REVIEW: Shadow Show

Shadow Show #1-5
By: William R. Davis Jr.

There are moments in comics that make them transcend any other medium. In the past there have been great adaptations of literary works and Shadow Show is a five issue mini-series that pays homage to the science fiction heavyweight, Ray Bradbury. It includes works from Harlan Ellison and Neil Gaiman, amongst others, and each issue is filled with dense introductions and epilogues. All five issues make you wish that this title from IDW had a spot on your monthly pull list, but perchance to dream.

Issue one was by far the weakest, but after that there were no more qualms, and no reservations whatsoever. As an avid Ray Bradbury fan, these books did a great writer justice. It was great to see such iconic prose in fresh context. All five issues will be collected soon, and it is worth your money to buy them in hardcover.
Backwards in Seville by Audrey Niffenegger and Eddie Campbell is so original and captivating that it would make Bryan Talbot blush. It is a great example of sequential art at its best, and one of the most unique stories I have read seen since Alice in Sunderland. It is nice to see IDW put out some quality content here. While the book may not be flying off of the shelves, it is a testament to a slight change of thought at the publishing level. Hopefully this is a small step towards a shift in quality that has come to define publishers like Image, a company that makes all other books on the market seem inferior by scale.

Don’t worry if you’re on the other end, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #1 is available for sale at your LCS today. Although the bronies may win this round, IDW has put some skin in the game with Shadow Show. My interest is piqued, and I will open my wallet to future IDW titles. It may be a moot cause, but you have to respect their ambition.