Valiant Entertainment continues to tease big projects for next year, with a new Shadowman book being its latest offering. The comic launches next April.
Cover A of "Shadowman" No. 1 by Jon Davis-Hunt. Courtesy of Valiant Entertainment
Trick or Treat? Apparently Valiant Entertainment has picked treat for this Halloween.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have decimated Valiant’s comic book plans for 2020, but things are trending in the right direction for the New York-based publisher as the new year approaches. Valiant unveiled today that it’s launching a new “Shadowman” comic book series next April.
From the creative team of writer Cullen Bunn (“Unearth” and “Venom”) and artist Jon Davis-Hunt (“Clean Room” and “The Wild Storm”), “Shadowman” aims to be the publisher’s signature supernatural and horror offering. In this new comic, Jack Boniface, who is Shadowman, “protects humanity from the nightmares that lurk within the dimension known as the Deadside…but the barrier between Earth and the horrifying realm is tearing and gateways are popping up all around the globe,” according to a press release from Valiant.
The new Shadowman title follows announcements that Harbinger and Ninjak titles are also being relaunched in 2021. “The Harbinger,” from co-writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly with artist Robbi Rodriguez, is slated to hit store shelves next summer. With a creative team of Jeff Parker and Javier Pulido, the new “Ninjak” book doesn’t yet have a launch date.
Bunn and Davis-Hunt are joined on “Shadowman” by colorist Jordie Bellaire and letter Clayton Cowles. The series was meant to launch this past spring, but the book was postponed due to the pandemic.
"I'm excited for people to read our new ‘Shadowman’ run for so many reasons," Bunn said in a statement. "This is an approach to Shadowman that I don't think readers have seen before. He's more powerful now, embarking on globe-hopping adventures, and encountering threats that will have a long-lasting impact on the Valiant Universe. And these stories, while full of superheroic action, are tales of horror. Jon and Jordie are bringing these stories to life in a way that will make this book read and look unlike any other comic on the shelves. It really is shaping up into something special."
Shadowman made his Valiant Universe debut in 1992. Co-created by Jim Shooter, Steve Englehart and David Lapham, the character has been one of the publisher’s more popular and enduring characters. Boniface, who is from New Orleans, is a supernatural protector with mystical abilities that he uses to defend the world of the living from the world of the dead.
"I cannot wait for ‘Shadowman’ to finally hit stores, and for fans to be able to taste the dark slice of horror that Cullen and I have cooked up," Davis-Hunt said. "I think Cullen has done a brilliant job in redefining Shadowman's role and putting him onto a more global stage, which in turn, has allowed us to explore a multitude of horror concepts and ideas. Although the delay was not what we originally intended, it has allowed us to add that additional polish to the book, which I think has been a real benefit — particularly for me on the art front. If you like action horror, with a real super-heroic twist, then I think ‘Shadowman’ is a book you have to check out."
See a five-page preview from the first issue below.
