Writer – Cullen Bunn
Artist – Giovanni Timpano
Colours – Marco Lesko
Letters – Rob Steen

The Shadow’s latest case continues to keep him busy as he faces a couple of killer monkeys, animals which he has no control over and will prove an actual challenge, at least for the moment. After defeating them with a finality that only his weapons can deliver, he meets the Sandman, the ringer the Society of United Magicians brought in to help them gain the secret of The Last Illusion. With the introduction of this man, The Shadow may have just met his match, yet as readers know, few can actually call themselves a match for him. Cullen Bunn and Giovanni Timpano continue to weave their web of mystery and intrigue as The Shadow follows a lead to London to discover the meaning of a word from a dying man’s lips and to see if it can lead to a possible way for all of the madness taking place to end. It is a long shot, but there had to have been a reason for the utterance otherwise why would he say it in the first place? What is discovered instead is that there is another faction of magicians that are at odds with the Society. This group will do anything to prevent the mystery of The Last Illusion from coming to light. It is not only the last thing that The Shadow wishes to hear, but it also makes things a lot more complicated as he must now contend with two different factions instead of one. What is most compelling about this story is also the most intriguing thing about The Shadow himself. The man sees everything in black and white, as scales needing balance. If a crime is committed, The Shadow sees it as his duty to seek out that bitter fruit and put an end to it. He applies that logic to the Society and what they are doing as well and the funny thing is, should they have just left Houdini’s wife alone, none of this would have come to pass. They have written their own ending without realizing it. As of this moment, the book has been truly wonderful with its dark and moody atmosphere and when adding in a touch of noir, action and drama, the story is not only entertaining but captivating as well.

4 out of 5