Review: Shadecraft #4
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer:Â Joe Henderson
Artist: Lee Garbett, Antonio Fabela
Colors: Antonio Fabela
Letters:Â Simon Bowland
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
Zadie Lu is afraid of her own shadow. She’s a teenager, so she REALLY should have grown out of it by now, right? But something weird is happening in her small town. Zadie could swear the shadows are coming to life.
Zadie discovers the truth about Shadecraft and what happened to her brother Ricky a year ago.
Can Zadie pull off a desperate gambit to get her brother back? And does he even want to come back??
Positives
Shame on you Joe Henderson! You zigged when I thought you were zagging! What a plot twist. I would love to compare it a bit to DC’s Naomi as it has a certain similar feel to it. But Zadie, as it turns out, is a chip off the old block.
What we thought was a burden that she was carrying on her own is now shared by her mother as well as Zadie’s mom practices Shadecraft and has for quite some time.
Kudos to Henderson for giving us a solid backstory on her origin as well as the mystery of how “amped up” Zadie’s powers have the potential to be.  Here’s hoping this mother/daughter team up leads to an even bigger catapult to the story!
Positives 2.0
Lee Garbett actually should be credited with the reveal in this story as Zadie and her mom argue at the table and the shadows start to engulf from both sides. To pull that off takes a keen eye for multiple frames. The fact that Dad yells “Guys. Shadows!” let’s you know that while Dad has no powers, even he knows when enough is enough! Love this scene!
Negatives
None…Nada….but the cliffhanger has us anticipating the next issue! From writing to art, this comic has it all!
Verdict
Henderson and Garbett are on the verge of providing what could be a really premiere comic. There is so much potential here in adventures in Shadecraft. With seeds in the story to let us know there are more “out there”….. this is so cool!
