Shadowman 13

[Shadowman99]

Really, really liking this revamp of Shadowman.

A lot of people have been complaining that the punk mambo is too odd a fit for the setting, but I thought she was really great. Valiant could have put Nettie in the comic, or a more 'typical' voodoo mambo, and I would have simply accepted the concept, but putting a character so radically different made it really interesting. I suppose a lot of you probably won't be able to relate to this, but as a native Brit the character fits the concept really well, and here's why: It's indisputably well known in England that kids get up to crazy 'extracurricular activites' in private boarding schools, and it's definitely been heard of that kids have dabbled in the occult to various degrees so; the idea of a private school girl that's perhaps struggled to perform academically and has discovered and prioritised other talents, and subsequently decided to move to a place where she can really concentrate on what she's good at, doesn't seem like too far a jump to me...

Time for another Brit to disagree; punk rock public school girl goes heavyweight mambo priestess - feels like a cliched take on late 80's/early 90's Vertigo to me, which is a shame as Milligan was there in that time.

Horses for courses of course, but you do raise an important question: why not just Nettie instead of this new character which in no way feels too original.

With hindsight, I think I can see both sides on this mini debate. On one hand, I'm glad Milligan has used an English punk as the mambo priestess, but, a public school girl punk is a tad cliche. Why couldn't she have been a working class punk from Skegness who used to work in a chippy? Now, you couldn't say THAT was cliched!

Okay, now Leonmallet and I agree

Crackin' idea Dallowspicer!

[Tim]

Finally got my DCBS shipment today and this was the first thing I read.

I'll keep buying this title as a completist and full-on Valiant supporter, but they need to put a bullet in this book and forget it ever happened as soon as possible.

[leonmallett]

Really, really liking this revamp of Shadowman.

A lot of people have been complaining that the punk mambo is too odd a fit for the setting, but I thought she was really great. Valiant could have put Nettie in the comic, or a more 'typical' voodoo mambo, and I would have simply accepted the concept, but putting a character so radically different made it really interesting. I suppose a lot of you probably won't be able to relate to this, but as a native Brit the character fits the concept really well, and here's why: It's indisputably well known in England that kids get up to crazy 'extracurricular activites' in private boarding schools, and it's definitely been heard of that kids have dabbled in the occult to various degrees so; the idea of a private school girl that's perhaps struggled to perform academically and has discovered and prioritised other talents, and subsequently decided to move to a place where she can really concentrate on what she's good at, doesn't seem like too far a jump to me...

Time for another Brit to disagree; punk rock public school girl goes heavyweight mambo priestess - feels like a cliched take on late 80's/early 90's Vertigo to me, which is a shame as Milligan was there in that time.

Horses for courses of course, but you do raise an important question: why not just Nettie instead of this new character which in no way feels too original.

With hindsight, I think I can see both sides on this mini debate. On one hand, I'm glad Milligan has used an English punk as the mambo priestess, but, a public school girl punk is a tad cliche. Why couldn't she have been a working class punk from Skegness who used to work in a chippy? Now, you couldn't say THAT was cliched!

Okay, now Leonmallet and I agree

Crackin' idea Dallowspicer!

[mp6pack]

I'm late to the party... I know. I finally read it and would agree with some. That its even better than #0, and #10. The reason I say this is because the Loa finally has a voice a connection to the reader. There's so many places to go when you have Jack and "voodoo god" competing for dominance or reluctantly working together.

I'm excited

Art 10, writing 10

[Shadowman99]

... the Loa finally has a voice a connection to the reader. There's so many places to go when you have Jack and "voodoo god" competing for dominance or reluctantly working together.

Yeah, that is a pretty interesting prospect for the comic. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens next issue.

[coachjamie]

Ok, I am new to Shadowman ( well comics in general ) , I picked up Shadowman #13 yesterday. I liked the story, the art was decent. I have a few questions though. What does LOA stand for? I thought jumping on here with the new arc I would not be as confused. Do I need to start at #0 to really know what the hell is going on from here forward? I am definitely looking forward to learning more about this character.

[bygranddesign]

Ok, I am new to Shadowman ( well comics in general ) , I picked up Shadowman #13 yesterday. I liked the story, the art was decent. I have a few questions though. What does LOA stand for? I thought jumping on here with the new arc I would not be as confused. Do I need to start at #0 to really know what the hell is going on from here forward? I am definitely looking forward to learning more about this character.

Hi, welcome aboard

The loa is a voodoo spirit. You can read about it on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loa" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Shadowman of course has its own twist on the idea and I think Milligan is going to dive into it even more in this storyline.

If you want to get into the series quickly reading Shadoman #0 and #10 back to back is a great way of getting into the origin of Shadowman. 13X if you can get your hands on that issue (it was included in Bleeding Cool magazine) has nice background info leading into issue #13.

Valiant also has the story so far summary on the inside cover which I think is helpful for new readers. Issue #13 is a brand new writer so I think he will flesh out Jack, Shadowman and the Loa over the course of this arc and carve out his own path for this series so i think you are at a good starting point. We are all pretty much on the same boat wondering what the Loa spirit is all about.

But like I said .. If you were going to read some back issues. I would highly recommend #0 and #10.

[coachjamie]

Ok, I am new to Shadowman ( well comics in general ) , I picked up Shadowman #13 yesterday. I liked the story, the art was decent. I have a few questions though. What does LOA stand for? I thought jumping on here with the new arc I would not be as confused. Do I need to start at #0 to really know what the hell is going on from here forward? I am definitely looking forward to learning more about this character.

Hi, welcome aboard

The loa is a voodoo spirit. You can read about it on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loa" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Shadowman of course has its own twist on the idea and I think Milligan is going to dive into it even more in this storyline.

If you want to get into the series quickly reading Shadoman #0 and #10 back to back is a great way of getting into the origin of Shadowman. 13X if you can get your hands on that issue (it was included in Bleeding Cool magazine) has nice background info leading into issue #13.

Thanks for the info!

Valiant also has the story so far summary on the inside cover which I think is helpful for new readers. Issue #13 is a brand new writer so I think he will flesh out Jack, Shadowman and the Loa over the course of this arc and carve out his own path for this series so i think you are at a good starting point. We are all pretty much on the same boat wondering what the Loa spirit is all about.

But like I said .. If you were going to read some back issues. I would highly recommend #0 and #10.

[SJS4]

Personally i think the series is new enough to go get all the back issues if i were you, but bare minimum i would suggest getting issues 0 and 10. IMHO they were the two best issues of the run, tell a coherent origin, and can be had relatively inexpensively.

[grendeljd]

Lessee... Jack wants the Loa out and the Loa wants out, but Punk Rock Mambo's not up to the job. Her look and backstory didn't exactly fit the dilapidated bayou cabin she inhabits but I guess I don't mind playing against type. But she's not old enough to be calling his Loa an "old rascal", that's something Nettie could get away with but it doesn't seem to fit her tenure.

Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only one to feel this way.

It's the only thing that bothered me about the story.

I miss Nettie. A young, british, mohawked, punk mambo doesn't make sense to me. If not Nettie, then it should have at least been an older lady. This girl looked about 25. How much experience could she have had with the Loa, or any dark spirits? I hope that we never see her again.

If I recall correctly, Nettie was an old lady who at some point was able to revert to her younger self in appearance - so why couldn't this punk rock mambo potentially be an older lady in disguise? I think someone above said they would cringe at the idea, but I think it makes perfect sense in the context of that 'old rascal' dialogue jmatt mentioned. It may be a repeat of a concept, but that's not always a bad thing if done right...

[jmatt]

If I recall correctly, Nettie was an old lady who at some point was able to revert to her younger self in appearance - so why couldn't this punk rock mambo potentially be an older lady in disguise?

I've tossed that idea about -- but Milligan went out of his way to have her give a detailed backstory. Now, one might think it's just a way of maintaining her cover story (if indeed she is older) but it seemed too natural and offhand to be a bluff.

[grendeljd]

If I recall correctly, Nettie was an old lady who at some point was able to revert to her younger self in appearance - so why couldn't this punk rock mambo potentially be an older lady in disguise?

I've tossed that idea about -- but Milligan went out of his way to have her give a detailed backstory. Now, one might think it's just a way of maintaining her cover story (if indeed she is older) but it seemed too natural and offhand to be a bluff.

Gotcha. I need to re-read the issue again.

[ShadowTuga]

I'll also add that this was the most enjoyable SHADOWMAN issue since the Darque tale. I am pumped for the future with this team- five dark as *SQUEE* stars!!!!

[Shadowman99]

I'll also add that this was the most enjoyable SHADOWMAN issue since the Darque tale. I am pumped for the future with this team- five dark as *SQUEE* stars!!!!

Wonder how long they'll work on the book though

I'm not averse to changing the creative team at all, but I think that maintaining a dark tone in the art and writing is going to be key to keeping the 'feel' of the book coherent throughout creative changes, unlike the former artist-hopping method.

I think at the moment that it's looking as though Shadowman is finally becoming the book it always should have been: I'll be majorly *SQUEE* if the whole thing drastically changes style again after a single arc.