From Gamespot, Valiant Entertainment announced a new “Shadowman” ongoing beginning on May 20, written by Cullen Bunn with art by Jon Davis-Hunt, colors by Jordie Bellaire, and lettering by Clayton Cowles. The horror-inspired hero of the Valiant Universe will be leaving his New Orleans base of operations to tour the world, confronting supernatural threats in various locales in each issue while continuing to protect reality from the horrors of the Deadside.
The new series is meant to be a jumping-on point for readers interested in the character and the general Valiant Universe. Editor Heather Antos says, “You don’t need to know anything about Shadowman, about comics, about horror — hell, Jon’s visual storytelling is so strong you don’t even need to know how to read English to enjoy this book. Every single issue takes Jack to a brand-new location, battling a brand-new Blight, making each chapter a standalone adventure by itself, but also builds towards something much bigger and sinister.”
Bunn has a long career of writing horror-based comics including “Harrow County” and “The Empty Man,” along with Valiant Entertainment’s “Punk Mambo” (who first appeared in “Shadowman” #13 in 2013). In this latest version of “Shadowman,” the creators will continue to explore the horrors of the Valiant Universe by introducing a new concept called the Blight.
Bunn says that the Blight “is weakening the veil between our world and the Deadside. And these Blights occur in places of great sorrow and misery and evil. We’re also introducing a new ‘big bad’ villain who will be changing the face of the supernatural in the Valiant Universe.”
On the character of Jack Boniface, the Shadowman, Davis-Hunt says, “Shadowman is effectively a superhero, operating in a horror movie. He travels the world, hunting monsters, and when he finds them, he punches them into oblivion or slices them up with his seriously lethal shadow-scythe. He protects our reality from the horrors of the Deadside, and though that burden hangs heavy upon him, he still manages to keep a calm, cool attitude, even when he’s faced with unspeakable evil.”
This latest ongoing of “Shadowman” follows the 2018 run of the character by writer Andy Diggle, artists Stephen Segovia, Renato Guedes, and others. The announcement of “Shadowman” is tied to Valiant Entertainment’s Valiant 2020: The Year of Heroes promotion, following the previously announced “The Final Witness.”
