

 Edd Cartier.  The Golden Vulture.  The Shadow dealing justice without the thug's head exploding.  I'll post more images from this adventures as the days unfold.  I can't say that I like this story as much as a lot of fans but I put that down to it being primarily written by Lester Dent.  I've aired my views on his writing before and there is no need to do so again.  Can't argue with the interior art though...

I've decided to begin rereading the Dynamite series...

 

I'm already regretting it.  But it has brought up a disturbing thought in my already disturbed noggin.  At what point did our heroes become not so heroic?  I'm not just laying this at the feet of Dynamite but my other great hero has been Batman.  The various books I pick up have strayed so far from the character that, in many respects, helped mold my personal view of how things should be.  The stories are so convoluted these days as to not have a lesson in mind.  Yes, I think if you are putting out a book with the word "hero" included said character should be heroic.  And a major aspect of being heroic is being a role model.  I won't bother getting into the sports heroes as I don't believe they are in it for anything more than money and glory.  And why not, it's a job.  Fictional heroes should be someone who can stand at the end of a story with his/her hands on hips and recount why you should eat your vegetables and go to school.  To couch the tales of today as being "adult" seems to me a cheat.

Anyhow, enough bloviating.  I'll be back with updates on the ups and downs of the Dynamite series.

"Death's Harlequin" page 4

"Alas, nothing's changed in all these years."

Happy Thanksgiving, the 2021 edition

Here's hoping that family and friends gather happily, gratefully and safely this day.  I really shouldn't take heroic efforts to get us back to those days not long ago where we didn't have to worry about getting sick or making others sick just so we could celebrate our good fortune.  Let's hope this is the beginning of the end of Covid , for everyone.

"Death's Harlequin" page 3

"But somebody's killed him!  He's dead!"

Promoting The Shadow

 

I love these little promos that give some insight into the characters without really giving us much.  Fun little teasers.

The Living Shadow... where it all began

The 30s pulp

 

The 30s hardcover

 

The 70s British

 

 

The 60s

 

 

The 70s

Which one trips your trigger?

"Death's Harlequin" page 2

"He's DEAD! He's DEAD!"

The Ghost Makers times two

 

I like them both.  Oddly, I think I prefer the paperback illustration more than the original pulp by Rozen.  That doesn't happen often.  Anyone agree?

The Shadow says...

Buy United States Savings War Bonds & Stamps!

"Death's Harlequin" page 1

"Lamont Cranston will live, I think..."

Another Hardman illustration

 Bang Bang in black & white.

The Shadow: Year One #10

Ross, A

Samnee, C

So, after reviewing all 20 covers, which do you prefer.  I'm a fan of both artists and their styles.  But Ross just brings more of a sense of reality to the work, which is why I fall into the Ross camp for these covers.

"Death's Harlequin"

 A creepy cover from Eduardo Barreto.

The Shadow: Year One #9

 A shocker by Ross

Chris goes minimal

ON THE AIR: January 28, 1940

 This is a missing episode, an all too common occurrence in the long history of The Shadow radio series.  The following plot summary is taken from the excellent and massive tome "The Shadow: The History and Mystery of the Radio Program, 1930 - 1954" by Martin Grams, Jr..

"Relieved of his job as chief chemist of the Brullick Company, Mitchell Hardis develops a drug that cause one to speedily age until death by what appears to be natural causes."

The antagonist is intent on conquering the world and with his cousin intend to eliminate the only person who can stop them... The Shadow.  They kill prominent persons and leave clews only our hero can pick up on.  This leads Lamont to visit Hardis and, shocker, he drinks coffee laced with the drug.  Margot gets an aged Lamont to a hospital and placed in a freezing chamber to inhibit the effects of the drug.  Margot is confronted by Hardis and given the usual choice... death by violence of by this weeks clever death device, in this case the aging drug.  The Shadow arrives and spoils the dastardly scheme and, realizing the jig is up, Hardis takes his own medicine.  How did Lamont come out of this sure fire death sentence?  Apparently the drug needs body heat to work and when he was placed in the freezer the drug simply evaporated and youth was restored.

This sounds so far fetched that it probably needs to be heard to be believed.