SHADOWMAN: SOUL EATERS #3, by Valiant Comics on 12/18/24, sends Jack Boniface on a trip to the Soulside to find the only person who can break Alyssa’s curse and stop Master Darque.
Credits:
- Writer: A.J. Ampadu
- Artist: Sergio Monjes
- Colorist: Sergio Monjes
- Letterer: Ezequiel Inverni, Camila Jorge
- Cover Artist: Leo Lujan (cover A)
- Publisher: Valiant Comics
- Release Date: December 18, 2024
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 26
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of SHADOWMAN: SOUL EATERS #3:
First Impressions:
File Shadowman: Soul Eaters #3 under “Rough with a capital ‘R’.” Writer A.J. Ampadu’s quest for the Voodo-based hero presents interesting ideas to form a powerful alliance, but the ideas are overshadowed by walls of exposition, terrible dialog, and drama-less action.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left Jack Boniface in Shadowman: Soul Eaters #2, Magpie almost extracted her prize for Master Darque, a sample of Shadowman’s blood, but Persephone, the mortal embodiment of the Darkside arrived to unleash the full power of death on Earth. The issue concluded with a peek into the partnership between Darque and Silk and another Immortal arriving to lend a hand.
In Shadowman: Soul Eaters #2, Jack Boniface wakes up to find a soul demon chowing down on his body parts. Jack grabs his Scythe and slices the demon deep enough to push back, giving our hero a chance to tumble down a hill of corpses, where he’s found by a hooded stranger.
A.J. Ampadu throws the reader off-kilter by starting in the middle of an alien setting, disconnected from the ending of the previous issue. On the one hand, the confusion is jarring, but on the other, the issue starts with a shock to grab your attention.
The comic flashes back to a meeting hours before when Ivar showed up to rally Shadwoman and his allies for the challenge before them. After a lot of talking through options. Zaya agrees to use the Book of Shadows to open a portal to the Soulside so Jack can find and form an alliance with Sandria Darque.
In fairness to Ampadu, the plan makes sense. Unfortunately, the stiff, unnatural dialog reads more like an instruction manual than a natural conversation between characters.
Zaya succeeds with no fanfare, giving Jack an opening to squeeze through to the Soulside, which is how he wound up as an afternoon snack for a demon. Now, Jack wakes up to find his limbs replaced with the long, green appendages of some gigantic praying mantis. Jack was found by Sandria Darque, who replaced missing limbs. Fortunately, Jack can simply wish for the limbs to take on a natural shape due to the magical power of the Soulside. Then, Jack and Sandria engage in a 6-page dialog to discuss Jack’s request to have her join his fight.
The issue concludes with a very brief montage and two characters moving toward the light.
Overall, Shadowman: Soul Eaters #3 is a stiff, clunky, issue that focuses on checklist writing to get the character from point A to point B. A.J. Ampadu’s ideas have potential, but the execution is woefully lacking.
Artwork and Presentation:
Second to Ampadu’s stiff, flat script is Sergio Monjes’s rough, flat art. The pieces are there for an interesting comic, but Monje’s loose inks and even looser coloring fail to add life to Ampadu’s script.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
The cover on Shadowman: Soul Eaters #3 states this issue is a tie-in to the Resurgence crossover event, but the crossover aspects could best be summed up as light references. Yes, Master Darque is a key figure in Resurgence, but the adventure here would work the same if Resurgence didn’t exist.
Final Thoughts:
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SHADOWMAN: SOUL EATERS #3 is going to be a tough read for Shadowman fans. A.J. Ampadu’s dialog-heavy issue is compounded by stiff dialog and walls of exposition. The lack of flow is compounded by sub-par art from Sergio Monjes. Not a recommendation.
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