3. Shadowman #10 by Justin Jordan and Diego Bernard (Valiant)
Justin Jordan is one of the best writers to emerge in the last couple of years. His Image series Luther Strode is one of the must-read comics being published at the moment and his Valiant book, Shadowman, is absolutely terrific. Issue #10 takes us back to the American Civil War and the creation of Shadowman. Nicodemo and Sandria Darque are both ghostly white magical beings who are separated when Nicodemo's increasingly harsh actions spurs Sandria on to escape. She meets Marius Boniface, dying on a battlefield and saves his life with her magic. She starts working for the Union army as they get closer to defeating the Confederacy in the final days of the civil war. Meanwhile as she and Marius become lovers, her enraged brother Nicodemo is hot on her trail to "rescue" her... Jordan's script is well-written, taut and fast-paced, keeping the story moving at a nice clip so the reader is never bored. He somehow manages to pack the origins of Shadowman within one issue without making it seem like he's short-changing the reader by leaving out important details. He's also able to convincingly portray the romance between Sandria and Marius. The scene where Marius saves some hot water for Sandria's evening wash stands out as a small but meaningful gesture that subtly hints at the depth of their feelings. Their dialogue in that scene is also pitch perfect and romantic as hell! As good as Jordan's writing is, Diego Bernard's art is the best part of the issue. I love Southern gothic and Bernard captures it perfectly in this comic - the majestic Southern architecture with their high white walls and pillars surrounded by large, droopy trees in the midst of overgrown vegetation are beautiful. The Louisiana plantation is drawn wonderfully as is the house on the banks of the river in the moonlight so damn good! I also really enjoyed Nicodemo's character design. When he shows up at the camp, he's absolutely terrifying, as a villain should be, and the white suit and what you can do with that colour - is a great touch. Shadowman is a supernatural/magic book and Bernard's art perfectly suits it. New readers who haven't been keeping up the series can jump straight on board with this issue as it's a one-and-done origin that introduces you to Shadowman and all you need to know is in the comic. For series regulars, this is another great issue, this time focusing on the great villain Nicodemo Darque and revealing Shadowman's tragic origin. Shadowman is the book DC's Justice League Dark/Constantine titles should be: magical with a delightfully spooky atmosphere, paired with great writing and art. Shadowman #10 is another fantastic addition in a series that has been consistently entertaining - definitely check it out if you enjoy comics about the dark arts. A great read.