Batman / The Shadow #2

   The beauty of an iconic character is that he or she can endure different interpretations - and that's certainly what we're getting for one of the co-stars of this team-up of Batman and The Shadow.

   Batman seems in character, which makes sense, since the co-writer (with Steve Orlando) is Batman writer Scott Snyder.

   But The Shadow seems off-model to me (and granted,  I'm a big fan of the original pulps). This version feels like a murderous madman - and while The Shadow was always ready to deal final justice to criminals, he was anything but insane.

   Intelligent, cunning, decisive - that's The Shadow. The guy wearing the outfit in this series seems unhinged, out of control - and possessing supernatural powers.

   Yes, the Shadow can cloud men's minds and he can melt into the darkness - but he shouldn't be able to pull the kinds of magic tricks that we see here.

   But those quibbles aside, this is a compelling series, providing a challenge worthy of the two heroes, and demonstrating the differences between the two "dark knights."

    It may not be "my" Shadow here - but it's close enough to be fun.

Grade: B+

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