Review: Shadecraft #5
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Joe Henderson
Artist: Lee Garbett, Antonio Fabela
Colors: Antonio Fabela
Letters: 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 Lu lived in her amazing brother’s shadow all her life. Now, he’s trapped in her shadow—literally—and he can’t take it anymore. It’s brother versus sister in an epic battle as Zadie fights to save her family!
Positives
Joe Henderson provides a conclusion/beginning to a perfect “family” drama. I cannot heave enough accolades on the idea of shadows that actually can be manipulated but also be manifest into actual “people/creatures”. Henderson has established this story complete with government mischief, a family feel, and a teenage angst.
I was quickly reminded of a DC’s Naomi-type of adventure, and while it had elements of this as well as Stranger Things, Shadecraft will stand on its own for some time. In fact, this could arguably be another Netflix hit if the right person got involved in producing it as a movie.
Here is hoping that this five issue arc has more in store for us as five issues is simply not enough. This family needs more “page time” as Henderson proves in the last frame of the comic….this is just the beginning!
Positives 2.0
Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela play with ink and colors so well together. Shadecraft is anything but a “black” comic in terms of all the pages being dark and dismal. This dream team takes Henderson’s script and provides the right angles, shading and nuances where we have the eye candy needed to tell this story!
Negatives
This was issue #5 in a 5 issue arc! Sigh….this cannot end! That is a negative in that this team has developed a really cool family with some really cool powers. We want more issues!
Verdict
Henderson and Garbett have so much potential here in adventures in Shadecraft. With seeds in the story to let us know there are more “out there”, give the people and the fans what they want – being cool in the shade.
