Re-reading: Shadowman 14
Moderators: Daniel Jackson, greg
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Todd Luck
- Doomed to forever roam the black halls
- Posts: 4729
- Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2004 1:02:34 pm
- Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Re-reading: Shadowman 14
Xoken asked me to keep the re-reading project going while he's out of the country...
I thought we could do a book a day (that way people can read one every day or catch up on weekends), talk about it on its own, in the context of whats next, in regards to what expectations it creates and vote on how good it is. I don't have to be the one that posts everyday. If I miss a day or if someone wants to take over please do
For voting think of your single favourite comic book (not just VALIANT) as the benchmark - thats a 10 - and grade according to that.
The voting (I'm hoping) will help new readers make more educated descisions. If this turkey files maybe we can even do a list of the books according to average voting grade.
Make sure to mention what you like'd about the book, what you didn't, what you wish they would have done, your favourite panels, lines of dialogue, little bits of trivia etc.
Shadowman 14
I thought we could do a book a day (that way people can read one every day or catch up on weekends), talk about it on its own, in the context of whats next, in regards to what expectations it creates and vote on how good it is. I don't have to be the one that posts everyday. If I miss a day or if someone wants to take over please do
For voting think of your single favourite comic book (not just VALIANT) as the benchmark - thats a 10 - and grade according to that.
The voting (I'm hoping) will help new readers make more educated descisions. If this turkey files maybe we can even do a list of the books according to average voting grade.
Make sure to mention what you like'd about the book, what you didn't, what you wish they would have done, your favourite panels, lines of dialogue, little bits of trivia etc.
Shadowman 14
-
Todd Luck
- Doomed to forever roam the black halls
- Posts: 4729
- Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2004 1:02:34 pm
- Location: Winston-Salem, NC
No New Orleans. Jack hits the road and stumbles upon people who need help. We have a plot based on the exact same clichés as that Harbinger story where Zepplin befriends the old homeless guy.
So this issue must suck, right?
Wrong.
Hall is able to infuse every panel here with quirkiness and originality. Virgil’s cross forest seems very much like something you really would come across on a road trip. Virgil himself is likeable and I think we appreciate Jack all the more for being able to befriend and stand up for this crazy old man.
And Dave is just the type of jerk you love to hate. Jack being the underdog in the fight against him seems very natural. Heck, if you were a vigilante wouldn’t you get your a$$ handed to you by a martial artist? And Jack’s using his new found strength on Dave is just soooo satisfying
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And integrating the preacher at key points in the story was brilliant. There’s nothing like being an uncomfortable kid in church. Even your standard a$$ kicking is more amusing when integrated with a sermon from a fundamentalist minister
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Jack’s powers do start to show themselves here but just a little. A slow occasional, appearance of them does nothing to diminish the charm of Jack’s vulnerability.
Also, we make fun of how lousy Jack is at keeping his ID a secret. This makes so much sense. Sorry, people can still tell it’s you after you unzip your jacket and put on a mask
.
This is just great stuff. I had a ball with this issue. An 8
.
So this issue must suck, right?
Wrong.
Hall is able to infuse every panel here with quirkiness and originality. Virgil’s cross forest seems very much like something you really would come across on a road trip. Virgil himself is likeable and I think we appreciate Jack all the more for being able to befriend and stand up for this crazy old man.
And Dave is just the type of jerk you love to hate. Jack being the underdog in the fight against him seems very natural. Heck, if you were a vigilante wouldn’t you get your a$$ handed to you by a martial artist? And Jack’s using his new found strength on Dave is just soooo satisfying
.And integrating the preacher at key points in the story was brilliant. There’s nothing like being an uncomfortable kid in church. Even your standard a$$ kicking is more amusing when integrated with a sermon from a fundamentalist minister
.Jack’s powers do start to show themselves here but just a little. A slow occasional, appearance of them does nothing to diminish the charm of Jack’s vulnerability.
Also, we make fun of how lousy Jack is at keeping his ID a secret. This makes so much sense. Sorry, people can still tell it’s you after you unzip your jacket and put on a mask
. This is just great stuff. I had a ball with this issue. An 8
.
Following on from the change in the book we can see here the best example of it. Just like that silly Harbinger zeph solo story. This one is much better but still a low point.
This issue is textbook 'new Valiant'. A new direction (getting away from New Orleans), deviation from the characters core (Jack is fighting the bad guys here, not just when hes Shadowman), a tired comic book plot with a mildly interesting twist (hero enters small town and discovers small town hoodlums, small town corruption and must save the day), increasingly splashy art (less detail and broader, brighter colors)
I love that EVERYONE figures out who Shadowman is!
A little disappointing, felt like a filler. I give it a 5
This issue is textbook 'new Valiant'. A new direction (getting away from New Orleans), deviation from the characters core (Jack is fighting the bad guys here, not just when hes Shadowman), a tired comic book plot with a mildly interesting twist (hero enters small town and discovers small town hoodlums, small town corruption and must save the day), increasingly splashy art (less detail and broader, brighter colors)
I love that EVERYONE figures out who Shadowman is!
A little disappointing, felt like a filler. I give it a 5
Not nearly as good as a stand-along issue as last issue. Not at all. At least we see Jack discovering things about himself, confusingly enough it seems Shadowman is not as seperated from him as before.
There were still many good stories to tell in New Orleans. There was no reason to go on a road-trip, nor to get away from voodoo. In this story we are getting closer to "just any" superhero.
/Magnus
There were still many good stories to tell in New Orleans. There was no reason to go on a road-trip, nor to get away from voodoo. In this story we are getting closer to "just any" superhero.
/Magnus
The VCB synopsis:
As Jack rides out of Louisiana on a road trip he recalls his old minister, Rev. C. S. Talbot. Nearing his gig in Burlingame he meets Virgil and discovers a strange yard full of crosses. When he asks questions in town about Virgil he runs afoul of Dave, the local troublemaker. After the show, he returns to find Dave and his friends torching Virgil’s place. When he enlists the aid of the town sheriff, he gets Dave truly upset and earns a severe beating. With the local barmaid’s help he returns to Virgil’s where he takes out Dave and his cohorts. Jack feels unusual during his fight and is surprised by some of his own moves. He questions exactly what is going on within himself. Virgil prevents him from killing Dave believing that it is not God’s way. Jack rides out of town not far behind Avery (the local barmaid), who is supposedly headed to Tennessee.
/Magnus
As Jack rides out of Louisiana on a road trip he recalls his old minister, Rev. C. S. Talbot. Nearing his gig in Burlingame he meets Virgil and discovers a strange yard full of crosses. When he asks questions in town about Virgil he runs afoul of Dave, the local troublemaker. After the show, he returns to find Dave and his friends torching Virgil’s place. When he enlists the aid of the town sheriff, he gets Dave truly upset and earns a severe beating. With the local barmaid’s help he returns to Virgil’s where he takes out Dave and his cohorts. Jack feels unusual during his fight and is surprised by some of his own moves. He questions exactly what is going on within himself. Virgil prevents him from killing Dave believing that it is not God’s way. Jack rides out of town not far behind Avery (the local barmaid), who is supposedly headed to Tennessee.
/Magnus