Shadowman returns

If you know anything about Valiant Comics’ universe, or Shadowman in particular, today’s is a terrific surprise. Not only is the supernatural superhero making a comeback in the world of video games, but he looks to be doing so in style.

We’re more than ready to admit that the 90s Shadowman game is a classic, so don’t get us wrong. There’s no other way to describe it, as the 3D action title from the N64 (with a PS2 sequel) did some excellent things with its gameplay and unique ‘voodoo’ themes. But as good as it was, it also bore very little resemblance to, well, Shadowman.

That looks to change right now though, as the aforementioned comics publisher has teamed with Blowfish Studios to create something completely new. And as brief the first-look trailer is, it’s tough not to get excited.

As a flagship title for Valiant, the adventures of Jack Boniface and other Shadowmen against the forces of the Deadside have entertained comic readers and gamers alike for decades. First published in 1992, the franchise has garnered such acclaim that it even boasts an officially declared “Shadowman Day” since Jan. 17, 1993. 

As a conspiracy threatens to overrun the realm of the living, Shadowman must contend with horrifying inhuman entities with challenging melee combat. Follow a dark path from the land of the living to the hellish realm of the Deadside as you cross the veil between both. Embody the hero of the dark to traverse the necromantic divide, overcome dastardly obstacles, and silence the terrifying threats lurking within.

Blowfish Studios press release

There isn’t a lot in that video for sure, but check out the teaser image. That looks like a dead-on version of Shadowman. Also the subtitle of “Darque Legacy” is an unmistakable nod to Shadowman’s nemesis, the necromancer called Master Darque. If you’re a fan, it might be time to get excited.

Shadowman is scheduled to arrive for the Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC (via Steam and Epic) some time in 2024. Stay tuned though, we’ll likely have lots more on this between now and then.

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Open the book

As team-up books go, there haven’t been all that many supernatural-flavored ones. Yes, there have been a handful across the decades, but in the grand scheme the more magical heroes of the various universes out there seem to work alone.

That’s pretty much how it’s been in Valiant Comics’ universe as well, til now. This month though, will see the launch of Book of Shadows #1, a fresh title that brings together the company’s various magic-wielders and otherwise mystically-fueled characters.

Shadowman, Punk Mambo, the Eternal Warrior, Doctor Mirage, and Persephone will all be going head-to-head with a new big-bad in Exarch Fane.

The epic Valiant blockbuster series BOOK OF SHADOWS featuring the first-ever team-up of the supernatural protectors of the Valiant Universe debuts on July 27th. SHADOWMAN. PUNK MAMBO. ETERNAL WARRIOR. DOCTOR MIRAGE. PERSEPHONE. But will they be enough to stand against the fearsome foe, Exarch Fane?

Valiant Comics press release

Look for Book of Shadows #1 on the stands this month, on July 27th.

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The War is almost here

Yeah, Valiant Comics might’ve been laying a little low this past year+, but that’s about to come to a close. The year 2022 is set to be a big one fo the publisher, who has dubbed it the Year of Valiant. It should be a good one at the very least, with the return of some Valiant mainstays and big storylines.

And starting things off is one such arc, Deadside War. Featuring the return of Shadowman and Punk Mambo, two fan favorites, part 1 of Deadside War will bring the rampaging undead across from the afterlife to the Earthly realm.

Cullen Bunn and artist Pedro Andreo will be delivering this one, which sounds like it might make Shadowman fans grin with ghastly delight.

Jack Boniface is SHADOWMAN, the brave and powerful supernatural protector who keeps humanity safe from the deadly creatures that dwell within the dimension known as the Deadside. When more and more of these nightmarish creatures start clawing into the world of the living, Jack won’t be able to stand alone against the global threat. “We’re seeing Blights — tears in the fabric of reality between our world and the Deadside — opening with increased frequency and increased supernatural mayhem,” said New York Times bestselling writer CULLEN BUNN. “It will also awaken some old adversaries who might be too much even for the combined might of our heroes. All this brings us to the titular war, which could rip the entirety of the Valiant Universe apart.” 

Rising star artist PEDRO ANDREO aims to pull fans right into Cullen’s haunting story. “I wanted to capture the horror, stress, and oppression that an actual zombie attack would have in a city that wasn’t expecting it,” stated Pedro. “I couldn’t decide on whether I wanted slow zombies or running zombies so I went with a little bit of both. Both types of zombies! Could you imagine? That would be a nightmare.” 

Valiant Comics

Deadside War arrives with Shadowman #5 on January 19th, 2022.

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Only the Valiant

To be fair, it’s been a weird couple of years for everyone. The pandemic put lots of things on ice, as most of the globe had more pressing matters to attend to. But we’ve slowly been getting back to normal now, and as such Valiant Comics is set to make a splash once again.

The publisher has announced that next year will be the Year of Valiant, with a number of things planned. For one thing, they’ll be reintroducing some oddly absent heroes (and presumably villains. But of course, it will also mean some debuts, and there’ll be a pretty big arc too, that’s been cooking.

That would be the Deadside War, which will begin in Shadowman #5, from Cullen Bunn and artist Pedro Andreo. It’s a book that’ll start things rolling in ’22, with the reappearance of Punk Mambo, and “other familiar faces from the Valiant Universe”.

“In the new ‘Deadside War’ story in SHADOWMAN, we’re seeing Blights—tears in the fabric of reality between our world and the Deadside — opening with increased frequency and increased supernatural mayhem,” teased Cullen. “Shadowman is tasked with protecting our world, but he’s no longer sure that throwing punches and swinging scythes is the way to combat the Deadside’s ultimate plans. Plans? How can a place have plans? The answer to that question will lead Shadowman to gather allies such as Punk Mambo to his side. It will also awaken some old adversaries who might be too much even for the combined might of our heroes. All this brings us to the titular war, which could rip the entirety of the Valiant Universe apart.” 

Cullen Bunn

Of course that’s far from all that 2022 will bring. It wouldn’t be much of a “year of” if it didn’t. What’s to come though, isn’t quite ready to be talked about just yet. But look for it in short order, as Valiant Comics has much more up its sleeve.

As for Shadowman #5, that hits stands on January 19th, 2022.

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Out from the shadows

Announced some time ago by Nightdive Studios, the remake of the 90s Shadowman video game is finally ready to be shown off. The game plays off of the Valiant Comics superhero, though more or less does so to create its own thing.

Shadowman doesn’t exactly look like the comic book version of the character. But even so, many of the same elements are present in this third-person action title.

And form the looks of the new screens, there’s a pretty sharp difference between the N64-era title and Nightdive’s modern work.

Have a peek:

As you can see, it’s very much the same game, but Nightdive has improved upon that 1999 edition considerably. The game no offers a host of new features, including 4K, HDR support, and gameplay adjustments.

In all, you’ll find:

• 4K widescreen display
• Dynamic shadow mapping
• Dynamic per-pixel lighting
• Antialiasing, and other post-process effects
• Higher density of particle effects
• Refined art, audio, and assets
• Refined gameplay experience
• Reintroduction of missing content cut from the original game
• Xbox, PS4, Controller Pro support with dual analog stick control
• HDR Rendering

So, with all that said, when’s the launch? Well, there isn’t an announcement for that just yet. Nightdive does say that you can expect to see the game hits consoles and the PC some time in 2021 though. So stay tuned.

And in the meantime, check out the addition comparison shots below.

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The shadow(man) strikes

If you’re a Valiant fan, then you already know that they have a healthy supernatural element. And to go right along with that, Valiant has some pretty big spooky-stars as well, with major paranormal villains and heroes. And right at the top of all of that is Shadowman.

Of course, as Valiant typically does, he’s been out of action for a while at this point. But also as Valiant does, they’re bringing him back in a big way.

Shadowman #1 was revealed yesterday, and will see Jack Boniface return as the titular character. He looks more or less the same as before, though Shadowman’s face is a bit more skull-like than it was.

Writer Cullen Bunn joins Valiant for this one, and he has more than a little experience with the genre. The creative team also is set to include artist Jon Davis-Hunt, as well as colorist Jordie Bellaire and letterer Clayton Cowles.

The new book will be landing on the racks as of this coming April (2021), and will sport a series of variant covers to mark the series’ return.

While that’s a ways off, we do have a little preview for you today. Scroll down to check that out.

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The shadows fall again

One of the most unique heroes of the Valiant U, Shadowman is grim, and pretty gory too for that matter. That’s not something that you see in very many Valiant titles. Oh yeah, it’s also horror themed. And that’s definitely something that you don’t see coming out of the publisher much.

Shadowman is set to bring its particular brand of terror back to Valiant from the pen of writer Cullen Bunn and artist Jon-Davis Hunt. The book sounds like it’ll be fairly self-contained, with standalone tales continued to separate issues.

But don’t get the picture that this’ll be an island unto itself. As Bunn describes, there’s also something bubbling under the surface. And it’s something that’ll have a pretty far reach, where the rest of the Valiant U is concerned.

“We’re taking Shadowman in some directions he’s never been taken before,” said Cullen. “He’s confronting a growing supernatural threat that is popping up all over the world. We are introducing the concept of the Blight, which is a weakening of the veil between our world and the Deadside. And these Blights occur in places of great sorrow and misery and evil.” Cullen also teased a new threat that will have a major impact beyond this series. “We’re also introducing a new villain who will be changing the face of the supernatural in the Valiant Universe.”

“If you like horror, or action, or superheroes (and certainly if you like all three of those things), then this is definitely the book for you,” stated Jon. “If you don’t like any of those things, then this book will change your mind. And did I mention the demon punching? Demons get punched. A lot.”

Valiant

Mark your calendars, Shadowman #1 is set to arrive on the stands on May 20th.

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Shadowman #4

ALL-NEW ARC! ALL-NEW JUMPING-ON POINT! “DEAD AND GONE” – PART ONE!

For years, Jack Boniface believed that he knew the true story of the Shadowman loa – the true story of the curse inside him. He was wrong.

For the first time, Jack Boniface is about to discover the long-hidden history of the supernatural power that became his birthright… Unmoored in time and space, the loa is about to reveal its untold dimensions…and now, the last defender of the wall between our realm and the Deadside is falling backwards through the astral void, finding himself face to face with his forebears across the centuries – from the paranoia-addled alleyways of 1940s New York to the fire-scorched plantations of the Civil War…all the way back to the primeval height of the African savannah in 40,000 B.C.!

In the shock-inducing aftermath of the “FEAR OF THE DARK” story arc, master storyteller Andy Diggle (Green Arrow: Year One) leads a rotating cast of superstar artists – including Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves), Doug Braithwaite (Justice), and Renato Guedes (Wolverine) – to reveal the full scope and power of the Shadowman mythos…and how three of its forgotten champions stoked its earliest embers…with a legend-fueled odyssey into eons past as “DEAD AND GONE” tells all!

$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On Sale JUNE 20th

Ninja-K #8

Sometimes…the dead just won’t stay dead!

Colin King has recruited a highly skilled team of black ops specialists – including Livewire, Dr. Mirage, Punk Mambo, and the robotic alien colossus called GIN-GR – for the ultimate search-and-destroy mission! The Jonin, the mysterious mentor behind the program that trained MI6’s elite ninja assassins, has resurfaced in Mexico City at the head of a covert cabal of long-lived and near-immortal renegades with incredible powers…and a mission that could destabilize human civilization as we know it!

“THE COALITION” reaches a tumultuous tipping point as acclaimed writer Christos Gage (Netflix’s Daredevil) and incendiary artist Juan José Ryp (BRITANNIA) launch headfirst into another breakneck chapter of the espionage-fueled battle between Valiant’s newest teams of heroes and villains!

$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On Sale JUNE 20th

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X-O Manowar (2017) #15

ALL-NEW ARC! ALL-NEW JUMPING-ON POINT! “BARBARIANS” – PART ONE!

As HARBINGER WARS 2 besieges the Valiant Universe – and X-O Manowar along with it – Aric of Dacia cannot escape the flames that now threaten his future…or the shadows that cloud his past. Before space… Before the armor… Return to the apex of the Visigoth conquest as a younger, brasher Aric and a sword-wielding grifter set off on a continent-spanning quest for fortune, glory, and power! From the bloodstained sands of the gladiatorial arena to the dunes of the Arabian Desert, meet the man who would become the warrior-king of an alien civilization – and our own world’s most powerful hero – as he sets out to seize his destiny once upon a time in a land of faraway kings and unrepentant conquerors!

Jump on board one of the most acclaimed series in comics here as visionary creators Matt Kindt and Trevor Hairsine – the best-selling team behind DIVINITY – reunite for a thrilling, four-part melee of blood and steely-eyed daring at the height of the barbarian age with a brutal new chapter in the epic saga of X-O Manowar!

$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On Sale MAY 23rd

Shadowman (2018) #3

Every sin casts a shadow…

After years of purgatorial exile, Jack Boniface – the newly returned Shadowman – is back in the one place he thought he’d left behind for good: the damned dimension known as Deadside! His mission? To recover a lost relic of the Shadowman legacy that could redefine the eternal balance of power between the living and the dead. If he fails, the vengeful voodoo god called Baron Samedi will exact a terrible toll on the souls of humanity… But – back among the monsters, back among the cursed – can Jack stand resolutely against evil incarnate without succumbing to the call of the literal demons within himself?

Superstar writer Andy Diggle (Green Arrow: Year One) and high-octane artist Stephen Segovia (Action Comics) present a long-awaited moment in the epic saga of a comics icon and bring Shadowman raging back to the forefront of the Valiant Universe as the “FEAR OF THE DARK” story arc unleashes a finale of unthinkable cosmic proportions!

$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On Sale MAY 23rd

X-O Manowar Volume 4: Visigoth (TPB)

From SOLDIER to GENERAL to EMPEROR…to OUTCAST!

Aric of Dacia’s bone-crushing climb to the throne of an alien world earned him scores of allies…and a legion of scorned enemies. Now, stripped of his crown and cast out of his kingdom, the man known as X-O Manowar must return to his roots as a sword-wielding warrior of Earth if he is to survive the relentless band of intergalactic bounty hunters that have been hired to kill him cold. But with few places left to turn, could the last Visigoth’s best hope be the all-powerful…but insidious…weapon he once swore away: the X-O Manowar armor?

X-O MANOWAR’s whirlwind first year in the Valiant Universe comes to a climax here in a bold new volume from Eisner Award-nominated writer Matt Kindt (DIVINITY, Mind MGMT) and explosive artists Ryan Bodenheim (The Dying and the Dead) and Ariel Olivetti (Incredible Hulk)!

Collecting X-O MANOWAR (2017) #11–14.

$9.99 | 112 pgs. | T+ | On Sale MAY 23rd

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Shadows of the past

Valiant is proud to announce your first look at SHADOWMAN (2018) #4, the beginning of an ALL-NEW ARC and NEW JUMPING-ON POINT in the POWERFUL ONGOING SERIES of 2018! On June 20th, incredible artist Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves) joins acclaimed writer Andy Diggle (Green Arrow: Year One) to kick off “DEAD AND GONE,” as today’s Shadowman meets one of the many loa-ridden ancestors who came before him!

For years, Jack Boniface believed that he knew the true story of the Shadowman loa – the true story of the curse inside him. He was wrong.

For the first time, Jack Boniface is about to discover the long-hidden history of the supernatural power that became his birthright. Unmoored in time and space, the loa is about to reveal its untold dimensions…and now, the last defender of the wall between our realm and the Deadside is falling backwards through the astral void, finding himself face to face with his forebears across the centuries – from the paranoia-addled alleyways of 1940s New York to the fire-scorched plantations of the Civil War…all the way back to the primeval height of the African savannah in 40,000 B.C.!

In the shock-inducing aftermath of “FEAR OF THE DARK,” master storyteller Andy Diggle (Daredevil) will lead a rotating cast of superstar artists – beginning with Shawn Martinbrough (Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive) and continuing with Doug Braithwaite (Justice) and Renato Guedes (Wolverine) – to reveal the full scope and power of the Shadowman mythos…and how three of its forgotten champions stoked its earliest embers…with a legend-fueled odyssey into eons past as “DEAD AND GONE” tells all!

On June 20th, Andy Diggle and Shawn Martinbrough journey back to the Fightin’ Forties in SHADOWMAN (2018) #4 – featuring covers by Tonci Zonjic (Lobster Johnson), David Mack (Kabuki), David Lafuente(Ultimate Spider-Man), and Dave Johnson (100 Bullets)!

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