In Jack Boniface’s world he believes at first that Voodoo is created by African slaves to survive in the Americas. However, as he jumps from ancestor to ancestor who were previously connected to the shadowman loa, Jack learns not only its history but maybe just how to co-exist with it. His name is Bosou Koblamin and he’s a rebel loa. Not one to bend to the will of the elders of the loa pantheon Bosou is thrown to earth. When an ancient warrior comes seeking vengeance for his dead tribe his anger makes him deaf to a shaman’s warning at a pivotal moment. Still the main secret to the shadowman loa is not controlling it. How do you gain the respect of an ancient god who’s so powerful that his fellow gods are terrified of him? For the most part, understanding that the loa spirit is not like a human being. The shadowman has no form, he’s energy and in a sense needs a human host. Still, Bosou has emotions and he may ride its host’s rage into oblivion. This trip through time has taught Jack about the origins of the Shadowman loa. More importantly it may help him defeat Baron Samedi, the one who disembodied Jack and sent him hurdling into the past like Scott Bakula in ‘Quantum Leap.’ In a way attempting to get rid of the Shadowman may help Jack overcome his fear of his loa taking complete control over him.
What’s exceptional about issue seven of ‘Shadowman’ is how it layers a story. Andy Diggle takes a black man who is running from his birthright and turns it into a hero’s journey. Through his fall through time Jack gains knowledge. It’s the most important weapon he can have in reconciling who he is, how he can integrate his loa and perhaps learn to stop running. Mastery of one’s loa is not the point. A human being cannot hope to rule a god. Rather, Jack is learning that in order to utilize the Shadowman he has to work in tandem with him. Binding a loa is tantamount to enslavement, it’s what happened to his ancestor Maurice. Adding a meta-reading to ‘Shadowman’ Diggle utilizes this comic-book to point out the history of slavery in the United States. In ancient times at the origin of Shadowman joining with a human, he frees a fellow loa. This should give Jack a deeper understanding of who he is and what he’s meant to do with his inheritance.
What’s more the artwork throughout this issue is insanely good. How do you draw gods using their power? Artist, Renato Guedes shows why the loa is called shadowman. In just a few panels, without showing blood or gore, a terrifying sequence of events happen where the shadows of the warrior’s enemies cannibalize themselves. Jack Boniface comes out of the other side of Samedi’s curse knowing who he is. But there are forces at work that want to put him back into a state of ignorance. Issue eight is going to be the beginning of a new adventure, but this time Valiant has got it right. This time Jack knows how to ask for help and there won’t be a reboot. Instead it will be a continuation of his story.
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