theshadowsanctum

[theshadowsanctum]

#shadow comics #spider boy #this one really does come close to living up to the weirdest shadow story #my friends are some of the oddest people #classic Lamont #spider man #huh #there is no way the shadow would let that dude get away with admitting he beats his daughter #no fucking way #lamont looks a lot like doc savage here #no wonder he's such an asshole #the art is much more sinister than usual #and so is the story #this whole thing is irrevocably fucked

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#shadow comics #another space trip #this villain is incredibly resourceful #dude's got flying saucers and a fucking moon colony #the scheme here is kinda clever #almost feels star trek-ish #margo the moon queen #that feels a bit important #don't know why

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Shadow Comics #74

#shadow comics #shadow jr #he uses a kid as a shield from bullets #ruthless little shit #he really does take after Lamont #this whole story is super fucked #really shows why this kid wasn't going to last

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Shadow Comics #69

#the shadow #shadow comics #shadow jr #yes this was a thing #they tried at least to make a thing #i guess it's cute #that the shadow kinda just adopts him after his dad dies and keeps calling him son #and he's there to comfort him #like yeah this is just Dick Grayson's origin #and The Shadow really doesn't need a Robin #but idk #for something so conceptually backwards and really not meant to last #it's okay

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Shadow Comics #43

#the shadow #shadow comics #solarus #wacky bullshit #it's nice to see villains reform in shadow stories #even as non-shadow as this one #it's cute

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Shadow Comics #43

#the shadow #shadow comics #margo lane #margo dresses up as a skeleton

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Shadow Comics 41

#the shadow #shadow comics #all of the depictions of Japanese in these comics are HORRIBLY racist #but this one is a slight improvement #it's good to see heroic japanese characters #and the shadow even calls them friends #i don't think we ever had those in the pulps #one of them is even a magician #i really like the mirror scheme here #for once these actually feel like Gibson stories #again #really really bad racism still #there is no getting around it #but so far these are absolutely the least racist of these i've read #which doesn't seem like a lot #but it's something #i wish these japanese agents showed up elsewhere

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#the shadow #shadow comics #there is a lot to unpack here #why is an alien familiar with roman terminology #so is the comics shadow earth called mars elsewhere #did these guys come before or after humans #does this mean technically the shadow lives on mars #i never thought i'd get to see the shadow encounter clown gods from venus #i never thought i'd have to write that sentence #holy shit he tried to boil margo alive #i think this may be the most terrifying shadow villain of all time #what can possibly prepare you for a giant clown king of venus who wants to boil you alive because he thinks he's doing you a favor #protectospheres #jesus christ #i wish the rest of the golden age shadow comics were this weird

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#the shadow #the shadow pulps #91 - Zemba #faces distorted by evil #once again a reocurring theme

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#the shadow #the shadow pulps #91 - Zemba #the shadow being theatrical #invisibility mention #the radio show didn't exist yet #but the shadow was constantly referred to as invisible at points #the shadow is compared to Death #whispered voice

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#the shadow #the shadow pulps #91 - Zemba #the shadow's suitcase #changing in the back of cars

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#the shadow #the shadow pulps #91 - Zemba #the lost finger of Gaspard Zempa #law enforcement is useless #apparently Zemba is famous

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The story of how Lamont Cranston got his power, from a Shadow Comics issue

#the shadow #shadow comics #focus on eyes #the description of the boy seems to match Marpa Tulku in the movie #I wonder if this is actually where they got the idea from #to my knowledge this is the first time we ever got a full backstory on how he clouds minds #he didn't do that in the pulps #and the radio show only gave a little bit of explanation #the reason described here for his pilgrimage has literally never been elaborated on elsewhere #everytime they've done this backstory since then #it's always him winding up at Tibet amidst his travels or being forced into it #never him specifically looking for the temples and asking for help to fight a single defined enemy #he had to communicate with men who did not speak his language or even heard of it #pretty openly contradicts a lot of stuff from the pulps #The S&S comics Shadow sits at like the complete opposite end of most of his modern adaptations #which try to make The Shadow as edgy and violent and tortured as they can #it's 100% sanitized family friendly American Hero Shadow #a product of the Golden Age in it's most mediocre ways #the monks just give the power to him like that #no training required #and apparently they did it because of the complete lack of evil in The Shadow's mind #which is directly opposite to how a lot of modern adaptations tackle his powers #I have conflicting thoughts on this

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Pulp column for The Spy Ring, promoting the upcoming “The Prince of Evil”

#the shadow #pulp shadow #Maxwell Grant #Benedict Stark #interesting that the blurb describing him starts by talking about incredibly well-liked people who are kind #and he's described as the opposite because he's evil #evil and well-liked are not opposites #Stark may have been a tad more interesting had they went with that angle #a horrible monster who's also incredibly popular and beloved #instead he's so obviously and viscerally awful that it's impossible to buy him as a deceiver #he is so deformed and stupidly evil half the time that he just straight up wouldn't have gotten anywhere in a 1930s society #but then again 90% of Shadow villains are evil businessmen pretending to be good #and wealthy respected billionaires who are disgustingly ugly and cartoonishly horrible are not unrealistic #actually that's most of them #so maybe Tinsley had a point

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Action figures meant to promote the movie

#the shadow #the shadow film #shiwan khan #merchandise #Khan's Incredibly Stupid Armory #I wish there were more dumb Shadow action figures #ninja shadow is the dumbest fucking shit #oh hey Dr Mocquino is there #too bad he never got to be in a film

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An article about Frank Readick’s personal history

#the shadow #radio shadow #shadow actors #racially insensitive language #peter pan is mentioned also

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Image taken from The Shadow Scrapbook

#the shadow #description #he uses the same secrecy with agents as he does everywhere else #interesting if not exactly accurate #he fights alone or at least tries to not put the agents in danger #which doesn't work but hey it's the thought that counts maybe