Review: Fear of the Dark

Fear of the Dark by Andy Diggle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shadowman is back! It's been a long time since Shadowman had a solo series with Valiant. So I think I had some high expectations for this book because I've really enjoyed the character in the past. This was a chance to bring him back to the fore and have a little more magic in the Valiant universe. As much as I wanted to like this book, Diggle's writing didn't really work for me. I want to say it is a combination of the dialogue and the story itself that left me feeling a little blah on this volume.

Among the things I enjoyed are Stephen Segovia's art, the use of the Abettors, and at least one bad guy from Jack's past. Segovia's art is wonderful. It's different from some of the previous incarnations of Jack, but I felt like it added to his personality. The demons and such that he encounters are awful and terrific at the same time. The Abettors, for those that don't know, are a group connected with Shadowman and tried to help Jack as he emerged into his new role. Their appearance here feels like it adds more to the previous series by filling in some history and such. Baron Samedi is great. He works well as a tempter and, given the background of the character, he is a perfect villain.

While this isn't my favorite Shadowman book to date, I am excited to get more stories featuring the character and would definitely pick up the next volume.

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