Book Of Shadows #4 - Valiant Entertainment

BOOK OF SHADOWS No. 4, February 2023

Brutally battering its audience’s senses straight from the start, Cullen Bunn’s concluding instalment to his “Book Of Shadows” mini-series essentially comprises of an exhausting twenty-page punch-up which enthrallingly appears to ebb and flow with every other sense shattering scene. Indeed, each time it seems certain that Exarch Fane’s murderous army of werewolves and vampires are about to complete their horrific Ritual of Sacrifice, “the supernatural heroes of the Valiant Universe” somehow manage to pull the rug from under the all-powerful warlord’s feet.

Foremost of these hooks arguably stems from the villain’s ability to temporarily control Punk Mambo and bend the Voodoo Priestess to his wantonly violent will. This demonic possession quite cleverly serves several purposes, such as providing the “terrifying ancient threat” with another voice other than Fane’s to persuade Persephone to help build a great Library of Darkness, as well as providing the two female magic users with some humorous banter at the adventure’s climatic end. However, it also enables Doctor Mirage and the Eternal Warrior a little more time to convince a “storm of ghosts” to aid them in the battle – something which ultimately results in the black-hearted sorcerer’s eventual defeat.

Just as enjoyable is the fact that Bunn doesn’t simply have the likes of Shan Fong trounce the “armies of the damned” by simply waltzing back into the main fray at the last minute either. In fact, despite successfully directing all the vengeful souls the protagonists' ghoulish, armour-clad foe has previously slaughtered right back at him, it’s soon shown that Exarch is still too powerful a magus to be beaten by paranormal means alone. This subversion of expectations genuinely comes as something of a shock, and quite wonderfully then leads into a final swashbuckling swordfight between Gilad Anni-Padda and his long-time nemesis; “Come on, then!”

Phenomenally pencilling all these gratuitous goings-on and psychic shenanigans is Vicente Cifuentes, whose terrifying transformation of Mambo into a wide-mouthed Nosferatu is one of this publication’s many visual highlights. Furthermore, the Spanish illustrator’s ability to surround the central cast with all manner of non-corporeal entities and slavering undead helps sell the impression that this tale is taking place amidst a massive, sprawling street invasion of the unholy, as opposed to just a few characters trading blows in isolation.

The regular cover art of "BOOK OF SHADOWS" #4 by Rafael Albuqueque

Book Of Shadows #3 - Valiant Entertainment

BOOK OF SHADOWS No. 3, January 2023

In view of this twenty-page periodical being postponed for four months in September 2022, following the news that its New York-based publisher was sadly undergoing “major editorial layoffs”, quite possibly the biggest question facing fans of Jack Boniface’s super-magical alter-ego when they finally got their hands on Issue Three of “Book Of Shadows” was whether the wait was worth it. And disappointingly, the majority probably felt it wasn’t considering just how bemusing Cullen Bunn’s script is for this titanic team-up against “an ancient, otherworldly warlord”.

To begin with the American author suddenly seems to have turned this mini-series’ central antagonist into a combination of Clive Barker’s Pinhead and Jim Starlin’s mad titan Thanos, by depicting Exarch Fane embracing the painful flesh chains of Death whilst blissfully wrapped in the female skeleton’s fleshless arms. This notion of a besotted super-villain desperately trying to win the affection of so destructive a cosmic entity by murdering as many people as possible isn’t terribly original considering “Marvel Comics” delivered a similar storyline some thirty years ago, and also doesn’t debatably even explain how the situation has given him power over savage, space-hopping werewolves, viciously fanged vampires or the all-powerful Book of Shadows.

Similarly as stumping is Doctor Mirage and the Eternal Warrior’s sojourn to their enemy’s stronghold and an utterly bizarre encounter with some sightless wordsmiths who have disconcertingly decided to use the blood of the fortification’s guards as ink so they can add to the pages of their master’s terrible tome. Sure, this lengthy sequence is as enthralling as it is gruesome with one of the facially mutilated scribes chillingly signalling for the brave adventurers to cease their noise by agitatedly placing a particularly wizened finger to his lips. But along with Persephone’s uncharacteristically strange reluctance to continue her fight against Exarch’s army of ravenous lycanthropes and nefarious Nosferatu, the entire predicament arguably appears to have been penned simply to pad out the storytelling for the publication’s length.

Much more successful than its writing are debatably Vicente Cifuentes’ layouts, which in the main provide this comic with plenty of dynamic, pulse-pounding panels packed full of gratuitously-grisly fights and harrowing murders. Indeed, the beleaguered “mystic heroes” valiant stand on Earth against both werewolf and vampire is undoubtedly the highlight of the book, whilst the Spanish illustrator’s sketches of its more sedentary scenes, most notably those focusing upon Shan Fong as she wanders through the halls of Fane’s bastion, aren’t quite as proficiently pencilled; “They’re telling the story of the Book of Shadows… Building its power… with the blood and souls of our world!”

The regular cover art of "BOOK OF SHADOWS" #3 by Rafael Albuqueque

Book Of Shadows #2 - Valiant Entertainment

BOOK OF SHADOWS No. 2, August 2022

Despite primarily comprising of a lengthy battle between the “first-ever supernatural heroes team for the Valiant Universe” and the seemingly unstoppable Exarch Fane, Cullen Bunn’s storyline for this twenty-page periodical still manages to imbue its audience with plenty of exposition as to why “death and destruction” are suddenly raining down upon our planet in the shape of a werewolf army. In fact, at times, the Ghastly Award-winner crams so much information into this harrowing action-sequence, that it’s arguably difficult for a bibliophile to comprehend everything which is occurring upon an initial reading, and thus warrants a subsequent secondary perusal to better understand just what is taking place; “He’s… It can’t be… He’s fighting it!”  

Foremost of these hurdles to overcome is debatably the sheer number of arcane-powered artefacts which are almost causally thrown about the battlefield during the cast’s titanic tussle with “a villain from the Veil.” Obviously, the all-mysterious Book of Shadows takes centre stage, courtesy of this “tome of terrible magic” evidently being capable of single-handedly warding off anything which the likes of Shadowman, Punk Mambo, Doctor Mirage, Persephone and even Eternal Warrior can throw at its owner. But then there’s also the pocket-dimension housing Ring of Solomon, the portal cleaving Abyssal Sword, and Fane’s almost Sith-like hand-axe which this comic’s audience need to appreciate for the colossal close-combat weapon exchanges to make sense.

Thankfully though, once the titular characters have fled their unbeaten foe and Gilad Anni-Padda is given time to further explain just how he came to first encounter their enemy in the Veil, Bunn’s book slows down just enough to tell its scintillating story without throwing in something new every other panel. Indeed, this passage focusing upon “the Fist and Steel of the Earth” is a good opportunity for the publication’s audience to pause, assimilate everything which has come before them, and then follow the paranormal quintet as they heatedly discuss their future course of action to beat the “Dracula wannabe!”

Probably shouldering the Lion’s share of this comic’s workload is Vicente Cifuentes, who manages to cram an incredible amount of mystical magic into every one of his prodigiously pencilled panels. The Spanish illustrator does an especially noteworthy job of imbuing the snake-like chains constantly flailing around Fane with unnatural life. Whilst his vampire thralls, bald-headed, gaunt and disconcertingly fanged, move with all the ungainly athleticism a horror fan might expect from so lowly a minion of Nosferatu.

The regular cover art of "BOOK OF SHADOWS" #2 by Rafael Albuqueque

Book Of Shadows #1 - Valiant Entertainment

BOOK OF SHADOWS No. 1, July 2022

As an opening instalment to an “epic blockbuster event” goes, Cullen Bunn’s narrative for Issue One of “Book Of Shadows” certainly seems to deliver when it comes to sense-shattering soul-devouring and unpleasant, blood-drenched bodily mutilation. Indeed, this twenty-page tome’s depiction of Vernon Common’s hapless population being gratuitously devoured by a pack of sadistically savage werewolves at a local carnival, may well cause even the most die-hard of gore-fans to nervously wonder whether they should have an emesis bag within easy reach just in case they start to feel overly nauseous; “You’re all monsters! St-Stay away! Get away from me!”

Happily however, such barbaric, bestial feasting is reasonably short-lived, and arguably essential to the story projecting just how utterly disagreeable the comic’s central antagonist, Exarch Fane, actually is. Furthermore, there’s so much violent slicing, dicing and beheading contained within this publication that such remorseless savagery soon starts to lose its shock value, and the reader is quickly able to simply focus upon the unification of the Valiant Universe’s supernatural protectors for “the very first time”, as well as the introduction of the Manhattan-founded publisher’s “terrifying new villain”.

Bunn has previously made quite a fuss about his newly created “ancient being from beyond the veil of life and death”, and certainly provides the warlord with an impressive entrance as Fane nonchalantly bests Gilad Anni-Padda with a mighty display of Eldritch powers that leaves the Eternal Warrior devastatingly impotent. Somewhat disappointingly though, the Master of Horror's handling of Punk Mambo is less impressive, with the voodoo priestess suddenly adopting a seriously infuriating holier than thou attitude towards the Shadowman. Sure, Victoria Greaves-Trott’s disdain for Persephone is understandable enough considering the creature has previously attempted to extinguish all life on the planet. But the British magic-user’s persistent self-righteous sniping and sanctimonious disapproval of Jack Boniface allowing the mortal Blight to live does debatably start to wear a little thin after just a few panels.

“Bone-chilling artist Vicente Cifuentes” should also get a notable nod of approval for his layouts, which besides depicting the perilous predicament of a scytheless Shadowman getting bitten by a hairy lycanthrope, also imbues Anni-Padda’s diabolical dual with plenty of dynamic vigour. In addition, the Spanish visual illustrator does a prodigious job in pencilling this comic’s considerably sized cast with some great facial expressions, such as a shocked Gilad when he realises his previously defeated nemesis has significantly upgraded his powers, or the increasingly terrified Laney, as the little girl witnesses first-hand the supernatural abilities of her would-be rescuers.

The regular cover art of "BOOK OF SHADOWS" #1 by Rafael Albuqueque