Obviously, the appeal of the recent mini-series Spirit of The Shadows from writer Daniel Ziegler and artist Nick Cagnetti (Pink Lemonade, The Man From Maybe) is it striking visuals that look like something you've seen before yet haven't. Also obviously inspired by the work of Mike Allred, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko, Spirit of The Shadows is a throwback to a simpler artistic style, but not a simpler story telling.
Erik Leroux, the titular "spirit of the shadows," is a deceased musician with a dubious, to say the least, past who is looking to right some wrongs and defend his lost love while figuring out just what the heck happened to him. Along the way a cast of characters appears that include a witch, a Dr. Frankenstein inspired character, and plenty of denizens of a dark dimension/afterlife that rival anything Dr. Strange ever encountered.
While the story is solid and the art is fantastically retro and forward looking at the same time, the entire series amounts to basically and origin story that, while not entirely predictable, isn't hard to figure out as one reads along. Some unexpected depth in the story comes from the anti-hero elements that creep into it. Leroux is not a "good guy," but he is an excellent candidate for redemption, which he also dubiously achieves. The story ends up being an unexpectedly emotional ride that compliments the uniqueness of the visual ride that the art takes the reader on.
Spirit of The Shadows #5 wraps the story up satisfyingly, although again rather predictably. This is not necessarily in the resolution, but in the open ended, new beginning, "further adventures of" type of way. I can't say that I'm disappointed in this type of ending though. I'd love to see more of Erik and his adventures.
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