First Watch: Don’t Fear the Dark, the Shadowman Returns..

On March 28th, SHADOWMAN storms to the forefront of the Valiant Universe, more formidable, more terrifying, and more relentless than ever before, Jack Boniface, finally getting a fitting reboot, as Valiant announces the all-new SHADOWMAN #1, the first issue in what is described as “a powerful new ongoing series from superstar writer Andy Diggle (Green Arrow: Year One, Daredevil) and powerhouse artist Stephen Segovia (Action Comics)!

Valiant has an epic tradition of  bringing back their heroes in a way that leaves the reader blown away, reaching to be as innovative as possible and putting together some of the most impressive creative teams to date going into 2018, they have done it with X-O MANOWAR, BLOODSHOT REBORN, and NINJAK; SHADOWMAN’s a ‘staggering new beginning for Valiant’s supernatural icon starting in March of 2018 with “FEAR OF THE DARK” – reportedly, “a tense and gripping three-issue introduction pushing Jack Boniface to the farthest edge of fear itself…and into a startling, adrenaline-fueled fight for survival as Shadowman takes command of the birthright he was born to uphold!”

 Writer, Andy Diggle, describes the first story arc as “a story about stepping out of the shadows and embracing the light, trying to move on from your own mistakes and be a better man…, it’s not easy, [and] as Shadowman,  Jack will never fully be able to escape his own demons.  It’s about learning to live with them, and as he comes to a better understanding of himself and his family’s legacy,  he’ll discover whole new worlds and new powers he never even imagined he had.”

Don’t fear your demons… Fight them!  Orphaned at birth and raised on the margins of society, Jack Boniface never knew his place in the world.  Until he discovered it waiting for him…in a darkness far older than the reign of men… 

Unbeknownst to him, Jack was fated to become the next in a long lineage of Shadowmen – mortals bound to violent voodoo spirits of immense power – that could safeguard our world against incursions from realms beyond. For years, he struggled to control the Loa’s murderous urges – a battle he eventually lost.

But now, after years of self-imposed exile, the man once known as Shadowman is returning home to sharpen the weapon within…and unleash a reckoning on the evils of our world that will soon send shockwaves through heaven and hell alike…!! 

Valiant Editor-in-Chief, Warren Simons, says “Andy Diggle is a phenomenal new addition to Valiant, and he brings an incredible amount of vision and precision to his long-term plans for one of Valiant’s most seminal characters…[and]…together with the exceptional Stephen Segovia – who is delivering page after page of stunning,  career-defining work on this series – this team is gearing up to unleash what will be one of Valiant’s most important series and a central new pillar for our publishing line.”

After this first story arc is complete, “FEAR OF THE DARK’s”, what is being described as a “blockbuster-level gauntlet of action and intrigue across issues #1-3”, SHADOWMAN,  Diggle has plans that have been in the making for quite some time, road-mapping the direction the title will take for almost two years with promising twists and turns, even rumors of the deaths of a major character, and the introduction of others!  The media release says this is the biggest reboot of a Valiant character to date, and that plans going forward will ‘redefine the boundaries of Valiant’s paranormal underworld…and that together will encompass the most ambitious and fearsome Shadowman tale ever told.‘

According to Dinesh Shamdasani,  Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer, “SHADOWMAN #1 will be Valiant’s single most important monthly series launch of 2018″ which is a fairly significant statement with the recent launch of Ninjak and Harbinger: Renegade  and the plans for Harbinger Wars II, a massive crossover event for Valiant coming later in 2018!  Shamdasani also says that Valiant has “dedicated a vast amount of time and resources to cementing tent-pole series for our most beloved and demanded characters, and Shadowman has long been at the top of that list.  This is one of the most vital, but as-yet unexplored, mythologies in the whole of the Valiant library.  Together, Andy Diggle and Stephen Segovia are going to be leading off a massive slate of surprises – wait until you see the second arc! – that is going to make Shadowman an integral component of Valiant’s bold plans for the future.”  If Shamdasani’s comments don’t confirm the importance and magnitude of this project, then we are not reading the same information, my point being, Valiant has some truly original and exciting things in store for fans of Shadowman and I expect they plan on an upswing in new fans following the title as well.

On March 28th,  the Valiant Universe will never be the same!  The All-New SHADOWMAN #1 featuring covers by a stunning cast of artists, including Eisner Award nominee Tonci Zonjic (Who is Jake Ellis?), Renato Guedes (BLOODSHOT SALVATION, Wolverine), Juan José Ryp (BRITANNIA), and Travel Foreman (Animal Man, The Ultimates)!

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