Post by leonmallett on Feb 17, 2008 8:49:16 GMT -5
I have a few favourite characters. It is one of those things that if you ask me to name my favourite songs I could come up with a list of five or ten that remains fairly consistent over time, similarly with albums, movies, TV series and comic book characters. Were I to do my top five list it would be something like (and in no particular order): Red Tornado, Captain America, the Question, Icon (with Rocket - they should always be seen as a duo so I cheat a little here), and importantly for the purpose of this thread, Shadowman. That isn't to say I own copies ofall appearances by these characters, but there is something that I hold dear above the plethora of other characters out there, for a variety of reasons. In the case of Shadowman/Jack Boniface it is due primarily to the stories crafted by Bob Hall.
The first volume series began in a reasonably promising way. Having read later issues first, when I read the whole run the beginning felt different to what I already knew, and not quite right. One factor in that was the spandex - it just didn't look right to my mind when compared to the leather jacket. Another element I preferred was the later modification to the mask. The initial art by Lapham suited the book however, and the stories I found intriguing, and certainly not typical superhero fare. Reading that early stuff though made me feel that those repsonsible for the book knew they had a solid idea but didn't quite know what to do with it. That feeling was compounded for me by the myriad writers the book had. Between issues 1 and 6 there are 9 people given story or writing credits. Not the way to find a 'voice'. To me the voice of a book is the tone, the rhthym of the storytelling, the dialogue, the pacing and all those things. With the arrival of Bob Hall I think the book found it's voice. When Bob took on the art (especially with Tom Ryder's inking), the book takes off for me in terms of direction, story focus, character development, seeing the world(s) that Shadowman and Jack Boniface inhabit and so on. The cast grew and grew, with seemingly minor characters coming back time and again. A larger picture developed, but as it did so the style of the book changed subtly. Pick an issue in the late teens and compare the art to the early 40's issues. The art becomes more expressive over time. The story increasingly highlights that Shadowman and Jack Boniface may share the one body, but they are not one in the same. As the book progresses Shadowman (the character) becomes wilder, increasingly atavistic. We are guided through a nightmarish world of this fictionalised New Orleans with crazy voodoo mixing with vigilantism and Jack Boniface's gradually splintering and fragmenting sense of himself and his alter ego. It is a great, dark, ride. Silly at times, yes. Removed from the pseudo-science of the majority of the rest of VALIANT line? Undoubtedly so. But it nonetheless feels true to the creative vision behind it, although I felt a sense of self-parody towards the end as issues hurtle along at break-neck pace until we are left with that cliffhanger. I am still wondering what Bob Hall intended with this - to leave the audience wanting more? To send a message to the owners regarding the changes that had occurred at VALIANT? Had he written himself into a corner he felt unable to get out of? Was he poking fun at the '1999 prophecy' which effectively acted to limit any real sense of peril for the character? Was he trying to communicate an essential truth of the character of Jack Boniface as he (Hall) perceived him? To be honest, I don't know. All I can say is that it was an exhilarating ride. One which I can't wait to take again by reading those books again soon.
The character for me has depth, fallibility, shading of character traits and serves as a great read, particularly in Hall's hands. Compared to many of the glut of early 90's 'antiheroes', Boniface/Shadowman seems purposeful, even when the character apparently drifts along, whereas most of those other 'anti-heroes' become so characterised by frequently pointless violence and action that there is little character to develop. With Boniface as Shadowman we see a progression and journey as the character grows, and not always for the best. In my view that is the mark of great writing, and to write great material a creator needs good tools, and in the base character of Jack Boniface/Shadowman Bob Hall found something to work with that in my mind suited his talents perfectly.
The first volume series began in a reasonably promising way. Having read later issues first, when I read the whole run the beginning felt different to what I already knew, and not quite right. One factor in that was the spandex - it just didn't look right to my mind when compared to the leather jacket. Another element I preferred was the later modification to the mask. The initial art by Lapham suited the book however, and the stories I found intriguing, and certainly not typical superhero fare. Reading that early stuff though made me feel that those repsonsible for the book knew they had a solid idea but didn't quite know what to do with it. That feeling was compounded for me by the myriad writers the book had. Between issues 1 and 6 there are 9 people given story or writing credits. Not the way to find a 'voice'. To me the voice of a book is the tone, the rhthym of the storytelling, the dialogue, the pacing and all those things. With the arrival of Bob Hall I think the book found it's voice. When Bob took on the art (especially with Tom Ryder's inking), the book takes off for me in terms of direction, story focus, character development, seeing the world(s) that Shadowman and Jack Boniface inhabit and so on. The cast grew and grew, with seemingly minor characters coming back time and again. A larger picture developed, but as it did so the style of the book changed subtly. Pick an issue in the late teens and compare the art to the early 40's issues. The art becomes more expressive over time. The story increasingly highlights that Shadowman and Jack Boniface may share the one body, but they are not one in the same. As the book progresses Shadowman (the character) becomes wilder, increasingly atavistic. We are guided through a nightmarish world of this fictionalised New Orleans with crazy voodoo mixing with vigilantism and Jack Boniface's gradually splintering and fragmenting sense of himself and his alter ego. It is a great, dark, ride. Silly at times, yes. Removed from the pseudo-science of the majority of the rest of VALIANT line? Undoubtedly so. But it nonetheless feels true to the creative vision behind it, although I felt a sense of self-parody towards the end as issues hurtle along at break-neck pace until we are left with that cliffhanger. I am still wondering what Bob Hall intended with this - to leave the audience wanting more? To send a message to the owners regarding the changes that had occurred at VALIANT? Had he written himself into a corner he felt unable to get out of? Was he poking fun at the '1999 prophecy' which effectively acted to limit any real sense of peril for the character? Was he trying to communicate an essential truth of the character of Jack Boniface as he (Hall) perceived him? To be honest, I don't know. All I can say is that it was an exhilarating ride. One which I can't wait to take again by reading those books again soon.
The character for me has depth, fallibility, shading of character traits and serves as a great read, particularly in Hall's hands. Compared to many of the glut of early 90's 'antiheroes', Boniface/Shadowman seems purposeful, even when the character apparently drifts along, whereas most of those other 'anti-heroes' become so characterised by frequently pointless violence and action that there is little character to develop. With Boniface as Shadowman we see a progression and journey as the character grows, and not always for the best. In my view that is the mark of great writing, and to write great material a creator needs good tools, and in the base character of Jack Boniface/Shadowman Bob Hall found something to work with that in my mind suited his talents perfectly.
