Spirit of the Shadows #4
Writers: Daniel Ziegler and Nick Cagnetti
Artist and Colorist: Nick Cagnetti
Well, that escalated quickly. All of our players are now on the same plane of existence, so all of their interconnections are further twisting and tying together. A conclusion to our saga draws near.
Previously in Spirit of the Shadows:
Death and Rebirth. Erik LeRoux, the Spirit of the Shadows, has been returned to life for a second time. This new lease on life is thanks to the witch Helena Hextress, who only brought Erik back so she can exact vengeance on him for his role in the death of her sister Elizabeth. Through these actions, her spells have broken down the walls between the living and the dead, allowing spirits to walk freely…
Tragedy Breeds More Tragedy
An interrupted spell has brought the spirits of the dead to the land of the living! Before we see what this change to the natural order has wrought, we must first check in with Elizabeth in the spirit world, still gathering the pages of Erik’s book. Through her, we learn what happened after Erik and Katrina were united, following his first resurrection. Erik discovers that Dr. Hyde Perkins was the man who both killed and resurrected him - both at the command of Lord Laemmle, Katrina’s father!
Confronting the man who ordered his death, Erik learns that he did these horrible things because he wanted to bring his long-lost wife back. There is a struggle, and Erik burns the manor down with Lord Laemmle inside.
Before she can learn more, Elizabeth is pulled back to the land of the living. There, her sister Helena Hextress and the spirit of Lord Laemmle are still plotting how to destroy Erik once and for all. Through one of the witch’s spells, they create a facsimile of Katrina’s spirit and use it to drive Erik to completely hopeless despair.
Elizabeth finds Erik, who in his despair tells her the rest of his story. Katrina had followed him to the confrontation with her father, so she was caught in the fire. With no body, it wasn’t possible to resurrect her as Erik had been - unless they could bring her spirit into a new body. So began a series of kidnappings of young blonde women, all of a similar type to his beloved Katrina. All of them ended in failure, and death for the victim - including Elizabeth.
Helena offers a despondent Erik a means to end it all, which he is more than happy to accept. Before the spell can be completed, Elizabeth and Dr. Perkins both appear on the scene, prepared to assert themselves against their oppressors for the first time…
Victims All
This series as a whole has been a wonderful surprise, something I picked up on a whim with the first issue and it went on to become one of my favorite current books. That being said, this issue was easily the weakest one to date. This doesn’t mean it’s bad - far from it, in fact - but it definitely doesn’t hit the same for me as the previous issues had.
This issue was the first time I had a problem with the pacing of this book. Up until now, everything was well-balanced between present-day movement and reveals of the past actions that led to the current situation. This issue, it felt like there was a bit of a rush to “infodump” all of the backstory we were still missing before we start building to the denouement of the series.
There was still so much to like about this issue. Thanks to the blurring between the worlds of the living and the dead, almost all of our cast get to meet and be in the same place at the same time. This gives us new matchups and dynamics, which in turn grants new insight into the characters. The “good” Doctor Perkins in particular gets some terrific moments this issue, as he comes to terms with his rather large part in the events that have unfolded. His speech to Elizabeth on grief and tragedy is powerful stuff.
Throughout this series, I have more than once thought that Erik was far too passive of an character for the “lead” of the book. With the new backstory reveals in this issue, I now understand why that is. Almost everything that has happened to him - death, resurrection, death again, another resurrection - has been the work of someone else. Literally all he has thought about has been Katrina and trying to get her back. There’s been nothing outside of that particular tunnel vision. And so, when he realizes it cannot be done, he literally has nothing else and is susceptible to basically anyone and anything. I am hoping that the events at the end of this issue are setting him up to finally take some agency and stand up for himself in the finale.
As for the rest of our players…
Elizabeth’s spirit now walks among the living, and her connection to both Erik and Helena looks to be essential in how everything gets resolved. Helena has been so focused on her need to punish Erik for what he did to her sister that, as Dr. Perkins astutely pointed out, it didn’t even occur to her to look for Elizabeth when the spirits started walking the Earth. I think we’re going to find out just how much humanity there still is under the “vengeful witch” facade.
Dr. Perkins showed far more character and backbone here than he had to date; unfortunately, it was too late to save him. Although I expect that we’ll see his spirit appear at the right moment in the finale. As for Lord Laemmle, it’s clear in death that he truly is the awful, hateful person that he seemed in life, and hopefully some deserved comeuppance will be coming his way in the end.
I think we’re in for one explosive finish next issue.
Spiritual Guidance
This issue is once again brought to us by the creative duo Daniel Ziegler and Nick Cagnetti. The story is handled by both men, and they cram a lot into these pages. Maybe a little too much. The pacing definitely suffers a bit this month, with a bit too much backstory dump that is a drastic shift from the slow-burn reveals up until now.
The spirits of the dead can now walk the world of the living, and so that changes the setting considerably. The images of ghostly beings interacting with flesh-and-blood folks are pretty striking, even if the book is so focused on our main players that we don’t get to really see how the wider world is reacting to this change. There is a great scene where Erik is walking down the street and everyone, both living and dead, freak out at the sight of the Spirit of the Shadows. I wish there were a few more moments like that.
Ziegler handles the scripting himself, and he’s got a good ear for dialogue. Again, there’s a bit too much infodump, but the characters themselves all sound like real people, albeit with a little bit of old-school over-the-top comics flair. Helena comes across as a stereotypical villain, complete with over-the-top dialogue, but there are hints that there is more to her than that. Lord Laemmle, on the other hand, is just pure evil, and that’s perfectly fine for his role in the story. Even though his initial goal was to bring his wife back, he couldn’t have gone about achieving it any worse than he did.
Elizabeth and Dr. Perkins get by far the best character moments this issue and show the most growth. She shows some individual agency for the first time, standing up for herself and trying to give Erik the figurative “kick in the butt” he needed. The doctor shows remorse and regret for his considerable role in everything that has transpired. It’s a case of “too little, too late,” but it does drive him to actually fight back for the first time in a long time. These are great moments for characters that have been very passive in the story up to this point.
Art and colors are brought to us by Cagnetti, whose work I have already raved about in previous writings. His retro style works incredibly well for the story being told, and he impressively doesn’t skimp on the backgrounds. The city is actually full of people and spirits, and there is genuine detail in the buildings and trees. The burned-out ruins of Laemmle Hall are filled with scorch marks, water spots, and debris, adding to the sense of tragedy for what transpired there.
The changes in coloring between the present-day and the flashback sequences continues to be very effective, with the flashbacks being in a flatter old-school style while the current portions are rendered in the brighter style possible today. The spirits have a blue shade and an ethereal glow about them that makes them stand out, and they’re even properly portrayed as transparent which is a nice touch.
Despite the story’s heavy focus on death, the afterlife, and resurrection, there has been little blood throughout the series. This makes the moments where it does appear, such as the shocking moment at the end of this issue, stand out all the more.
One Impossible Remedy
Spirits of the Shadows #4 is arguably the weakest issue of the series to date, but even this creative team’s lesser efforts are still exciting, nuanced stories with strong characters and impressive visuals. The art and coloring are still incredible, with multiple images that I found myself just stopping to look at. The story may suffer from too many backstory reveals this issue, but the plotting is still strong and everything looks poised for a big finish in the next - and final - issue. Don’t be a passive observer like Erik; if you’re curious what else is out there besides the standard “capes and tights” stuff, give this title a look. You’ll find a title unlike anything else on the stands today, and maybe even your next favorite book.