BOOK OF SHADOWS #2, from Valiant Entertainment on August 24th, 2022, uncovers the terrifying motivation behind Exarch Fane’s attacks. A motivation that could threaten the entire universe.
The Details
- Written by: Cullen Bunn
- Art by: Vicente Cifuentes
- Colors by: Nick Filardi
- Letters by: Dave Sharpe
- Cover art by: Rafael Albuquerque (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: August 24, 2022
Is It Good?
BOOK OF SHADOWS #2 is a serviceable entry in the series with big things happening that portend big consequences for the Earth and beyond. Unfortunately, the story feels oddly small, so the gravity of the situation doesn’t hit as hard as you would expect.
When last we left the group of Valiant’s supernatural supers, they met Exarch Fane, a malignant being from the Veil who has a history with Eternal Warrior. This issue fills readers in on the past encounter between EW and Fane, so there’s plenty of juicy exposition to fill in the blanks of the first issue and lay the foundation for the conflict to come. To their credit, the creative team does an excellent job of showing just as much as telling you what happened, so the background is interesting.
The story feels small because every part of the issue, both in the present and the past, is confined to just the key characters. For a world-ending event, you see very little of how the death plays out on a massive scale, you don’t see whole towns fleeing in terror from a pack of ravenous monsters, and you don’t see humanity resisting the onslaught. Most of the issue keeps readers focused on a very small window of our characters as they first fight, then flee, and then scheme their next steps.
In fairness, the story is written well and Cifuentes’s art is above average. There’s nothing wrong with the technical execution, so keep in mind that this critique is based on the creative choice to stay small when the threat is supposed to be big.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Bask in the horror of Exarch Fane’s first appearance in our BOOK OF SHADOWS #1 review.
We begin with the Shadow Squad locked in a fierce battle with Exarch Fane. Eternal Warrior taunts the villain and is taunted in return as the two appear to know each other. A glowing book hovers near Fane, and the book appears to be amplifying the villain’s power. Despite their best efforts, the heroes lose ground, so Shadowman teleports them to a safe location to regroup and assess the situation.
Eternal Warrior uses the respite to explain how he enters a dimension between life and death called the Veil. After dying, EW must fight his way through monsters and villains to be resurrected. During one such gauntlet in the Veil, EW encountered and defeated Exarch Fane, but Fane did not die as EW thought. Now, Fane has escaped the Veil with the Book of Shadows to grant him great power.
Doctor Mirage makes contact with an assortment of spirits for intel and discovers the book was created by otherworldly beings. We conclude the issue with Hellish fine print, a buffet, and a plan.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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BOOK OF SHADOWS #2 is a fine entry in the series with well-crafted flashbacks and exposition that give readers the history of Exarch Fane and his plans for the world. The art is good, and the writing execution is excellent, but the minor drawback is how small the story feels compared to the threat presented.
Related Information
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