The Shadow #1

History

DC acquired the Shadow license from Condé Nast—which had itself obtained the rights from the defunct Street & Smith Publications—and set Denny O'Neil as the project's writer-editor, an arrangement described by observers as unusual, if not unique, for major American publishers at the time. Before Kaluta was attached, the prestige assignment passed through several celebrated artists: Jim Steranko was O'Neil's first choice but could not agree on creative terms with DC; Alex Toth famously rewrote O'Neil's script wholesale and submitted it with a bill, ending his involvement; and Bernie Wrightson was fully committed to Swamp Thing and ultimately passed, personally recommending his friend and roommate Kaluta as a replacement. At the point Kaluta joined the project he had never drawn a full-length story for DC, but his deep affinity for 1930s pulp illustration made him an ideal—if deadline-challenged—fit, and he drew the story that became 'The Doom Puzzle,' published with a cover date of November 1973 and placed on sale in July of that year.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First DC Comics appearance of The Shadow (operating as Lamont Cranston / Kent Allard), along with his core supporting cast: Margo Lane, Shrevvy, Burbank, and Harry Vincent—all debuting together in this single issue.
• Written and edited by Denny O'Neil, with full art (pencils, inks, and cover) by Michael Kaluta; published by National Periodical Publications (DC) with a cover date of October–November 1973 and an on-sale date of July 12, 1973.
• The lead story, 'The Doom Puzzle,' follows the Shadow and his agents as they foil a plot by Wall Street financier Osgood Bamber to steal a shipment of worn currency bound for Washington, D.C.—a heist involving criminals, a sea captain, and an experimental submarine.
• The series is deliberately set in the 1930s and placed on DC's Earth-One continuity, with visual period detail such as a billboard for Marlene Dietrich's film Blonde Venus used to anchor the story's 1932 setting.
• DC obtained the Shadow license from Condé Nast in a broader push to compete with Marvel by licensing pulp and adventure properties; Marvel had acquired Doc Savage in 1972, and DC answered with The Shadow and the Edgar Rice Burroughs characters.
• Before Kaluta was secured, the artist assignment went through Jim Steranko (wanted more creative control than DC would grant), Alex Toth (rejected O'Neil's script and submitted an unauthorized replacement), and Bernie Wrightson (too committed to Swamp Thing)—all of whom passed before Kaluta was brought aboard.
• The issue was later reprinted internationally (Brazil, Netherlands, France, Sweden, and Spain, among others) and was collected domestically in DC's 1989 hardcover 'The Private Files of the Shadow,' which reprinted issues #1–4 and #6 alongside a new Kaluta story.
• A DC Millennium Edition facsimile reprint of this issue was published in February 2001, which also included a bonus story about the creation of the series featuring the Shadow and Denny O'Neil.

Cast · 5 characters

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