On the idea of a Shadow movie: I'm assuming it will be for streaming, as that seems where everything is going. I sincerely hope it will not be another origin story with the hero having father issues. Marvel has beaten that particular sub-genre to death. (DC helped, too. I mean Wonder Woman had father issues - a character who traditionally has no father!) I'm also hoping it doesn't go the route of the new Perry Mason mini-series. Going strictly by reviews, it sounds like it could be an okay story; but it's not a Perry Mason story. Personally I wouldn't mind seeing an adaptation of "Crime Under Cover" - unfortunately the whole "weapons of mass destruction" issue is still with us, so it would need very little updating in some respects. "Crime Over Miami" would be another story that might work as a mini-series. The shoot-out among the pirates/Federal Agents/Shadow agents during the parade could be spectacular.
James Patterson as writer is something of a disappointment for me. I know millions of people love his books, but I can't get through them and I've tried several different ones. Something about his style just doesn't click with me. However, his name on the cover (maybe they'll do something like James Patterson and Maxwell Grant Present The Shadow?) will guarantee lots of new eyes on the character.
Again, great episode. Looking forward to more. Oh, and thanks for getting me hooked on the character. I've had a wonderful Spring and Summer reading his adventures (as well as the Whisperer and the Black Bat - good stories that aren't nearly as dated or racist as non-readers of them would have you believe.)
Dear Sir, What a great podcast! The issues you mention here are absolutely vital to The Shadow character. I am not so easily impressed by Conde Nast's choice of James Patterson to do a so-called reboot. What knowledge and literary handle does he have on superheroes? The Shadow is a superhero after all...he is not Sam Spade. So a noir approach probably wouldn't be the best one. Will Murray, who authors Doc Savage, would have been a much better choice. He is a scribe of actual talent and valuable insight into superheroes and sci-fi. James Patterson, maybe not so much. So a healthy dose of cynicism is much needed here. Keep in mind, if Patterson fouls up on The Shadow, he'll set the character back in the Stone Age, in terms of artistic possibilities. And Conde Nast will be to blame for it! What is one to do? When Dynamite Comics got the go-ahead from Conde Nast to create new graphic novels, their results were badly mixed. Matt Wagner's work was positively stellar, while Gareth Ennis' work amounted to a giant bore. Ennis had no feel for The Shadow at all! No one did more to create the modern superhero genre than did Walter Brown Gibson. Once he established this genre as being artistically creative and financially viable, no one did it better than him. Not even Lester Dent! As Gibson's creation approaches its centennial, Conde Nast's reboot must aim true. If not, The Shadow himself may fade into obscurity.
Great episode!
ReplyDeleteOn the idea of a Shadow movie: I'm assuming it will be for streaming, as that seems where everything is going. I sincerely hope it will not be another origin story with the hero having father issues. Marvel has beaten that particular sub-genre to death. (DC helped, too. I mean Wonder Woman had father issues - a character who traditionally has no father!) I'm also hoping it doesn't go the route of the new Perry Mason mini-series. Going strictly by reviews, it sounds like it could be an okay story; but it's not a Perry Mason story. Personally I wouldn't mind seeing an adaptation of "Crime Under Cover" - unfortunately the whole "weapons of mass destruction" issue is still with us, so it would need very little updating in some respects. "Crime Over Miami" would be another story that might work as a mini-series. The shoot-out among the pirates/Federal Agents/Shadow agents during the parade could be spectacular.
James Patterson as writer is something of a disappointment for me. I know millions of people love his books, but I can't get through them and I've tried several different ones. Something about his style just doesn't click with me. However, his name on the cover (maybe they'll do something like James Patterson and Maxwell Grant Present The Shadow?) will guarantee lots of new eyes on the character.
Again, great episode. Looking forward to more. Oh, and thanks for getting me hooked on the character. I've had a wonderful Spring and Summer reading his adventures (as well as the Whisperer and the Black Bat - good stories that aren't nearly as dated or racist as non-readers of them would have you believe.)
Dear Sir,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great podcast! The issues you mention here are absolutely vital to The Shadow character. I am not so easily impressed by Conde Nast's choice of James Patterson to do a so-called reboot. What knowledge and literary handle does he have on superheroes? The Shadow is a superhero after all...he is not Sam Spade. So a noir approach probably wouldn't be the best one.
Will Murray, who authors Doc Savage, would have been a much better choice. He is a scribe of actual talent and valuable insight into superheroes and sci-fi. James Patterson, maybe not so much. So a healthy dose of cynicism is much needed here.
Keep in mind, if Patterson fouls up on The Shadow, he'll set the character back in the Stone Age, in terms of artistic possibilities. And Conde Nast will be to blame for it! What is one to do?
When Dynamite Comics got the go-ahead from Conde Nast to create new graphic novels, their results were badly mixed. Matt Wagner's work was positively stellar, while Gareth Ennis' work amounted to a giant bore. Ennis had no feel for The Shadow at all!
No one did more to create the modern superhero genre than did Walter Brown Gibson. Once he established this genre as being artistically creative and financially viable, no one did it better than him. Not even Lester Dent! As Gibson's creation approaches its centennial, Conde Nast's reboot must aim true. If not, The Shadow himself may fade into obscurity.
M. M. DeBonis, 03-21-2021.