Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Old School/New School: Comics with Class

      Jason Sacks
      August 29, 2015
      Columns
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Reaction: Avengers: Endgame is exciting but Avengers: Infinity War is better.

      Jason Sacks
      April 26, 2019
      Marvel Comics, Reviews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • 4.0

      Review: Count Crowley - Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter #1

      Jason Sacks
      October 22, 2019
      Dark Horse, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 3.5

      American Horror Story Season 1 Blu-ray Review

      Jason Sacks
      October 10, 2012
      Reviews
    Recent
    • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

      Daniel Gehen
      March 8, 2021
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • J.T. Krul: Walking Through a Mindfield of Blackest Nights

      Jason Sacks
      September 28, 2009
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Interview: Thom Zahler Pt. II - A One-Man Band, So to Speak

      Jason Sacks
      April 22, 2016
      Classic Interviews
    Recent
    • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story

      Daniel Gehen
      March 26, 2021
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Exclusive Preview: Ninjak #12

      Jason Sacks
      January 29, 2016
      Previews
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: 'Out of Nothing' is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Collecting Profile: 1990 Marvel Universe Trading Cards
  • Collecting Profile: Red Sonja
  • Collecting Profile: Dr. Doom
  • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story
  • Collecting Profile: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

Book of Shadows #1

Jason Sacks
April 17, 2006
Reviews
Book of Shadows #1
3.5Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)

You may be familiar with the name Mark Chadbourne from his Lord of Misrule series of books. I hadn’t heard of Chadbourne or his books before reading this comic, but Book of Shadows apparently serves as a two-part prequel to the cycle of novels, without depending on a reader’s knowledge of the books for things to make sense. That’s a good thing because, as I mentioned, I have no idea of the back-story of this thing.

But the fact that you don’t need to know the back-story doesn’t mean that Chadbourn doesn’t use elements of his story in this comic. The comic is the story of Annie Lovelock, who is continually in mourning over the death of her boyfriend. It’s not stated, but I think the subtext is that the boyfriend committed suicide, and Annie blames herself for his death. Annie decides to dabble in magic, really as “a search for some kind of pattern in the miserable chaos of life” more than out of belief, when, lo and behold, Annie’s magic summons a dark creature called the Morrigan, who changes Annie’s life. From the moment of their encounter, Annie starts encountering mystical strangeness. She can understand the speech of animals, has a train she’s riding in destroyed by a dragon, meets Catalin, an evil ruler of dark creatures. In short, Annie finds herself in a world of magic and mystery, where she’s forced to find her way.

It’s pretty much a straight fantasy story, at turns clever and a bit familiar. Unlike something like Harry Potter, Chadbourn’s story mines the standard fantasy set-pieces without an element of humor or without a hook to get us really interested in Annie. Okay, I kept thinking, this girl made a big mistake and got connected to some magical creatures. Can we please move forward to the scene where she realizes her full potential and becomes a great magician? Because while the specific events in this comic aren’t predictable, it seems clear where this whole thing is going.

Bo Hampton is a wonderful artist for a project like this. It’s no surprise that his dragon is breathtaking, and that his mystical creatures seem to inhabit the real world. What I wasn’t prepared for was the wonderful way he draws Annie, all uncertain and confused, seeming to tremble with fear at the slightest noise happening around her. Hampton draws Annie with a wonderfully subtle style that really helps the reader empathize with her.

The story alone makes the comic deserve Cover Image: http://www.comicsbulletin.com/main/sites/default/files/reviews/images/3bullets.jpg” >. It’s very ordinary, standard fantasy stuff. But Hampton’s art is wonderful, and gives this story much of its depth for me. This comic is worth seeking out for its wonderful artwork, not so much for its ordinary feeling story.

 

Bo HamptonImage Comics/Desperado PublishingJason SacksMark Chadbourn

Share On:
Tweet
Tell Em’ Beau Sent Ya
Fear Agent #3

About The Author

Jason Sacks
Jason Sacks
Publisher Emeritus
Google+

Jason Sacks has been obsessed with pop culture for longer than he'd like to remember. Jason has been writing for Comics Bulletin for nearly a decade, producing over a million words of content about comics, films and other media. He has also been published in a number of publications, including the late, lamented Amazing Heroes, The Flash Companion and The American Comic Book Chronicles: the 1970s,1980s and 1990s. Find him on Facebook and Twitter. Jason is the Publisher Emeritus of Comics Bulletin.

Related Posts

  • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

    Mark Stack
    January 2, 2019
  • Top 10 Thoughts About Jack Kirby

    Jason Sacks
    August 28, 2017

Latest Reviews

  • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

    Daniel Gehen
    March 8, 2021
  • 3.0

    Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

    Daniel Gehen
    February 22, 2021
  • 4.5

    Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

    Daniel Gehen
    February 19, 2021
  • 2.3

    Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

    Daniel Gehen
    February 16, 2021
  • 4.3

    Review: RADIANT BLACK #1 Shines Brightly

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2021
  • 2.7

    Review: DEEP BEYOND #1 Can’t Commit to a Premise

    Daniel Gehen
    February 4, 2021
  • 2.0

    VINDICATION Falls Short of its Lofty Goals (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    February 1, 2021
  • 4.5

    DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2021
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders