Hunters: The Shadowlands #1

Having successfully stopped a terrible new evil from being released, Sela and crew find themselves trapped in the Shadowlands, with all of demons and monsters they locked away.  However, not all of them arrived at the same time and so, they set off on a journey to reunite their forces and find a way out of this terrifying wasteland.  Hunters: The Shadowlands, written by Raven Gregory, follows the exploits of Sela and the other hunters as they traverse the perils of the Shadowlands, in an all-new mini-series spun out of the pages of the Unleashed saga.

Set shortly after the events in Unleashed #0, Hunters: The Shadowlands gives us a look at what happened to Sela and the rest of the hunters during their time in the Shadowlands.  The thing that’s established right from the beginning is that in the Shadowlands, time moves differently than it does on Earth.  Night and day don’t always transition when they should and sometimes one or the other doesn’t come at all for extended periods.  It’s a strange desolate place, one that Roman has become all too accustomed to, after centuries of being the only one there.  However, it’s not so much about how Roman has survived for so long (or how he’s even still alive for that matter), but what other evil lays lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right monstrosity to set it loose.  After countless struggles, Sela, Liesel, Masumi and Elijah have no idea as to what awaits them as they journey onward into the great unknown. 

So, there definitely was a lot to like about this issue.  A great group of characters, several monster fights and even a slight homage to The Lord of the Rings, but the thing that stood out to me the most was how well it all melded together.  Raven has done it yet again, what looks to be a rather action-packed series that looks suitable for a summer blockbuster.  I really liked seeing this dark and dreary world through each of the characters eyes, share their experiences and not just focus on one to be the leader of sorts.  Each character is unique and they all have a different take, for the most part, on what the Shadowlands have thrown at them.  It’s this diversity that I feel really keeps this story interesting and really adds to all of the subsequent spin-offs that focus more on each character individually.  I also, just wanted to give a shout-out to all of the artists that worked on this issue.  Despite my dislike of having more than one artist work on a single issue, you all pulled it together rather well, to the point where I didn’t even realize there were multiple artists contributing to this (although that could just be me being a little blinded by the story itself, I don’t mean to offend anyone if I did).  Great job all around to everyone.

If anything at all, the multitude of artists working on this one would have been the thing that bugged me the most, but like I said above, I honestly didn’t even notice the difference because the art flowed so well together.  I guess I wouldn’t have such a big issue with more than one artist, if the change wasn’t real noticeable.  It’s that little skip in style that takes me out of the story and then I kinda have to re-analyze what I’m reading for a second or two and that just slows the whole enjoyment of the story down.  All I can say is, if you’re going to use multiple artists, for one reason or another, please try to utilize ones with an art style close enough to each other that it doesn’t take away from the story. 

The hunters must join together if they’re ever to find their way out of the Shadowlands, but it seems like something is preventing them from doing just that.  More action awaits these daring adventurers as they take on more and more dangerous adversaries.  So, go check out Hunters: The Shadowlands because although, you might think it’s a good thing, you really don’t want to have Sela hunting you down.  For more info on where to pick up this issue, visit the Zenescope website, or the Zenescope Facebook page.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.