The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow #2

While teasing us with the wanderings around London of the two enemy spies who will eventually come into conflict with The Shadow, The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow #2 is mainly concerned with Lamont Cranston finishing affairs in New York and preparing for his impending departure to England.

The second issue sees The Shadow start a gang war to weed out the ranks of two opposing families making it easier for the police to deal with the remnants of both organizations after he's gone. Stoically the vigilante never considers the increased casualties caused by such extreme actions. We also see the dismantlement of The Shadow's network of spies before he and Margo Lane board a ship and leave New York behind.

The first two issues represent one-third of Howard Chaykin's tale, the point of which (other than Cranston leaving New York) is still murky at best. The idea of an older Shadow's adventure in London is interesting, but two issues in Chaykin hasn't sold me on that story that's already cost me $8. That's a problem. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]