Shadecraft #1 was an absolute blast to read. The story revolves around an awkward high school teen name Zadie Lu, and wastes no time jumping right into the main dilemma: Zadie thinks that shadows are trying to kill her. Shadecraft is the second comic collaboration between artist Lee Garbett and writer Joe Henderson, who gave us the Eisner nominated series Skyward.
The first issue introduces us to Zadie, her only two high school friends, her parents, and brother Ricky, who is in a coma. Zadie isn’t a popular kid at school. Her brother Ricky was, and Zadie was envious of that. When we meet her she’s just trying to get some type of normalcy a year after her brother’s accident. Henderson does an excellent job of disrupting that path by having Zadie going to school telling people things like evil shadows tried to murder her.
What makes Shadecraft #1 work so well, besides the horror element, is the diverse cast. Zadie is Asian American, her friend Kate is caucasian and her other friend Josh is African American. It’s good to see representation in a story that reflects the real world we live in. It’s a testament that diversity continues to grow within comics.
Garbett does a tremendous job of bringing Zadie and the rest of Shadecraft‘s cast to life. It’s remarkable how he balances such a bright and cheerful group of characters against the dark and shadowy figures of the story so well. The shadows look unique and realistic, giving the book a terrifying feel when they show up on the panel.
Overall, Shadecraft #1 is a new series you’ll want to check out. If you love shows like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you’ll love Shadecraft. The book was already picked up by Netflix to become a TV show, so you’ll definitely want to snag a copy to keep up with the story.
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