Crypt of Shadows #1 Review: A Fitting Way to Ring In the Halloween Season
Just in time for the Halloween season is Marvel's Crypt of Shadows, a lengthy one-shot of 6 stories that shine a light on a roster of fan favorites navigating the darker realms of the Marvel universe. Like all collections, some stories rise above others by utilizing their lead to maximum effect, as in Crypt of Shadow's first story, while others don't quite hit that same bar. Favorites like Moon Knight, Elsa Bloodstone, Man-Thing, and more make appearances, and while every story won't click for every fan, you are bound to discover a story or character to gravitate towards. Crypt of Shadows delivers more hits than misses and is a fitting way to ring in Halloween for Marvel fans.
Let's start with "The Crypt of Shadows," which is the name of the one-shot but is also the name of the ongoing monologue from "The Crypt of Shadows" by Al Ewing, Ramon Bachs, Rain Beredo, and Travis Lanham. Victor Strange's dialogue captures the classic horror film vibe that sets the tone right from the outset, but it's also fun to see Victor pseudo break the fourth wall with references to modern technology and finding notes on what's happened previously. Meanwhile, Bachs and Beredo give everything a growing unease as they continue to fill up each break in the story with monstrous creatures.
The real star of the show though is "Neither Big Nor Bad" by Danny Lore, Karen S. Darboe, Cris Peter, and Travis Lanham, which brings Blade's daughter Bloodline into the mix or a stylish adventure full of magical chaos. Cris Peter's colors are lush and pop off the page, and Lore's Bloodline is charming, fearless, and compassionate, giving the well known premise of heroes being called away from their significant others all the time some welcome emotion and heart.
The middle two stories of the issue were fine, but they didn't really set themselves apart in some way or another. "Werewolf by Moon Knight" is fun in spots and features an enjoyable throwdown, but like the appearance from Moon Knight, it's all too brief, and seems as if it's over just as it starts to get going. "Skin Crawl" had a few moments as well, but the characters and their behavior just felt off in some ways, and there wasn't anything in the overall premise that grabbed me by story's end.
Things pick up though with the delightful "Down Came The Rain" by Chris Condon, Fran Galán, James Campbell, and Lanham, which delivers an unexpected but thoroughly entertaining adventure involving Elsa Bloodstone, Spider-Man, and Human Torch. Galan and Campbell's art and colors couldn't be better paired, and the team takes advantage of Torch's unique ability to illuminate a scene throughout. It's a simple but effective premise, and team Bloodstone knocks it out of the park.
The issue concludes with the century spanning "Endless Slaughter in the Infinite Swamp" by Adam Warren, Guru-eFX, and Lanham, which pits two hero favorites together but is in on the trope the entire way and has a grand old time with the familiar premise. The sheer scale of this one on one match-up is impressive, and Warren finds ways to extend the battle and make it completely distinct from other stories of its ilk. It's brutal in places but it does fit the vibe of the Halloween season, and the self awareness helped even things out.
Overall, Crypt of Shadows is a sometimes-perfect collection for those who enjoy the season and are up for something a little off the beaten path. Bloodline kicks things off in stellar fashion and Wolverine and Man-Thing bring the issue to a shocking close, and there's enough in-between to capture your attention, even if everything doesn't quite land.
Published by Marvel Comics
Written by Al Ewing, Danny Lore, Rebecca Roanhorse, Chris Cooper, Chris Condon, and Adam Warren
Art by Ramon Bachs, Karen S. Darboe, Geoff Shaw, Ibrahim Moustafa, Fran Galan, and Adam Warren
Colors by Rain Beredo, Chris Peter, Arif Prianto, Neeraj Menon, James Campbell, and Guru-eFX
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover by Leinil Francis Yu and Matt Milla