The Shadow #2

The second chapter of Howard Chaykin's mature-readers reimagining of The Shadow arrives with a cover as taut as a clenched fist — a hard-faced man in military attire presses a pistol forward while gripping a wide-eyed woman in a pink dress, Chinese characters framing the scene with an unmistakable underworld atmosphere. Subtitled "Crime… and Punishment," this issue makes clear that Chaykin's vision of the pulp avenger is unsparing and street-level, pitched squarely at adult sensibilities. If the opening installment drew you in, this second of four chapters promises to keep the tension wound tight.