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The Shadow Year One #1 (of 8)

Writer: Matt Wagner

Artist: Wilfredo Torres

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Cover Price: $3.99

SOLICITATION: THE SHADOW is a character that has lasted through decades on the pages of pulp magazines, over the radio airwaves, thru the silver screen, and in the panels of comic books. Shrouded in mystery, his origins have been explored and hinted at over the years...but never fully revealed. Much is known of Kent Allard/Lamont Cranston's years spent in the Orient and Central America-wherein he gains his powers and purpose...but not how he first developed his persona as the Master of Darkness. Eisner Award-winning author, Matt Wagner is joined by artist Wilfredo Torres in an exhilarating 8-issue limited series that will explore the dynamic events that first drew Cranston back to the States, how he first met his companion and lover, Margo Lane, how he began to assemble his vast network of agents and how he first adopted the famous black hat and cloak as his alter-ego's disguise-all secrets that, up until now...only The Shadow knew!

[rating:3/5]

Deathmatch #03

Written by Paul Jenkins

Drawn by Carlos Magno

Publisher: BOOM! Studios

Cover Price: $1.00

THE SMASH HIT CONTINUES! The mysteries of the deathmatch arena grow deeper as the Rat reveals the secret of the prison’s ominous Light Guards. And as the second stage of the tournament looms, which hero will fall in the final battles of the opening round? Ask your local comic shop about the Deathmatch Death Draft promotion and how you can get the Deathmatch Morgue Pre-Order variant cover. Also available are rare with product details incentive covers by Carlos Magno and Whilce Portacio!

[rating:2.5/5]

Alpha #1

Writer: Joshua Fialkov

Artist: Humberto Ramos

Publisher: Marvel

Cover Price: $2.99

From the pages of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, get ready for the greatest hero who ever existed…EVER!Alpha was having an awesome time of it, till that buzz-kill Spider-Man made him quit being a hero. But that was then …and this is NOW!Josh Fialkov & Nuno Plati (Amazing Spider-Man) reunite to tell the tale of a hero whos about to hit the BIG TIME!

So there’s something big happening in this week’s Batman, Inc. #8, that will shake Batman down to his very soul… or something like that. Hey, it’s comics and we expect that “the event” will be short term anyway. When it comes to teams, Batman has a number of partners, which brings us to this week’s all important question.

Elfquest (or ElfQuest) is a cult hit comic book property created by Wendy and Richard Pini in 1978. It is a fantasy story about a community of elves and other fictional species who struggle to survive and coexist on a primitive Earth-like planet with two moons. Several published volumes of prose fiction also share the same setting. Over the years Elfquest has been self-published by the Pinis, then Marvel Comics, then the Pinis again through their own company Warp Graphics and more recently DC Comics. All issues of Elfquest are available online for free.