Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I
talk to you about all the things going on in the world of geekdom!
So in my New Year’s Resolution post, I had resolved to write
to you twice a week, and I have utterly failed that here in the past two week.
It’s not for a lack of material by a long shot, just finding the time or the
right inspiration to write. I would rather take my time and compose the best
possible material that I can here for you. So over the next few days I am going
to be writing a whole bunch of things to make up for lost time, I have a lot to
write about.
Two weeks ago DC comics released a few of their April
solicitations for upcoming titles and cover art for future issues of ongoing
series. Among them was a particular announcement that had me giddy. For the
first time in 30 years, Batman will be crossing over with Pulp hero The Shadow.
Murder has come to Gotham. Gotham’s protector, Batman, discovers a trail of evidence that leads to a suspect by the name of Lamont Cranston. The only problem is—Cranston has been dead for over fifty years! As Batman attempts to unravel the enigma surrounding Cranston’s life, the mysterious Shadow will do everything in his power to stop him from learning too much
So I realize that there are probably quite a few of you who
are scratching your head and going: “Who
the hell is The Shadow?” That’s the big reason I decided to write this here
today, to promote the miniseries that is arriving in April by bringing to light
the story of one of the most iconic characters that no one knows.
“Who knows what evil lies within the hearts of men? The Shadow
knows! Ha ha ha.” This expression was the tag line of the famous radio show The Shadow by Orson Welles back in the
late 30s. Lamont Cranston, rich playboy, was a man of a dark heart. Corrupted
by the vices that so frequently seduce men, he had become a savage opium lord
in the East. However, he was captured by a Tulku (a wise man) who showed him
the dark that lies in all men’s heart and reformed Lamont to use the darkness
of his own heart to punish the wicked criminal echelon of society. Using his
training the Tulku provided, Lamont is able to cloud most men’s mind rendering
him invisible…all that is except for his Shadow (hence The Shadow). Cranston
wages his war on crime alongside his partner Margo Lane, and together they
solve mysteries and bring justice to the wicked.
The Shadow radio show was a huge hit and went on for a very
decent run. The Shadow and his crusade inspired many great characters in the
comic genre, most notably Batman. However, his story did not end on radio, when
comics became a big deal it did not take long for him to transfer over. Many
people have penned The Shadow over the years (and there was even a cinematic
outing for the character back in 94 in a feature with Alec Baldwin starring,
this movie is my guilty pleasure film as I grew up on it). His iconic red
scarf, cloak, and hat bring fear to the criminal underworld. Armed with his .45
caliber pistols, and his psychic arsenal (clouding mends minds extends to
reading their thoughts, persuasion, casting illusions, and even staving off
death temporarily to gain information), The Shadow is a hero not to be trifled
with (especially since he has no qualms with ending life for: “the weed of
crime bears bitter fruit.”)
Batman and The Shadow have crossed paths from time to time
in the comics. However, their last outing was some time in the 80's, so seeing
the World’s Greatest Detective face the World’s Greatest Enigma (with the ever
so talented Scott Snyder scribing) is a spectacle to look forward to for sure!
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| some amazing art from the book |
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