The Private Files of the Shadow

Writer: Dennis O'Neil
Artist: Michael Wm. Kaluta

I'm a fan of the Shadow as a character. I've never really been satisfied with the most of the material he appears in (even the original pulps), but I like the idea of the Shadow. Where I have found satisfaction in the Shadow was in Kaluta's work with the character, so I sat down with this collection of Shadow comics from the 70's (featuring Kaluta's early work) with some hope. Unfortunately I was let down.

The biggest problem with this collection of stories is the writing. Kaluta's art and storytelling is in an early stage, and his art is a bit of an acquired taste in the first place (his penchant for bizarrely structured faces comes to mind), but he ultimately does at least a passable job. The same cannot be said for the writing.

O'Neil's stories make little to no sense. For an example: a mob boss has taken over the prison, killed most of the guards, and is using the prison as a boss to help gangsters. There is no indication that there is any awareness on the outside world that this has taken place. This type of absurd setup is typical for the stories in the volume and with each story the problems increase (the final straw was the fake twin created by standing next to a mirror . . . in front of tons of people . . . and moving around). The success of a straight up action-adventure book like this depends entirely on the successful suspension of disbelief, but O'Neil crosses any acceptable line at least once in every story. Combined with Kaluta's formative art there's very little to recommend from this volume.

There is one exception in an addition not from the original run of the comic. Kaluta has contributed a new short story to the volume and this piece is very well done. It is essentially a silent piece with the Shadow confronting a Chinese Triad to rescue a kidnapped child. The exposition is excellently handled, the action is tight and tense, the art is excellent, and the narrative storytelling is in third gear. There is absolutely nothing I can find to criticize in this piece--short, sweet, and to the point. If only the rest of the book at been like this. If you get the chance, pick up this book, read the last story, and then put it back down.

Status: Disappointingly kicked to the curb