Shadowman #12 discussion

[Heath]

Even ignoring the lack of any character development, the mythology just isn't that interesting. All of the interesting mythology from the VH1 run was seemingly ignored and replaced with the Acclaim Deadside crap. But maybe it's just that I'm biased as that Bob Hall run is still my favorite ever and I'm only recently able to acknowledge the existence of the Acclaim stuff.

[JustinJordan]

I was too incredibly hung over to remember too specific details, but the gist of it was that they tried to establish the mythology too fast at the expense of establishing Jack as a character.

I think that too, so he's not alone.

You're too hung over to remember the details?

Usually! What the heck do think happened with Anne Alafair?

[bygranddesign]

Usually! What the heck do think happened with Anne Alafair?

I know she briefly came back from the dead by Baron Semedi but I've been curious if you ever had more plans for Anne ... obviously there were some feelings between Jack and Anne but she died before anything could happen between them .. in the real world ... but perhaps romance could have bloomed in the Deadside?? Nothing like a nice romantic walk through a nightmare landscape of dilapidated gothic buildings, shadowy monsters, zombies, creepy children chasing their ghostly bunny rabbits to get the heart a flutter.. That's some Tim Burton boner-fuel right there

But to be serious ... I think that would have been a pretty interesting romantic angle/story line to explore

[lorddunlow]

I was too incredibly hung over to remember too specific details, but the gist of it was that they tried to establish the mythology too fast at the expense of establishing Jack as a character.

I think that too, so he's not alone.

You're too hung over to remember the details?

Usually! What the heck do think happened with Anne Alafair?

You have a great sense of humor, man. I love following you on Twitter.

[bygranddesign]

I was too incredibly hung over to remember too specific details, but the gist of it was that they tried to establish the mythology too fast at the expense of establishing Jack as a character.

I think that too, so he's not alone.

You're too hung over to remember the details?

Usually! What the heck do think happened with Anne Alafair?

You have a great sense of humor, man. I love following you on Twitter.

why don't you two get a room already

[lorddunlow]

I was too incredibly hung over to remember too specific details, but the gist of it was that they tried to establish the mythology too fast at the expense of establishing Jack as a character.

I think that too, so he's not alone.

You're too hung over to remember the details?

Usually! What the heck do think happened with Anne Alafair?

You have a great sense of humor, man. I love following you on Twitter.

why don't you two get a room already

[blujay]

Usually! What the heck do think happened with Anne Alafair?

I know she briefly came back from the dead by Baron Semedi but I've been curious if you ever had more plans for Anne ... obviously there were some feelings between Jack and Anne but she died before anything could happen between them .. in the real world ... but perhaps romance could have bloomed in the Deadside?? Nothing like a nice romantic walk through a nightmare landscape of dilapidated gothic buildings, shadowy monsters, zombies, creepy children chasing their ghostly bunny rabbits to get the heart a flutter.. That's some Tim Burton boner-fuel right there

But to be serious ... I think that would have been a pretty interesting romantic angle/story line to explore

Me likey

[Baramos]

The second story seemed an attempt to make a Batman story with Shadowman. There's a lot of singular Batman stories that are just like "a day in the life" of some thug and then his life is changed by having Batman interfere and he gets out of his life of crime. It's been done dozens of times, too.

It's always some thug with a family and who is secretly wanting to get out of the life of crime and become honest, too. I guess as long as they don't do this two dozen more times like the various writers of Batman have done over the past 60 years.

[Big Red]

It was an okay issue for what it was: a done-in-one filler issue.

My favorite story was the last story: the 2 page story written and illustrated by Neil Dvorak featuring Jaunty.

[JustinJordan]

I was too incredibly hung over to remember too specific details, but the gist of it was that they tried to establish the mythology too fast at the expense of establishing Jack as a character.

I think that too, so he's not alone.

You're too hung over to remember the details?

Usually! What the heck do think happened with Anne Alafair?

You have a great sense of humor, man. I love following you on Twitter.

Thanks!

[Shadowman99]

I liked it

But then, I've enjoyed Shadowman since day 1, despite it not being the fave around these boards.

I just read it as a 'filler' issue with no expectations, so I was actually pleasantly surprised to see a little continuity in the stories, with Jack cleaning up the soulforms in Deadside, a return to the previously unexplained SOMA drug ring, and a vist to an ex-abettor. I was expecting 3 totally non-canonical tales, so get this instead was welcome.

Personally I'm interested to see what becomes of the SOMA peddler in the future. I predict that we'll be seeing him again one way or another, and he'll end up becoming perhaps a D-list character in the book.

A little more explanation in the first story would have been nice. Yes, we can see that Jaunty's taught Jack a lesson, but the resolution of that lesson wasn't explored, so it's currently lacking relevance.

The third story was an entertaining enough Buffy-style spook-slaying escapade, but again, if read simply as surface-level filler material it's enjoyable enough. As for Harold/Wilson (whatever his name was), there are three unexplained possibilties:
1 - Jack recognised the demon from the inherited memory of the Loa, and knew its name;
2 - We were only introduced to the character as Harold - Wilson is also a surname, is it not?
3 - Editorial actually just dropped the ball and used two different names for the character by accident.
I know which possiblity is most likely, but I also have an opinion one which possibility is most interesting!

Still, can't wait to check out Shadowman #13 in the very near future and take a look at the new style. It looks as though it's what I've been wishing for from Shadowman all along, so I can't wait to see if the comic's turning in the direction I've wanted it to go from the start. Give me dark and spooky Shadowman over this stuff any day!