It seems that every major comic book universe these days has a realm of magic, a place where the supernatural and unexplained thrive and it’s up to heroes and characters with special abilities to make sure this small and fragile mortal realm is protected from hoards of gribly demon monsters that want to eat the faces off any and all humans. In the Valiant Universe that magical realm is known as the Deadside, and it is not a place you want to visit.
Marvel has characters like Dr. Strange and the Scarlet Witch, DC has the likes of Zatana, and Constantine, and Valiant has people like the voodoo spirit Deadman. Now it’s up to Deadman to save Earth from the latest threat from the Deadside, only this time he’s got some magical help.
Written by Cullen BunnCover by: Rafael Albuquerque
Illustrated by Vincente Cifuentes
Colored by Nick Filardi
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
“Shadowman. Punk Mambo. Eternal Warrior. Doctor Mirage. The supernatural protectors of the Valiant Universe unite for the very first time to stand against a terrifying ancient threat. No one is safe as Exarch Fane has his cold hands on the Book of Shadows.Master of horror Cullen Bunn and rising star artist Riccardo Latina present BOOK OF SHADOWS, a supernatural event that forms a brand-new team in the Valiant Universe… but will they be enough to stop Exarch Fane’s wrath?”
“The Book of Shadows” #1 opens with a bang as a pack of hellhounds descends upon a small town in the middle of the United States and butchers the inhabitants. They claim that this world is theirs for the taking and that their ultimate triumph is foretold in something called the book of shadows. In order to stop this, most of Valiant’s resident magic users are on the case, although they all have different reasons. Shadowman and his demon friend Persephone are first on the scene and wish to only stop the bloodshed, while the priestess Punk Mambo and Doctor Mirage join them, partially to stop the violence but also to keep an eye on Persephone and make sure that her ties to the Deadside don’t spiral out of control. However, it seems that a third player has entered the game: the immortal fighter Gilad Anni-Pada, also known as The Eternal Warrior, and it appears he has some experience fighting the coming darkness.
‘The Book of Shadows” #1 is written by Cullen Bunn, who is not only a very well established and well known horror and supernatural comic book writer, he is also responsible for developing a huge chunk of the mythology and history of Valiant’s supernatural world. Bunn’s talents and reputation are on full display here, and “The Book of Shadows” #1 is lean, tight, and efficient first issue. Bunn doesn’t waste any time trying to introduce the characters and their backstory, it’s just a few lines of exposition showing new or unfamiliar readers who these characters are and a bit about what they do. On top of that, Bunn does a great job of setting the stage for a really good ensemble comic by focusing on the relationships between the characters and the scope and scale of the threat they have to face. These are not heroes who are used to working with others (especially in the case of someone like the Eternal Warrior who’s last team outing ended…poorly), and these are heroes that don’t necessarily like each other. However, they all realize the scope and scale of the threat they face and can all agree that they have to work together to defeat it. It’s not necessarily the best comic to read if you have no prior experience with these characters, but there are plenty of resources available to learn more about them and catch up on their previous adventures.
The artwork for “The Book of Shadows” #1 is drawn by Vincente Cifuentes and while it doesn’t take a whole lot of creative risks, the artwork is solid and very fitting for a superhero book. In fact, it’s safe to say that long time superhero comic book fans will probably recognize the art style as something very similar to a lot of Marvel books that have been published over the last couple of years. It’s an art style that favors function over form and is very good at telling a story. The characters are well proportioned, everything looks recognizable and realistic, and a couple of the action scenes keep the characters tight and close while skimping on the background detail to focus on the action and presumably to keep the artwork on schedule. Special mention deserves to go to the character design of the big villain that everyone’s going to have to fight. It’s a combination of vampiric imagery mixed with a bit of Morgoth/Sauron from Tolkien’s work. It’s a combination of ideas that really drives home just how powerful and evil the bad guy is, and how imperative it is for the good guys to win.
“The Book of Shadows” #1 is the beginning of what promises to be a great ensemble book, starring some of Valiant’s more eccentric and supernatural heroes, and while it is a book that doesn’t take a whole lot of creative risks, it’s a solid first issue that lays the foundation for what’s to come.
Final Verdict: 8.1- It’s a solid introduction to future issues, but you might want to do some homework before reading it..
