This is a spoiler free review.
TRIGGER WARNING: Issue #1 contains scenes of spousal violence and abuse.
If you’re looking for a new comic featuring a badass heroine, you should check out the Vault Comics series SHADOW SERVICE.
From Comixology: Worried your partner is cheating? Need a missing person found? Gina Meyers is the Private Investigator for you. Sure, she’s a witch who worries that her powers make her more of a monster than the crooks she’s trying to catch, but it’s not like London’s criminal underworld is literally going to hell . . . is it? Spy craft meets black magic in the shadowy world of MI666.
SHADOW SERVICE is an original series written by Cavan Scott, illustrated masterfully by Corin M. Howell, and colored by Triona Farrell.
I’m a big fan of Cavan Scott’s work in the Doctor Who and Star Wars worlds, so when I heard about their first original comic story series, I couldn’t wait. This morning I had a notification from ComiXology that it was in my account and ready to read. After making a mocha latte and settling down on my patio, I dove into SHADOW SERVICE.
Right out of the gate, I feel compelled to say that this is a dark comic. In hindsight, I probably could have started off a beautiful and uncharacteristically cool August day in Texas with something a bit more “let’s have a bright and productive day” tone, but what the Hell—witches, gore, and spies are the cornerstone of any geek breakfast, right?
There is definitely a Jessica Jones vibe initially, and that isn’t a bad thing at all. The magical world mixed with getting a glimpse of the MI666 spy organization (which I’m sure we’ll see more of in the future) make Gina quickly stand out on her own.
The first issue does everything that you want in a debut series. It establishes our main characters, establishes the feel for the universe and, most importantly, leaves us wanting more. Typically, I read comics in the 6-8 issue graphic novel format, but I’m very much looking forward to the second issue and will likely go monthly with this title.
If you don’t mind the dark themes, a bit of violence and gore, then SHADOW SERVICE shows all the promise of being a very interesting merge of magic and espionage moving forward. I highly recommend it.
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