Art For Art’s Sake #290: The Shadow Knows More — Michael Kaluta

It’s another Art For Art’s Sake, another spin round great comic art… and this week it’s even more of The Shadow…

Last week I dived into the world of The Shadow and showed you a load of great pieces. But when I was doing that, I found so much incredible artwork from my four favourite Shadow artists that it’s going to be something of an extended Shadow-fest for the next few weeks.

This week, the incomparable Michael W Kaluta, perhaps the definitive Shadow artist for so many. He came onboard with DC Comics version of The Shadow debuting in 1973 and running to 1975, written by the great Denny O’Neil. Additionally, O’Neil worked on a couple of Batman/Shadow crossover issues with cover art from Kaluta for Batman #253. And then there was a 1988 return by both to the character, this time at Marvel Comics with the graphic novel, The Shadow: Hitler’s Astrologer, republished more recently by Dynamite.

It really is just superb artwork, some of Kaluta’s finest, and a perfect rendition of an iconic character…

The Shadow – DC Comics (1973-1975)

 

 

Batman/Shadow – Batman 253 (Nov 1973) – cover by Kaluta

The Shadow 1941: Hitler’s Astrologer (1988 Marvel Comics/ 2013 Dynamite) – inks by Russ Heath

 

And finally, a few random MWK Shadow images…