"The Sun is Shiny." "And The Ice is Slippery." - Professor Roy Tam and Lamont Cranston, 1994



The Shadow by MarshallMade Collectibles 



The Shadow became one of my favorite characters pretty simply because he was a source of inspiration for the pre-crisis Batman and I share in this version of Batman's tastes.  Of the many versions of the Shadow that have been produced over the years there are two that have lodged themselves in my mind whenever think of him.  The first is a favorite of just about every shadow fan that I've had the pleasure to meet; the Michael Kaluta version.  Mr. Kaluta first drew the Shadow for DC comics in the seventies. This is the incarnation of the Shadow that I first came to know after I found an issue of Batman that served as a lead in to the Shadows on debut with DC.  I remember buying that the first issue of the Shadow for ten of my hard earned dollars back in 1989 or so and loving that the stories mystery was one that if I followed along with the ever present clues than I had as much a chance of solving it as the Shadow or anyone else.

The second version of the Shadow that sticks out to me is the 1994 movie version. Now, I know that the radio shows and pull magazine versions are far better than the movie but I believe that not only was the movie well done but it also captured a certain spirit that you rarely see in film today.  The only other films from the nineties on that I feel have latched onto this so called "spirit" are the Phantom (1996), Dick Tracy (1990) and the Rocketeer (1991).  The only other current films that try to match these in tone are Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) and Captain America (2011), and even though I love those movies there still not on the level of the aforementioned.

Well that was a long winded way of getting to the real reason for this entry. I recently took a look around at my collection and realized that the only shadow figure that I had was from the 1994 film. For what it was, it was decent but I wanted something a little more detailed.  I did a search of eBay for customs and I was pleasantly surprised to find an auction for a Marshallmade Collectibles Shadow custom.  I was expecting to  find an adequate 6 inch figure, but instead I found a piece of art that could rival the collectibles that Hot Toys and Sideshow are currently making.  Not only was the figure a work if art but it's creator, Jason Marshall, is an extremely nice fellow who let me customize certain aspects of my Shadow figure ensuring a unique creation. 

For this figure, Jase not only sculpted and painted his own Shadow head but he also stitched together the shadows shirt, overcoat, pants, and short cape.  He also hand made the Shadows unique hat and holster, and in a bit of attention to detail that was just outstanding he made the Shadow's Girasol ring. 

  

The Famous Girasol Ring





 

As originally intended


Lastly, Jase made a robe for my Shadow to wear so that he could mirror the "Living Shadow" version of the character that Walter B. Gibson first wrote about.  This version of the Shadow was made using the DC Direct body which means he's slightly taller than other 12 inch figures but this works out well as enables the Shadow to stand imposingly amongst the others.  Add to that a custom Shadow stand and you get a collectible figure that stands with if not taller than any mass produced collectible on the market today.  Not only does he fill a hole in my collection but I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to obtain this work of art.  Who knows when something like this will come around again...?

                          The Shadow knows.....

p.s.  There's a new Shadow series that just came out this last week produced by Dynamite Publishing and created by Aaron Campbell and Garth Ennis.  I picked it up along with a couple of the variant covers.  I've yet to read it but I hope to get a review up soon.  The variant sketch covers are fabulous though.   

    The Shadow #1 exclusive sketch covers by Alex Ross...


    

 

...and Jae Lee