Shadowman #4 comes to comic stores on July 28 from Valiant Entertainment to finish writer Cullen Bunn’s first story arc. With the art of Jon Davis-Hunt and the colors of Jordie Bellaire, a magical veil engulfs the pages. The lettering by Clayton Cowles displays how close characters are to being overwhelmed by this development.
Shadowman #4: Staying Sober
Continuing from previous issues, Bunn has Shadowman realize he’s fighting a losing battle. For all of the attempts to keep the peace, to fight against a byproduct of human nature like the Deadside won’t work because Shadowman himself is a blight drawn to man’s worst impulses. Fortunately, every prior experience also allows Shadowman insights and strengths to resist depravity. So Shadowman #4 is ultimately about finding a healthy way to live with people’s demons rather than let them overwhelm people.
Look At The Biggest Picture
Throughout Shadowman #4, Davis-Hunt presents a steady layout of panels and art before going into a sudden change. For example, a regular day in London with five wide panels. It gives the reader a sense of normalcy until something comes to disrupt it. In this case, the issue’s antagonist with his bold outline and monstrous appearance complete with no borders surrounding him. It feels so overwhelming that his purple coloring and bright magic symbols he employs through Bellaire almost feel unnecessary. That’s all to say nothing of the two-page spreads of the Deadside visions that overwhelm some characters.
The lettering by Cowles presents how close some characters are to losing themselves to the Deadside. Loa, like Baron Samedi, and the possessed antagonist speak with distorted word balloons. Even then, Samedi’s white word balloons are closer to mortals who are exposed to the Deadside. Unlike the antagonist, whose colored word balloon shows the intoxication of his human host.
Find Balance With Shadowman #4
Shadowman #4 takes readers on an intense ride of horrors, and there’s a much bigger plot at play, but the first story arc wraps up nicely.
