The story was indeed interesting as Kirk, Spock, Sulu, and Red Shirt beam down to planet Phaedus IV in the middle of the civil war as the inhabitants are on the brink of being wiped out by the dominant race The Shadows. The main conflict of this story was the “Prime Directive”, as it forbids any involvement in the planet’s affairs. This didn’t sit well with Robert Kelly (argubly the first Enterprise Captain), the older Enterprise Captain long thought to be dead, but in reality beamed himself down to the planet with as much tech and weapons he could to aid in their defense. The morals of the enterprise crew are challenged and this is where I feel Kirk is coming to his own as Captain seeing the effects of the directive first hand. The story was easy to follow through and had many surprises and “a-ha!” moments at pivotal points of the trade. I was indeed all smiles when I saw the daughter of renowned con-man and smuggler Harry Mudd, and the inclusion of the Klingons shed light on the reason behind their involvement in the movie.

The characters truly evolve into their own throughout and are a joy to follow. Spock and Robert Kelly were the most engaging in my opinion and to see Spock rationalizing his decisions to look more logical to cover up his hurt and emotions from the aftermath of Vulcan, and possibly to cover up his death wish. His relationship with Kirk is touched upon here again an though they are growing into fully trusting one another, it seems they have more ways to go to get to that strong bond they’re known to have. I loved the detail and the art and honestly, it did take me long to notice the Starfleet insignia designs on the uniforms. Slow? Possibly, but I can argue that I was too engaged into the story to notice. The colors are bright and beautiful when needed and captured the essence of Enterprise wonderfully.

Robert Orci, Mike Johnson, Penciler David Messina, Inker Marina Castelvetro, Colorist Claudia Scarletgothica, Letterer and Collection producer Chris Mowry, Creative Consultant Anthony Pascale, Editor Scott Dunbier, and Collection editors Justin Eisinger and Alonzo have done a wonderful job with this prequel series and if you’re a trekkie, trekker, or someone who loved the movie I recommend you adding this to your collection.

Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness
Mike Johnson (w) • David Messina (a & c)

The countdown to the motion picture event of 2013 begins here, in this blockbuster 4-issue prequel mini-series that sets the stage for the upcoming STAR TREK film! Like the best-selling STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN in 2009, this all-new series leads directly into the next movie, with a story by STAR TREK writer/producer Roberto Orci and Mike Johnson (STAR TREK ongoing series), and drawn by the original STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN artist, David Messina! STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN TO DARKNESS is the can’t-miss lead-in to the new adventures of the Enterprise crew!

TPB • FC • $17.99 • 104 pages • ISBN 978-1-61377-623-0

Muy Mareado!, Review: Star Trek Countdown To Darkness Trade Paperback

THE SHADOW #13
Chris Roberson (w)
Giovanni Timpanol (a)
Alex Ross, Paolo Rivera, Tim Bradstreet, Francesco Francavilla (c)
4 regular covers will be shipped in equal ratios
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
A grisly string of random murders has left the authorities baffled, but The Shadow believes there is method to the killer’s madness. At each crime scene, eyewitnesses have spotted the spectral figure of a woman in white. Is “The Light” behind the murders, or a victim’s lost spirit? The Shadow must unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again!

When asked on Twitter if this would be longer than the upcoming “Light” arc, Roberson said he didn’t plan on going away anytime soon. This is great news for Shadow fans. Roberson has handled the cast of Masks well, but his Shadow writing stands out. The writer mentioned he particularly enjoyed writing the character in our interview last month (click here for that).  It will be interesting to see what Roberson brings to his first arc. He has written a lot of great stories and comics, but I’ve been particularly impressed with Masks. Having Chris Roberson continue on with the pulp characters will be something you can’t miss. What do you think about the news? Will you be tuning in for The Shadow vs. The Light?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Chris Roberson To Write The Shadow Ongoing

Garth Ennis is know for a few things.  Dark atmosphere and a plethora of violence are two of them.  And his new ongoing, The Shadow, is full of both of those.  Oh, and World War II as well.

Garth Ennis does a good job of giving readers a great sense of who this character is. This reviewer wasn’t familiar with the Shadow, but having Ennis’ name on the front is a great reason to read the book.  After reading the book though, anyone could describe who the Shadow is.  At least enough to get people to read the book.  As with anything else Ennis writes, the book is very dark.  The issue opens with a description of what the Japanese occupation of a country was like.  It’s brutal, and sets the tone well for what Ennis has planned. The World War II setting is used well.  It’s hard these days to use World War II as a setting, as many comics are using it.  Between superhero books, noir books, a book needs to set itself apart from the rest of those books.  This reviewer is a history major, and his facts are right, which makes everything you read after that much more interesting.  The Shadow and his supporting players are set up very well.  The reader gets a good grasp of who they are, how they relate to the Shadow or his secret identity, and how they feel about the Shadow.  They are all compelling and it makes the reader want to come back next month to see what is going to happen next.

One thing that doesn’t work is the complete lack of explanation of how the Shadow works.  The character is very interesting, little to nothing is explained about how he has the wonderful gifts.  The powers are good in their own right, but at least give a hint.  Comic books are a medium all about hints and teases, so doing nothing about this is a bad move.  Garth Ennis is a great writer though, so this had to be planned.  The Shadow is a licensed property, with a long history, but Ennis seems to be doing his own take.  After a quick Wikipedia search, a power set couldn’t be found.

Aaron Campbell’s art is very similar to Sean Phillips.  The characters are detailed, and the second someone fires a gun, the BLAM looks like a fifth grader drew it.  But the art is good.  It fits the dark atmosphere that Ennis is clearly going for.  The opening scene with the Japanese fits the script well.  If this was a creator owned book, I’m sure Campbell could have pushed the boundaries of what the Japanese were doing.  Which makes anyone who thinks about it start to cringe at the thought.  And comparing anyones art to Sean Phillips is nothing but a compliment.  The Shadow looks like a force of nature instead of a vigilante, which is a great idea.  The book has a pulpy look to it, which is good for paying homage to the character’s origin.  Campbell has a great future ahead of him.

The Shadow starts off right, but could have been a lot better.  But it’s safe to say that anyone who reads the book will be around next month to see what happens next.

The Shadow #1 gets 3.5/5.

MrComicBook, The Shadow #1 Review

“We are pleased and excited to entrust The Shadow to the capable, creative hands of Dynamite Entertainment,”

said Jerry Birenz, licensing attorney for Conde Nast.

“We look forward to a continuation of the long tradition of The Shadow in comic books, and the enjoying of the new adventures and experiences Dynamite Entertainment will bring us.”

Introduced as a mysterious radio narrator by David Chrisman, William Sweets, and Harry Engman Charlot for Street and Smith Publications, The Shadow was fully developed and transformed into a pop culture icon by pulp writer Walter B. Gibson.

The Shadow debuted on July 31, 1930, as the mysterious narrator of the Street and Smith radio program Detective Story Hour.  After gaining popularity among the show’s listeners, the narrator became the star of The Shadow Magazine on April 1, 1931, a pulp series created and primarily written by the prolific Gibson.

“Pursuing The Shadow has been a life time quest,”

says Dynamite Entertainment President and Publisher Nick Barrucci.

“Dynamite is working to launch the Shadow with some of the comic industries leading talent including John Cassaday, Alex Ross, Ryan Sook and Jae Lee, with more to be announced – creators who will bring justice to The Shadow.”

Just as with Dynamite’s pick up of The Green Hornet, this could also signal movement on a new Shadow movie. The Shadow was last seen on screen in 1994 in a film starring Alec Baldwin, Penelope Ann Miller, John Lone, Ian McKellen, and Tim Curry. In years past, Sam Raimi has also expressed interest in doing a Shadow movie.

Comic Book Therapy, Dynamite Picks Up “The Shadow”!