This January, Shadowman #5 sees the return of the character to the Valiant Universe for the first part of the “The Deadside War” and to commemorate, the publisher will release a special variant cover referencing John Carpenter’s 1982 classic The Thing. The cover is the first in a special series of Shadowman variant covers referencing classic horror movies; the first issue is on sale in print and digital January 19.
A popular character in any incarnation of the Valiant Universe, Shadowman’s adventures are horror-tinged, regularly fighting demons, ghosts and other supernatural entities. Shadowman derives his powers from the “Shadow Lao,” a Voodoo entity residing in a realm called the Deadside. A new title featuring the character was launched earlier this year, reestablishing Shadowman and his role in the Valiant Universe. He learned there was much to the Shadow Lao then he ever thought; a great war is coming and Shadowman may be all that stands between Earth and total annihilation at the hands of the Shadow Lao. The series went on a temporary hiatus but returns this January with the first part of “The Deadside War.” This epic event will bring together a number of Valiant’s other supernatural characters, such as Punk Mambo.
Shadowman #5 ships with two different variant covers, revealed on Valiant’s website. The first cover is a Pre-Order variant by Adam Pollina, and the second, by Jonathan Marks Barravecchia, references the movie poster to John Carpenter’s The Thing. The iconic poster, designed by Drew Struzan in the course of a day, depicts a person (believed to be MacReady, Kurt Russell’s character) wearing a winter coast, hood up, with light beams shooting out of their head. Barravecchia’s variant riffs on this, swapping out Shadwoman for the creature. The cover will be the first in a series of “Horror Movie Homage” variants; each month, every issue of Shadowman will ship with a variant cover paying homage to a classic horror movie.
Valiant could not have picked a better film to kick off this new line of variant covers. Panned in its day, John Carpenter’s The Thing is now regarded as a masterpiece of both horror and science fiction, deftly mixing the two into a tense story infused with paranoia and dread. Struzan’s poster is just as memorable as the film itself; trippy and ambiguous, the poster is eye-catching, and Barravecchhia captures the original's spirit, making for a memorable variant cover that is sure to jump off the stands.
It has become increasingly popular for companies to create variant covers based around a particular theme. Sometimes, these are basically unrelated to the comic (or even property) involved, but in this case, reimagining Shadowman as horror icons is the perfect way to welcome back the character and kick off what seems set to be one of his biggest stories ever. Valiant’s “Horror Movie Homage” line kicks off in style, celebrating Shadowman’s return by paying homage to John Carpenter’s classic The Thing.
Source: Valiant Comics
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