Howard Chaykin Returns To The Shadow (Writer/Artist)

OK, here’s one you probably didn’t see coming.  Howard Chaykin’s returning to The Shadow.  Not just covers, but as the writer/artist of a return to the continuity of  his 1985 Blood & Judgement miniseries that revived the Shadow for DC.

Dynamite’s Nick Barrucci is a huge Chaykin fan and made a point of reissuing a collected edition of that series when he secured The Shadow license.  Chaykin’s version is a cyborg is a cyborg who mysteriously disappeared in 1949 and suddenly returns to take care of old business.  The new series, “The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow,” will tell the tale of why The Shadow disappeared in the first place.

SDCC Announcement – Howard Chaykin Returns to The Shadow
on Brand-New Midnight in Moscow Miniseries

July 16, 2013, Mt. Laurel, NJ:  Dynamite is proud to announce that legendary writer/artist Howard Chaykin will write his first new tale of The Shadow in nearly thirty years.  The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow will take place three decades prior to the events of his critically acclaimed Blood & Judgment series.  Chaykin will reprise his creative role both as writer and artist for this new venture.

“I’m delighted and grateful to Dynamite for the opportunity to work once again on so legendary a character as The Shadow,” says Chaykin.  “My new miniseries, The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow, tells the secret story behind the Shadow’s disappearance in 1949.”  While this new series marks his return to Shadow storytelling, he hasn’t strayed far from the character in recent years, contributing gorgeous cover artwork for Dynamite’s variety of Shadow series.

“The Shadow: Blood & Judgment is one of my favorite comic series of all time,” says Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite.  “It absolutely blows my mind, still to this day.  I can’t even begin to express how much this means to me as the publisher of the series and how much as a fan of Howard’s series.  Howard Chaykin’s return to the character is going to be phenomenal.  And in a move that will certainly keep his fans on their toes, he’s setting Midnight in Moscowup not as a direct sequel to his earlier work, but years and years beforehand, at an exciting and critical moment in the Shadow’s history.  I have such tremendous respect for Howard as a storyteller, a true modern master of the comic book medium.”

Howard Chaykin is a modern legend in the comics industry, with an exceptionally respected body of work spanning four decades.  He is perhaps best known for American Flagg!, a series published by First Comics in 1982.  Chaykin wrote and illustrated the first twelve issues exclusively, and was praised by critics and readers alike.  In 1985, Chaykin wrote and drew The Shadow for DC Comics, the acclaimed run that would later be collected by Dynamite as The Shadow: Blood & Judgment.  He is the recipient of Inkpot and Eisner Awards.  His extensive library of comics work includes such titles as Star Wars, Black Kiss, American Century, Challengers of the Unknown, Blackhawk, Hawkgirl, Blade, Punisher War Journal, and Satellite Sam.  He was also executive script consultant for The Flash television series on CBS, and later worked on action-adventure programs such as Viper, Earth: Final Conflict, and Mutant X.

The Shadow began its existence in 1930 as a narrative voice on the Street and Smith radio program Detective Story Hour.  The audience thrilled to the serialized adventures of this mysterious figure, whose mythos expanded to include Occidental mysticism, hypnotic powers over weak criminal minds, and twin .45 caliber handguns.  With a keen intellect and relentless drive, The Shadow hunted criminals without mercy in an era when gumshoe detectives and bootlegging mobsters was a thrilling yet fearsome reality.  The character’s popularity has endured for over 80 years, bolstered by appearances in radio serials, novels, comic books, films, and more.  In recent years, Dynamite published a groundbreaking and well-received Shadow series launched by comic writer Garth Ennis (Preacher), with further tales crafted by Victor Gischler and Chris Roberson.  Lamont Cranston’s grim alter-ego has also appeared in such related series as The Shadow: Year One, Masks, and The Shadow / Green Hornet: Dark Nights.