I actually care about The Shroud...
Those six words are words I never thought I'd type. To be honest, I've only been vaguely aware of the Shroud's existence as a Marvel character for a lot of years. But this issue changed that in a big way. This issue also featured Silver Sable, and Misty Knight prominently, and they both fill in their roles in a great way, especially Sable, who I feel has always been an underappreciated character. And the reveal of Paladin as, apparently, the main antagonist of this book just seals the deal, as he's been a favorite since his run with The Thunderbolts. Long story short, this was a great way to begin a mini-series. Johnston's got four issues to tell the story of some of the street level heroes of New York, and that's great, because that's what Shadowland is all about. A couple of the "A-listers", like Spidey and Daredevil, and then the street-level guys. This is the logical extension of that. These characters aren't the Avengers. And they don't have to be. They just need to be sufficiently entertaining, and in this issue, at least, they do the job. The art is good, but not amaing. It's better than the art on this month's Daredevil, in my opinion, but that doesn't say much. The writing is what's gonna draw you to this, not so much the art. All in all, pick it up. It's a great read, and I hope the rest of the mini follows suit.
