Creative Staff:
Story: Ron Marz
Art: Ivan Rodriguez
What They Say:
An island of drifting fog and haunting legend, where reality and nightmare walk hand in hand, Innsmouth welcomes its latest shadow. Lamont and his assistant find themselves mysteriously marooned on this quaint spit of land, and with stories of Deep Ones and treacherous goings-on, The Shadow stirs.
Content: (Spoiler free)
Word play aside, this has been one of the greatest one shots I’ve had the pleasure to read. Lamont Cranston, playboy billionaire, and crime-fighting vigilante comes face to face with a darkness he’s never seen before. I applaud Mr. Marz’s ability to take a story nearly as old as The Shadow itself, and bring it to life in new and fascinating ways. With just enough H.P Lovecraft mythos to intrigue the uninitiated and refresh the informed, The Shadow Over Innsmouth provides all the ingredients for an enjoyable reading experience.
I rarely have cause to stop reading and appreciate the intricacies of a page layout, but Ivan Rodriguez’s art certainly gave me pause. Dynamic and intricate, panels are connected by slithering tendrils of Lovecraftian influence on one page, only to explode in violence on another. Doing wonders to show the difference between Lamont and his alter ego, Mr. Rodriguez uses paneling and color palate to lend a visual cue to the shift in Lamont Cranston’s personality.
In Summary:
Brilliantly paced, expertly told, and wonderfully executed, The Shadow Over Innsmouth was a fantastic thirty-two pages. Personally, I walked away from this story with renewed faith that old properties, though long out of circulation, can find a home in modern entertainment. Being a longtime follower of both H.P Lovecraft and The Shadow, I can say that super-fans and casual readers alike will enjoy this book.
Grade: A+
Age Rating: Teen +
Released By: Dynamite
Release Date: April, 2014
MSRP: $4.99
