Shadow #2

[Ghornet2]

A little more background and a good bit of action. Margo is definitly not a piece of fluff and i'm not sure what to make of the bit with the pilot. All in all a good issue.

[TheReader]

It was okay, a bit boring and not a lot of "The Shadow" going on in this issue but it was pretty enjoyable as a whole. I hope to see more of The Shadow and less Cranston in issue #3.

[comixfan1980]

I've had this since last Friday anf I really enjoyed it but like with other reviews I've read online I think it suffered from too much chit-chat and not enough of the iconic Shadow appearing within these pages. Other than that, I really dug it and am siked for the third issue in the series! :)

[positronic]

The only bit that bothered me was the reference to Cranston/Allard's past and need for redemption. Nice to see the name check for Kent Allard, but wish Ennis had left out the idea (an invention of Howard Chaykin's, later adopted by the movie) that The Shadow "knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men" because he used to be evil himself. Not even sure if Ennis' realized that this was entirely a Chaykin idea from the 1980s. Hope to see no more about that particular subject.

[manga4life]

I enjoyed the issue quite a bit, it got a little boring for a second but picked up nicely toward the middle/end of the book, but all in all it was a good issue. I'm loving Lamont Cranston as a character, he's fresh and really interesting to me and I'm kind of digging that The Shadow does indeed have some "powers".

Great stuff, DE!

[Chadster]

Good continuation from issue #1, enjoying the story a lot and I love the ring The Shadow is wearing, the fact that he has powers is kind of cool because a lot of these pulp heroes dont.

Keep it up Dynamite, The Shadow's a hit with your fans!

[Britt68]

I am liking the Shadow. Agree #2 started out a little slow. I like how we are getting more morsels of what they are up against in the Japanese High Command. We are also getting subtle gimpses into the Shadow's powers. I would like to see a little more of the super powers come out, but I suspect that will come as the title develops. Still trying to get a better grasp on the relationship between Cranston and Lane. In #1, Cranston makes references to the "master" Lane belongs to, but then it seems like there is a consensual relationship goinig on.

Lots of questions to answer which should make some good reading.

[positronic]

Missed Cranston's reference to Lane's "master". Will have to read this again. Referring to himself (as The Shadow) in the third person? Seems a bit odd, but who knows.

I wonder -- is it even possible that the Cranston referring to Lane's "master" is NOT The Shadow, but the REAL Cranston?

[Tulku]

Missed Cranston's reference to Lane's "master". Will have to read this again. Referring to himself (as The Shadow) in the third person? Seems a bit odd, but who knows.

I wonder -- is it even possible that the Cranston referring to Lane's "master" is NOT The Shadow, but the REAL Cranston?

I missed it too, but just looked it up. Cranston says to her: "You know the weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Bears pus and poison. Taints the world, makes God a lie. You chose to serve a master who would stamp it back into the dirt; you swore an oath to do his bidding. You are his agent and his spy, and yet your hands are stained with very little blood...In your heart, you are thankful he is there to do the butcher-work."

So the "master" would not be the real Cranston. It must be referring to the Shadow. And while I'd like to believe this was the real Cranston talking, referring to the Shadow, that doesn't really fit either considering (just before this speech) he was discussing how he can see the future. So I am afraid that we have to assume he was talking about himself in the third person.

[positronic]

Yeah, without looking at it, I had a glimmer of hope that Ennis might somehow acknowledge that Allard assumes any identity he chooses like other men change their wardrobe, including doing perfect impersonations of existing people like Cranston. I was a little let down to learn that it's pretty easy for the bad guys to figure out that The Shadow has gone under the names of Cranston and Allard. Here it seems that all he really does it assume a name and a persona.

But I really thought it was the other thing. It's the kind of thing you can only get away with in comics. That kind of carrying on about yourself in the third person would sound ridiculous on film. In that little speech it almost seems like he's using his powers of hypnosis on Margo -- "You know... You chose... you swore... you are..." When I snap my fingers, you will awaken with no memory of this conversation! Yeah, he really has a way with women, like Svengali or Charlie Manson.

I always thought it was a little strange that in the novels the real Cranston lets The Shadow take over his life for large chunks of time, yet he never really figures in any of the novels as an agent. Whether Cranston allows this out of some kind of past debt to the Shadow or out of fear of the Shadow is never really clear (maybe a little of both). Regardless, I was always hoping for a novel in which he played more than just a bit part.

[Britt68]

I am not as familiar with the original Shadow as you guys are. I am gathering that in the original, the Shadow is more than just an alter ego whom Cranston becomes (ie Batman to Bruce Wayne). rather, the Shadow is more of a different entity that takes over Cranston (ie the Hulk to Bruce Banner or Mr Hyde to Dr Jeckyll)? Interesting.

[Tulku]

It is more a case of true identity theft. The real Cranston, besides being filthy rich, loved to travel the world. During his prolonged absences, the Shadow assumed his identity. Fairly early on in the novels, the real Cranston confronted the Shadow about it and the Shadow explained that he knew more details about Cranston's life then Cranston could remember--so that if the real Cranston ever challenged him, the Shadow would make it seem like the real Cranston was a fraud. So, early on, Cranston cooperated out of fear. Later he seemed to be more willing to play along--perhaps approving of what the Shadow was doing. In the 1930s, that wouldn't be too difficult. If he went to Africa to travel, there was no easy way to check on it. However, many, many novels later, the real Cranston, while traveling, was injured and thus made headlines in NY--unfortunately while the Shadow was pretending to be him. This forced the Shadow to temporarily drop the Cranston identity and use his (alleged) real identity of aviator Kent Allard (supposedly lost in the Amazon for years). But after a few Allard stories, the Shadow apparently decided that it was safe to reassume the Cranston identity.

There is a funny scene in one of the novels just after Margo Lane was introduced to the novels (she was on the radio show long before she made it to the books): Apparently the real Cranston is the one who first made Margo's acquaintance while on a ship. But she then stayed in NY and attached herself to the person she thought was "Cranston"--resulting in the Shadow grumbling (somewhat jokingly) about how Cranston had saddled him with Lane!

[edited for typos]

[jsf]

I am not as familiar with the original Shadow as you guys are. I am gathering that in the original, the Shadow is more than just an alter ego whom Cranston becomes (ie Batman to Bruce Wayne). rather, the Shadow is more of a different entity that takes over Cranston (ie the Hulk to Bruce Banner or Mr Hyde to Dr Jeckyll)? Interesting.

No, the Shadow is someone altogether different (Kent Allard) who takes on the identity of Cranston (among others). Cranston is actually a completely separate -- living -- person.

Edit: Tulku beat me to it. And much better I might add.

[positronic]

There is a funny scene in one of the novels just after Margo Lane was introduced to the novels (she was on the radio show long before she made it to the books): Apparently the real Cranston is the one who first made Margo's acquaintance while on a ship. But she then stayed in NY and attached herself to the person she thought was "Cranston"--resulting in the Shadow grumbling (somewhat jokingly) about how Cranston had saddled him with Lane!

[edited for typos]

Might be a sly grumble from Walter Gibson about being saddled with the character, too. There was also the comment made by the Shadow (as Cranston, I think) that "Whenever trouble is coming up, I know it from the way Margo gets into it".

[Britt68]

Thanks for the info, guys. This is much more complex than I thought. My exposure to the Shadow is mainly through the Alec Baldwin movie. Should be interesting to see how Ennis weaves this all together.

[positronic]

Anybody interested in learning the complex, fascinating history of The Shadow in all media could do a lot worse than watching this fan-produced (but very authoritative) 2-hour documentary:

[Click on the picture to order from Amazon.com]

451 (http://www.amazon.com/The-Shadow-Knows/dp/B0080JTIX8/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1338879332&sr=1-1)