Shadowman is a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

who appears in comic books published by

Valiant Comics Valiant Comics is an American comic books, comic book publisher, the first incarnation of which was founded in 1989 by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter along with lawyer and businessman Steven Massarsky. In 1994, the company was ...

. The character debuted in ''Shadowman'' #1 (May 1992), created by writers

Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor, and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comic ...

and

Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early li ...

, and artist

David Lapham David Lapham is an American comic book writer, artist, and cartoonist, best known for his work on the independent comic book ''Stray Bullets (comics), Stray Bullets''. Career David Lapham started his career in 1990 as a penciller at Valiant Co ...

. Shadowman appears in his own series and

video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

, as well as numerous other Valiant comics. Shadowman is a lineage and four characters have taken up the mantle thus far in the comics and video games. The series protagonist is Jack Boniface. Since his introduction, Shadowman has been a key character in the

Valiant Universe The Valiant Universe is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles that are published by Valiant Comics take place. The majority of the characters within said universe were created by Jim Shooter, and Bob Layt ...

and has sold over 5.3 million copies to date, with 80 issues published. Shadowman comics have been translated into a number of languages, including

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, Norwegian, Filipino and Chinese, among others. New Orleans mayor Sidney Barthelemy officially proclaimed January 17, 1993 as “Shadowman Day.”

Publication history

Original Valiant continuity

''Shadowman'' debuted in 1992 as a flagship title in the

. After one year in publication, ''Shadowman'' was selling over 100,000 comics books a month. Shadowman would go on to guest star in a number of Valiant comics, fighting alongside other heroes in the

, most notably "Unity" and "Unity 2000".

Acclaim continuity

''Shadowman'' eventually sold more than 5 million copies in total before

Acclaim Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game publisher based in Glen Cove, New York. Originally founded by Greg Fischbach, Robert Holmes, and Jim Scoroposki from a storefront in Oyster Bay in 1987, the company built a global develop ...

bought Valiant for $65 million in 1994.

Acclaim Comics Valiant Comics is an American comic book publisher, the first incarnation of which was founded in 1989 by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter along with lawyer and businessman Steven Massarsky. In 1994, the company was sold to A ...

subsequently started a new ''Shadowman'' series in 1996. Acclaim also published ''Shadowman'' video games. In preparation for the leap to video games a new action-oriented Shadowman took up the mask in comics. The second series of comics (spelled '' Shadow Man'') featured the iteration of Shadowman that would gain huge popularity in the successful Shadow Man video game franchise. In a similar manner to the original iteration, the hero fought alongside other characters in the Acclaim Comics Universe, notably

Unity 2000 "Unity" is an 18-issue crossover story published by Valiant Comics Valiant Comics is an American comic books, comic book publisher, the first incarnation of which was founded in 1989 by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter along ...

. People who have worked on ''Shadowman'' characters and storylines include

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

Editor-in Chief

Joe Quesada Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, ...

, former Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...

Garth Ennis Garth Ennis (born 16 January 1970) is a Northern Irish-American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' ''Punisher'' franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dar ...

Rob Liefeld Robert Liefeld (; born October 3, 1967) is an American comic book creator. A prominent writer and artist in the 1990s, he is known for co-creating the character Cable (comics), Cable with writer Louise Simonson and the character Deadpool with wri ...

Barry Windsor-Smith Barry Windsor-Smith (born Barry Smith, 25 May 1949) is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best-known work has been produced in the United States. He attained note working on Marvel Comics' ''Conan the Barbarian (comics), Conan t ...

Jamie Delano Jamie Delano ( ; born 1954) is an English comic book writer. He was part of the first post-Alan Moore "British Invasion" of writers which started to feature in American comics in the 1980s. He is best known as the first writer of the comic book ...

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko. Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular ac ...

Rags Morales Ralph "Rags" Morales () is an American comic book artist known for his work on various books for DC Comics, including ''Identity Crisis'', ''Countdown to Infinite Crisis'', ''Batman Confidential'', and The New 52 reboot of then Superman-centric '' ...

Fabian Nicieza Fabian Nicieza (; December 31, 1961) is an Argentine-American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as ''X-Men'', '' X-Force'', ''New Warriors'', ''Nomad'', ''Cable'', '' Gambit'', '' Deadpool'' and ' ...

Jim Starlin James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...

Bob Layton Bob Layton (born September 25, 1953) is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics titles such as ''Iron Man (comic book), Iron Man'' and ''Hercules (Marvel Comics), Hercules'', and for co-fo ...

Jimmy Palmiotti James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film. Early life Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Career Palmiotti star ...

Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...

and

Ashley Wood Ashley Wood (born 1971) is an Australian comic book artist and illustrator"2002 Spectrum Aw ...

. With issue seven Bob Hall took over writing chores and continued as the primary writer on the book until the first "Shadowman" run ended with issue 43. Acclaim shut down all comic book publishing in 2002, in anticipation of a

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

cy filing of its parent company after suffering heavy losses from its licensed sports video games. ''Shadowman'' and all other Valiant properties were sold to Valiant Entertainment.

Powers

Valiant Comics

As Shadowman, Jack possesses paranormal strength, endurance, agility, and reflexes, night vision, regenerative healing, gliding capabilities, depleted fear, and other

voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * West African Vodún, a religion practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

powers.

Valiant Entertainment

Possessee's hosted to the Shadow Loa have a great many expanded upon abilities. The natural physical enhancements & psychological reinforcements that come with being Busou Kobalamin's host remain paramount, but are also complemented by a host of other powers which accommodate them. Such as necromancy, afterlife traversal, shadow & darkness manipulation on top of mastery over the deadside and it's monstrous denizens.

In other media

Film

In 1999, Acclaim Entertainment was approached by

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actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

with a pitch to make a feature film. Acclaim declined this offer, as they were focused on the success of the video game franchise. In June 2017, it was reported that Valiant Entertainment had hired

Reginald Hudlin Reginald Alan Hudlin (born December 15, 1961) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Along with his older brother Warrington Hudlin, he is known as one of the Hudlin Brothers. From 2005 to 2008, Hudlin was President of Entertainmen ...

to direct a film adaptation, and also co-write the screenplay with

Adam Simon Adam Simon (born February 6, 1962) is an American director, producer, and screenwriter. His directing credits include '' Brain Dead'' (1990), '' Body Chemistry II: The Voice of a Stranger'' (1992), and '' Carnosaur'' (1993). Simon, along with p ...

Web series

Shadowman appears in the web series '' Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe'', portrayed by

Damion Poitier Damion Poitier ( ; born June 4, 1976) is an American actor and stuntman, best known for his role as Chains in ''Payday 2''. He made an uncredited appearance as Thanos in '' The Avengers'' (2012), the character's first appearance in the Marvel Cin ...

Video games

In 1999, ''Shadow Man'' was released on the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...

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, and PC. In 2002, its sequel, '' Shadow Man: 2econd Coming,'' was released in 2002 as a

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

exclusive. In all, the ''Shadow Man'' franchise has sold over 2 million copies and grossed close to 100 million dollars in revenue. Both games before 2023 focus on Michael LeRoi, the Acclaim Comics version of Shadow Man. In May 2023, a new game, Shadowman: Darque Legacy that features Jack Boniface was announced that is slated for release in 2026.

Music

In 2015, heavy metal band

A Sound of Thunder "A Sound of Thunder" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in ''Collier's'' magazine on June 28, 1952, and later in Bradbury's 1953 collection '' The Golden Apples of the Sun''. Plot summary In the y ...

released a concept album entitled ''Tales from the Deadside'' based on Shadowman. The album was released on compact disc, vinyl, and digital formats. The album features original artwork by Bob Hall and Roberto de la Torre. A limited 7 inch vinyl picture disc for album tracks "Tower of Souls" and "Punk Mambo" was also released in 2015.

Collected editions

References

External links

World of Black Heroes: Jack Boniface (Original) BiographyWorld of Black Heroes: Re-Imagined Jack Boniface BiographyWorld of Black Heroes: Mike LeRoi Biography
{{Jim Shooter 1992 comics debuts Valiant Comics titles Comics characters with superhuman strength Comics adapted into video games Comics by Steve Englehart Comics characters with accelerated healing Comics characters with superhuman senses Fiction about Louisiana Voodoo Fictional characters from New Orleans Valiant Comics superheroes