I'm surprised that, at the very least, we don't have an animated serious for The Shadow. The intellectual property certainly deserves greater, but a stylistic pulpy black/red/white cartoon would be incredible.
I bonded with my grandmother over The Shadow. She is eighty nine years old and used to listen to the radio dramas all the time as a kid. We still joke, I will say "Who know's what evil lurks in the hearts of men?", she will reply, "The Shadow knows.". I was the Shadow for a Halloween party in college. It was kind of sad that nobody knew who the fuck I was.
Something about material from the 1930-1960 makes me nostalgic for a time I never lived in. It feels like a lot more heart and soul went into thing's back then
+Eric Guier I too hope, but I must say, even the shit back then was better than the shit now lol. Fifty shades of grey would have never been published let alone read before the 1970s
I feel like most filmmakers and writers now are just too cynical or unimaginative to produce anything that isn't desperately trying to be "realistic" or "serious", yet still somehow being vapid and childish. Hell, even Twelve Angry Men is more exciting to me than any Marvel film released in the last decade.
I think it must have been 1953 because I'm pretty sure I was six when this happened: my parents had the radio on and when I heard the Shadow speak I freaked. That voice terrified me and they had to turn it off to calm me down. Now I love those old shows but I had to grow into them.
You know Razor, after hearing your recreation of the lost Shadow episode, I think that you might actually be a superb successor to the voice of the Shadow. Like seriously, if they resurrected the Shadow in an modern day audiobook form, you MUST be the voice of the Shadow. Anything else would be an absolute bastardisation of the legendary Shadow.
Add that to the list of things im gonna look into after this video. Maybe the Dark Mod guys might be interested in coming up with a shadow inspired level?
SlySpy91 The Third Man influence, they talk of at LENGTH in the Ken Levine interview on the Looking Glass Podcast series. The Thief inspiration is my own guess and extrapolation, based on the character's emphasis on stealth, subterfuge, lockpicking, and of course, the Orson Welles 'Third Man' connection. gambit.mit.edu/podcasts/lgs/podcast5_kevin_levine.mp3
My mother listened to the radio shows when the local stations replayed them in the 1970s and 1980s. She loved listening to them with her father. I enjoy listening to them as well!
He was in pulps (reprinted in books), the radio show, movies and movie series, comic books, newspaper strips, Big Little Books, and other items. His creator Walter Gibson wrote most of the pulp stories, many of the comics and did the newspaper strips. There was an attempt to do a tv series, and the pilot was released as a movie. So I guess the Shadow was also a master of all media!
There is a realistic element to the Shadow as a vigilante. While heroes like Spider-Man are flashy and public, the greatest of crimes occur behind closed doors, hidden and obscured from the public. Only a hero equally as hidden and obscure could hope to hunt them down.
You don't understand Vincent Price's talent until you listen to his body of work on radio. Comedy horror detective narrator great chat and game show guest Shakespeare he was a great talent.
I always heard that Orson Welles was a huge fan of The Shadow and actually had plans to make a film adaption. He couldn’t get the rights I believe, so he ended up making a little film called Citizen Kane!!
I have to say your franchise rundowns like this and your "Metal Mythos" series are better formatted, better written, and (despite asides and jokes) just feel straight up more professional than anything of the same type I have ever seen on TH-cam. And most importantly they always make me way more interested in the topic than before I saw them. Thanks for keeping it going and putting in the effort to make these so high quality. A+
I think part of it is that people react well to content creators who have a genuine passion for their work. And I have yet to see one of his videos that isn't quite *ahem* passionate. I think that it's not necessarily that it's despite the asides and such, as those are part of what I said above rather than just inserted to be funny.
When my church produced an episode of the Shadow radio show, I immediately volunteered to play Harry Vincent . . . only to find out he didn't appear in the show. And I wasn't holding out for Dr. Roy Tam. Asian characters were even more rare. I did get to play a supporting role and it was a lot of fun, contrasting my knowledge of the modern Shadow with the older folks' recollection of the character.
I was reading about this 1916 French film serial called Judex, which was inspired by the concept of a stock villain character who fights for the cause of justice (with some Count Of Monte Cristo thrown in), and his resemblance to The Shadow is uncanny. There are even some Shadow comics that got translated into French as Judex comics.
Yes, but there is no evidence as some try to claim, of inspiration of Judex on The Shadow. The folks at Black Coat Press have created a connection between the two, which also allows them to basically create new Shadow stories. Similiar to their use of Doc Francis Ardan to create new Doc Savage stories by claiming Doc Ardan was an alias used by a young Clark Savage Jr...
I feel like your the last person in TH-cam to be honest and do whatever the fuck you please with out falling in line. We need more men like you in the world but I'm happy we have you.
Is it just me or does the fact that the Shadow 'arranges' for people to die rather than jsut shooting them sound MUCH MUCH darker and gruesome than just shooting them? :=)
Just got to that bit and to scroll down jesus christ he comes across as fucking psycho, He had to have planned that shit for days or weeks. How else would he know exactly where both men would be at that exact time?
im a child of the 90s, however, i spent alot of time with my elders. i got introduced through the 1994 movie, then found a vhs copy of the serial at a goodwill, and have since bought cassets of the radio show and the comics. personally though, i always loved both The Shadow and Batman equally.
I have to say Razor, Thank you so much for introducing me to the Shadow. I can't get enough of the Radio show and I also love the 1990's movie as well. I love listening to the episodes of the Radio Drama on my I phone from my Bluetooth speaker, Makes me want to mod a old fashioned Radio into a Bluetooth speaker so it would be as if I'm listening to it from a old radio station back in the day. And you did a excellent job on your reenactment of the lost Shadow episode you did for Halloween.
I love this. The violence, the horror, the mystery, it's literally everything I've been missing from everything I've been watching. Feels like I've been chasing the shadow in my own stuff and I ain't even heard of him till now.
Razor, I honestly have to give you a huge thank you for opening up the world of the Shadow to me. Since your first video, I have embraced all that is the Shadow from the comics, the radio show, even the SNES game you mentioned in amazement that such a legacy has pretty much stayed under the radar all these years.
Superb production! Highly enjoyable presentation on Gibson’s masterful creation The Shadow. Refreshing to see a breath oflife into the formerly pervasive and original dark knight. Seek Robert Sampson’s The Night Master, Pulp Press, 1982 for a great read and reference. Thank you for orchestrating the lost radio episodes, they’re truly special. You mine gold, Razorfist, and generously share it with your fellow man. Admirable effort!
This video is just pure win. So happy to see more Shadow fans out there, I have been getting my entire fanbase into the Shadow with how much I have ranted my love for it during livestreams.
+MagnuMagnus I actually found that they did do a one off mini series with the Shadow being in modern times, although the modern setting was more of a backdrop then an actual point in the plot.
Who Knows, What Evil Lurks In The Hearts Of Men? The Shadow Knows... The Weed Of Crime Bears Bitter Fruit, Crime Does NOT PAY! The Shadow Knows.... MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
Glad to see someone like Razor trumpeting characters like The Shadow. I'd love to see more characters like him such as Doc Savage, The Spider, and The Avenger return in some (authentic) form. My wish is for someone to adapt their classic pulp novels into audio dramas but we all know that the audio drama is all but dead. I say this as a guy who is a regular Big Finish and Graphic Audio customer.
Also, if the classic pulps were adapted they would need a modern polish to them to say the least even if they still took place when they were written. I don't just mean the 1930s and 1940s notions of race and sex, I mean the very vernacular and dialogue could use a touch up if they are to be taken seriously enough.
Awesome content. The Shadow (90s) is one of my fave films, very flawed, but immensely rewatchable. One of the reasons is that I actually enjoy the tonal shifts.
my dad was born in 1947 and my grandfather was born when Japan was just a place we knew nothing about. The former is a doctor and the latter was a Marine artillery director, they both know that the SHADOW KNOWS
You know, I've always said I'm not into comics or the like. And I'm really not; quite frankly, I've never bothered to immerse myself in it and learn what is drek and what is superb. But this, this interests me, probably because it looks damn well done and without many of the problems which absolutely seem to plague so many others.
Makes you wonder what a Shadow movie would look these days. I've read some of his comics from Dynamite. Such potential for a live action comeback I think. 😎
Thank you for reintroducing me to my childhood obsession alongside the original Conan short stories, and of course Elric, which I got the third novel given to me by the local used bookstore/comic shop along with a stack of Conan comics and the shadow comics and figures from the movie for my birthday which he was my babysitter and got me into all kinds of cool stuff to hide from my mom, and share with my dad.
SUPERB. You're one of my favorite TH-cam critics/historians and it's plainly evident that you know your shit, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out you're into the Shadow. Keep it coming!
I's listened to a few of the old 1930's shadow radio shows since watching this. Having never imbibed before they are pretty fun, mute the sound on my games and immerse myself in some culture haha so cool. "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit, crime does not pay, the shadow knows hehehehehe"
I can only imagine if someone saw The Shadow for the first time and say "what is this a Batman rip-off?" I might smack them on the backside of the head.
Razorfist, I just want to say thanks for making your videos on the Shadow! You have introduced me to a truly badass vigilante! Thank You and GODSPEED!!!!!!!!!
Fantastic coverage of The Shadow, Razor! You definitely did the character justice in both this and the previous video. Now, when's that Elric of Melniboné video coming? Would love to see your thoughts on a character very near and dear to my heart.
Ha! I can't believe you used Grand Magus' song "The Shadow Knows"! I kept singing that in my head throught the entire video. You are the true overlord of the kingdom of TH-cam. I just hope that Metal Mythos WASP makes it in your schedule for 2016.
Your enthusiasm for The Shadow got me off my ass to return to picking up where I left off on my Nostalgia Ventures reprints all those years ago. Up next on my Shadow queue: The Grove of Doom and The Masked Lady. You should talk about more pulp era characters in the future if you can. If only more people knew about Doc Savage, The Spider, Operator 8, The Avenger, etc etc. These characters and more deserve to be remembered as much as the superheroes who they predated by anywhere from less than a decade to over twenty years. Also have you ever read the Doc Savage novel "The Sinister Shadow?" It's part of the modern, "Wild Adventures of Doc Savage" novel series written by Will Murray. I have yet to but it definitely has my attention. Finally, another novel that might interest you is "The China Death Cloud Peril."
I know his reputation as the Shadow's arch nemesis is arguable, but i feel you could had gave more info about Shiwan Khan and his relevance as probably one of the most recurring villains in the Shadow's rogues gallery
It's tough for us out here in Russia to enjoy the magnificence of The Shadow. Me, I was introduced to the character as a kid via the 1994 movie, which I found much more intriguing and cool than the Batman movies. Up until I got myself a nice and lovely internet connection I used to wonder why was there no sequel. I still do wonder that, seeing as the movie was kickass and I have no bloody clue what the critics were smoking that day. Certainly was better than Batman Forever, I can tell you that for nothing. Sadly, the only Shadow things we (legally) can get out here are the 1994 movie (first in DVD, now available on a streaming service) and just TWO of the original pulps (and when I saw those, I got them in a heartbeat) put together under a kitschy-looking cover in a hardcover pocketbook. And, in a funny ouroboros sorta way, those two pulps (The Living Shadow and The Green Eyes) were made into an audiobook. Good thing my English is good enough to read the original pulps and some kind, batshit crazy, but kind soul has uploaded the pulps to the web so I could find them. P.S. Hey, it's my footage from the SNES game out there. That's pretty cool, I guess.
Only quibble I'd have with this excellent summation of The Shadow's lengthy lineage is the claim that the serial is the best of its kind. I'd probably give the nod to 'The Crimson Ghost' or 'Drums of Fu Manchu', both of which move at an even brisker clip than 'The Shadow'. Plus you get Clayton Moore as the Crimson Ghost's henchman - yeah, the Lone Ranger is a bad guy. And speaking of 'Crime Insured', have you read the excellent 'Intimidation, Incorporated'? Sanctum released that one paired with the second novel to be titled 'Wizard of Crime' which ties everything together with a behind the scenes supercrook who was the financier of both Crime, insured and Intimidation, Inc. From Tollin's research into Street & Smith's archives, the decision to bring back Dr. Rodil Mocquino wasn't Gibson's but editor John Nanovic's, who had the ending rewritten on 'The Voodoo Master' so that Mocquino could pop up again. Gibson did start the trend with Diamond Bert and Isaac Coffran who's in two of the early novels. Coffran is noteworthy since he never pops up again - which means he may be the only villain who really did escape The Shadow.
Yeah, Bret Morrison was the best! I have a number of audio tapes of his " Shadow " performances. Great stories! And yes, the Walter Gibson books are the bomb. I loved the shit out of that 1st Shadow book - " The Living Shadow! " That part when the Shadow grew in size to be able to bend those steel bars apart in that cell holding his new agent captive was awesome!
That ending xD it'd be great to see more videos like this. I'm also curious about what you think of other characters like Solomon Kane. I really love learning about older characters like this that really without videos like this they'd never get any exposure let alone what they deserve. I'll probably be checking out the shadow now. It seems right up my alley, and I think it'll be fun to spot what aspects inspired more modern pop culture. Either way great video and I hope to see more. ^^ I'm going to go look up that song now xD
Wow I had no idea there was so much more to the shadow than the 90s movie, thanks for sharing this info razor I love ya dude! Definitely checking this out.
The Punisher does have a purpose and eventually he killed the people who killed his family. He kept on plugging away and he got his revenge but by then he was too far gone into a deep psychosis that he long stopped caring what crook he killed.
Oh, goddammit, so now I just finished the video. This is perhaps the first time I ever finished a 30+ minute TH-cam video and wished it had gone on longer. Thank you so much once again!
The idea of the Shadow has always been awesome because it exemplifies the mysterious, unknown avenger that delivers justice on those who think they have gotten away with a crime. He is more of a force of nature than a man giving the "bad guys" the fear of the universe taking it's vengeance upon them rather than a mere person. The Shadow was in essence a monster working for the side of angels.
I remember me and my father used to take long road trips through the wastes of new mexico in the dead of night. Bill Johnston's voice was all the more chilling with those haunted plains as the backdrop.
I just got my copy of "Crime, Insured", and I can't wait to read it! I'm sure it will be one of my favorite comic book/pulp fiction stories ever, even though I haven't even read it yet - thanks so much for the tip! (I'm sorry I don't have time to go through the entire video right now; I know it's either this one or your first The Shadow video where you mention "Crime, Insured". If it's the other one, I'll repost the comment there.)
Like many other men, there's things I dig about you and there's things I don't dig about you.... but dammit, man, you just opened my freaking eyes at how awesome The Shadow is. Just had one copy of "Charg, Monster" and I saw the film a few times and I thought it was cool, sure, but HOLY CRAP (trying to keep this printable, so add all of the F-Bombs you wish) YOU HAVE MADE ME SEE THE LIGHT (about the Shadow). Kudos. And "Silent Avenger". Most badass thing ever placed in a radio drama.
I love me some Darkman (yes, even the third movie), so by extension... or rather inspiration as a quasi source, The Shadow should be right up my alley.
Kevin Striker Oh Jesus Christ, now I'm having flashbacks... Edit: I rewatched the pilot and it's as insufferably horrible as I tried to force myself to forget.
Gotta admit, having never heard of the Shadow before this, I gave the 1940 Serial a go, and I'm really loving it. Eager to check out more of The Shadow
Buddy I've got you covered on that, just wait till 2027 when he goes into the public domain and you will see something that may even top batman the animated series!
Coloring books? The Shadow in coloring books? Man now there's a hilariously awesome image I can't fully process, like seeing the Doom Marine on a box of Fruity Pebbles XD.
Hey Razor, how does writing potboilers at lightning speed make Gibson a literary "treasure," even if they're totally pageturners? I bet even Gibson himself wouldn't buy that assessment. My favorite Gibsonism is the scene where the Shadow appears at the foot of Cranston's bed (as you know, in the pulps Cranston and the Shadow are not the same person) and Cranston grabs his bedside pistol thinking he's in danger. The Shadow instructs Gibson to go on a long ocean voyage so the Shadow can take over his identity for awhile. What makes the scene my favorite Gibsonism is that the gun Lamont picks up is an automatic and when he puts it down it's a revolver. Now there's some Nobel-grade literature for you, Razor, a real testimony to your critical discernment. That aside, thanks for these videos; I'm totally gonna save them and replay them in the future. Now let's get back to enjoying the Gibson oeuvre for what it is and never mind pretending it's literature.
Huh. Cool, thanks for doing this. I always wondered where 'The Shadow Knows' came from. I mean, I had a vague idea, but every time I would think of it I wouldn't be somewhere where I could do a quick search for it, and then forget to do it later.
I just found a youtube channel that has a playlist of hundreds of shadow radio drama's and I got through the silent avenger before I got to this video again... jesus
It saddens me that Dynamite seem to be the only outlet for modern Shadow media (Not that they do a bad job or anything). A Netflix Shadow series, or a genuine animated serial... now that would be delightful.
Nice! Glad to know I am not the only fan of The Shadow under the age of 80. It a lonely, moth ball scented existence at the typical convention searching for The Shadow swag.
Pardon me if I've already commented on this video, but it's one of my favorite videos on TH-cam. And I've watched it so many times. I am a huge fan of the Shadow, and for my money, razörfist is probably the best scholar on this subject that I have ever perused. Because of this video, I went back to revisit things I had already once experienced, as well as discovered brand-new for me shadow properties. Long live razörfist and Long Live The Shadow. Both of these guys know what evil lurks in the hearts of men!
Thank you for making me aware of that Shadow game. That looks absolutely awesome. I am adding the concept to my list of projects. I could easily see the existing game getting polished and upgraded, or a whole new game based off of it. I've had an idea for an open world 2D beat-em-up floating around in my head for ages, and it could work so well with The Shadow. Since his firearms are so iconic and simple, it would be great to throw in an interesting system that involves alternating between standard fisticuffs and shooting. Plenty of room for different upgrades and ammo for the Colts, and since it's a video game and The Shadow has all kinds of tricks up his sleeve anyway, I could even see stuff like incendiary shots, ricochet shots, maybe some kind of shot that would make an enemy hold still for a while. Oh man, oh man, I want to get this off the ground so bad. I'm already thinking of what SNES samples to use to create the soundtrack. Oh, and there could be mini games or gimmicks even! I mean, The Shadow pulls off all kinds of interesting stuff, maybe there could be a sequence or two allowing the player to sneak into a battleground before the enemies arrive for the purpose of setting up traps and hiding weapons and stuff. Hmmm, I wonder if the Beats of Rage engine could be used to pull all of this off. Either way, I'd need to brush up on Shadow lore to get some ideas for memorable boss fights. I really, really like that one about the imposter Shadow, that would make the most sense when setting up a good final challenge in a game. We'd also need to bring in something like the Crime Insurance guy, set it up so that Shadow's allies need to be rescued to unlock stuff.
Some of the differences are also due to the limitations of the medium of radio. They have to scale back his agents to just Skrevy the cabbie. And added Margo Lane to add a female voice (who was later added to the pulp), even tho the Shadow already has a female agent. And so to scale things back they had to drop the idea that Lamont Cranston was an alias for The Shadow and a separate person. Add add the "cloud men's mind" stuff.
33:23 even though I prefer Batman not killing or using guns I love the idea of the shadow passing one of he’s own guns to Batman. And it kinda make me wish he did keep it I don’t mind if he actually use it or keep it as a trophy.
I don't know if Terran Gell added the Dark Shadows theme song during the Red Blot excerpt but I had a little moment when it started. For that: thank you from an avid Dark Shadows fan.
Great fucking video!!! Can't thank you enough!!! So much information on such an underrated character! I'm tattooing The Shadow on my leg today and I cannot wait to rewatch this will I do so!!! Thank you!
1:14 In the movie, it was a pair of AMT Hardballers (the .45 longslide from The Terminator). I own one AMT pistol, an Automag V in .50AE. Fearsome gun. The first time I fired it, the rear sight elevation screw head sheared in half. It was at night, and the flames from the ported barrel were blinding.
I'm surprised that, at the very least, we don't have an animated serious for The Shadow. The intellectual property certainly deserves greater, but a stylistic pulpy black/red/white cartoon would be incredible.
I bonded with my grandmother over The Shadow. She is eighty nine years old and used to listen to the radio dramas all the time as a kid. We still joke, I will say "Who know's what evil lurks in the hearts of men?", she will reply, "The Shadow knows.".
I was the Shadow for a Halloween party in college. It was kind of sad that nobody knew who the fuck I was.
Something about material from the 1930-1960 makes me nostalgic for a time I never lived in. It feels like a lot more heart and soul went into thing's back then
I hope it's simply due to those older things standing the test of time, while the vapid nonsense of their time faded into obscurity.
+Eric Guier I too hope, but I must say, even the shit back then was better than the shit now lol. Fifty shades of grey would have never been published let alone read before the 1970s
The same goes for Twilight and shit like it
I feel like most filmmakers and writers now are just too cynical or unimaginative to produce anything that isn't desperately trying to be "realistic" or "serious", yet still somehow being vapid and childish. Hell, even Twelve Angry Men is more exciting to me than any Marvel film released in the last decade.
Yeah it wasn’t all Chinese
What badassery hides in the hearts of obscurity? The Rageaholic knows!
Woot, they've got the radio show collection on audible. :d
No part 1 though, I assume because that volume is the Orson Welles days
Awesome
Is it just me, or does anyone else kind of wish Vincent Price had a chance at the role before passing?
Oh god yes!
A man can dream...
That's one of those things we wish we could go back in time and do. Personally I'd have Robin Williams play the joker
He may not have played The Shadow on a radio series but he did play Simon Templar aka The Saint, so there's that.
Maybe his clone is somewhere, and wants to act.
So good to see someone give respect to one of my favorite series ever, my parents listened to tapes of the shadow for years and years.
I think it must have been 1953 because I'm pretty sure I was six when this happened: my parents had the radio on and when I heard the Shadow speak I freaked. That voice terrified me and they had to turn it off to calm me down. Now I love those old shows but I had to grow into them.
You know Razor, after hearing your recreation of the lost Shadow episode, I think that you might actually be a superb successor to the voice of the Shadow.
Like seriously, if they resurrected the Shadow in an modern day audiobook form, you MUST be the voice of the Shadow.
Anything else would be an absolute bastardisation of the legendary Shadow.
Could you imagine a Shadow game made in the vein of Thief or Deus Ex? Somebody should call Otherside.
Thief was actually inspired by The Shadow. And another Orson Welles property called 'The Third Man'.
Add that to the list of things im gonna look into after this video. Maybe the Dark Mod guys might be interested in coming up with a shadow inspired level?
Those might be worth something. In the very least, they might contain "lost episodes" of something...
Shut up and take my money!
SlySpy91 The Third Man influence, they talk of at LENGTH in the Ken Levine interview on the Looking Glass Podcast series. The Thief inspiration is my own guess and extrapolation, based on the character's emphasis on stealth, subterfuge, lockpicking, and of course, the Orson Welles 'Third Man' connection.
gambit.mit.edu/podcasts/lgs/podcast5_kevin_levine.mp3
You know what would be awesome as fuck? Story time with Razörfist!
TH-cam now presents: Reading Rainbow with Razörfist.
Child0fVis0n
I am pretty certain Razor already tells people they are special... just not in an overly positive manner.
oh god please
Interested
Fuck Yeah! BRING THAT ON!
My mother listened to the radio shows when the local stations replayed them in the 1970s and 1980s. She loved listening to them with her father. I enjoy listening to them as well!
He was in pulps (reprinted in books), the radio show, movies and movie series, comic books, newspaper strips, Big Little Books, and other items. His creator Walter Gibson wrote most of the pulp stories, many of the comics and did the newspaper strips. There was an attempt to do a tv series, and the pilot was released as a movie.
So I guess the Shadow was also a master of all media!
There is a realistic element to the Shadow as a vigilante. While heroes like Spider-Man are flashy and public, the greatest of crimes occur behind closed doors, hidden and obscured from the public. Only a hero equally as hidden and obscure could hope to hunt them down.
Alec Baldwin shot more people, than the Hays Code era Shadow.
You ever read the pulps? Or the comics?
@@EnclavegovtofficialUSA He is talking about real life.
Too soon 😏
Was cleared.
Bruh 💀
You don't understand Vincent Price's talent until you listen to his body of work on radio. Comedy horror detective narrator great chat and game show guest Shakespeare he was a great talent.
I always heard that Orson Welles was a huge fan of The Shadow and actually had plans to make a film adaption. He couldn’t get the rights I believe, so he ended up making a little film called Citizen Kane!!
Oops, typed this before you said it in the video
I have to say your franchise rundowns like this and your "Metal Mythos" series are better formatted, better written, and (despite asides and jokes) just feel straight up more professional than anything of the same type I have ever seen on TH-cam. And most importantly they always make me way more interested in the topic than before I saw them. Thanks for keeping it going and putting in the effort to make these so high quality. A+
I think part of it is that people react well to content creators who have a genuine passion for their work. And I have yet to see one of his videos that isn't quite *ahem* passionate. I think that it's not necessarily that it's despite the asides and such, as those are part of what I said above rather than just inserted to be funny.
For instance, I just went and watched this twice in a row; pretty sure I did that to the last shadow video as well.
Don’t forget, Shadow’a real identity is KENT Allard. Doc’s was CLARK Savage. Hence CLARK KENT. In my opinion, ruined both names!
When my church produced an episode of the Shadow radio show, I immediately volunteered to play Harry Vincent . . . only to find out he didn't appear in the show. And I wasn't holding out for Dr. Roy Tam. Asian characters were even more rare. I did get to play a supporting role and it was a lot of fun, contrasting my knowledge of the modern Shadow with the older folks' recollection of the character.
I was reading about this 1916 French film serial called Judex, which was inspired by the concept of a stock villain character who fights for the cause of justice (with some Count Of Monte Cristo thrown in), and his resemblance to The Shadow is uncanny. There are even some Shadow comics that got translated into French as Judex comics.
Yes, but there is no evidence as some try to claim, of inspiration of Judex on The Shadow.
The folks at Black Coat Press have created a connection between the two, which also allows them to basically create new Shadow stories. Similiar to their use of Doc Francis Ardan to create new Doc Savage stories by claiming Doc Ardan was an alias used by a young Clark Savage Jr...
I feel like your the last person in TH-cam to be honest and do whatever the fuck you please with out falling in line.
We need more men like you in the world but I'm happy we have you.
Is it just me or does the fact that the Shadow 'arranges' for people to die rather than jsut shooting them sound MUCH MUCH darker and gruesome than just shooting them? :=)
Just got to that bit and to scroll down jesus christ he comes across as fucking psycho, He had to have planned that shit for days or weeks. How else would he know exactly where both men would be at that exact time?
@@louiscypher4186 Totally, like I said, MUCH MUCH darker and gruesome than just shooting them :=)
im a child of the 90s, however, i spent alot of time with my elders. i got introduced through the 1994 movie, then found a vhs copy of the serial at a goodwill, and have since bought cassets of the radio show and the comics. personally though, i always loved both The Shadow and Batman equally.
I now have "The Shadow Knows" on my iPod and listen to it frequently. Thank you based Razorfist.
I have to say Razor, Thank you so much for introducing me to the Shadow. I can't get enough of the Radio show and I also love the 1990's movie as well.
I love listening to the episodes of the Radio Drama on my I phone from my Bluetooth speaker, Makes me want to mod a old fashioned Radio into a Bluetooth speaker so it would be as if I'm listening to it from a old radio station back in the day.
And you did a excellent job on your reenactment of the lost Shadow episode you did for Halloween.
Thank you sir. We have one coming up this year as well.
Oooh I can't wait to see what that is, could it be the Shadow/Twilight Zone comic?
I love this. The violence, the horror, the mystery, it's literally everything I've been missing from everything I've been watching. Feels like I've been chasing the shadow in my own stuff and I ain't even heard of him till now.
I cant thank you enough Razorfist for introducing me to this incredible awsome character known as The Shadow!
Razor, I honestly have to give you a huge thank you for opening up the world of the Shadow to me. Since your first video, I have embraced all that is the Shadow from the comics, the radio show, even the SNES game you mentioned in amazement that such a legacy has pretty much stayed under the radar all these years.
I binged on the radio show and I love it! on an unrelated note, I now heat my home with Blue Coal and switched to Silvertown Tires lol
This video was brought to you by Blue Coal .
Superb production! Highly enjoyable presentation on Gibson’s masterful creation The Shadow. Refreshing to see a breath oflife into the formerly pervasive and original dark knight. Seek Robert Sampson’s The Night Master, Pulp Press, 1982 for a great read and reference. Thank you for orchestrating the lost radio episodes, they’re truly special. You mine gold, Razorfist, and generously share it with your fellow man. Admirable effort!
This video is just pure win. So happy to see more Shadow fans out there, I have been getting my entire fanbase into the Shadow with how much I have ranted my love for it during livestreams.
Wonder if we'll see a revival of The Shadow in this modern era.
I'd like to see someone try.
In today's market, they would make him black, genderfluid, gray ace, zucchini, Muslim trans-gnostic atheist.
Dinky Dot Depends on whether they set him in the modern age, which I don't think they should.
The Shadow is very much a product of his time.
+MagnuMagnus I actually found that they did do a one off mini series with the Shadow being in modern times, although the modern setting was more of a backdrop then an actual point in the plot.
2027, you just wait. And don't worry about it being woke because im 100% anti woke.
I'm so glad you're out there telling the truth about my favorite character... AND the maestro, Orson Welles!!
It's amazing how much energy you can put into your videos. The way you describe these stories makes your enthusiasm infectious. Thanks for this.
Who Knows, What Evil Lurks In The Hearts Of Men? The Shadow Knows... The Weed Of Crime Bears Bitter Fruit, Crime Does NOT PAY! The Shadow Knows.... MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
The silver shroud?
@@ironstarofmordian7098 WTF are you talking about? The Silver Shroud? WTF?
Glad to see someone like Razor trumpeting characters like The Shadow. I'd love to see more characters like him such as Doc Savage, The Spider, and The Avenger return in some (authentic) form.
My wish is for someone to adapt their classic pulp novels into audio dramas but we all know that the audio drama is all but dead. I say this as a guy who is a regular Big Finish and Graphic Audio customer.
Also, if the classic pulps were adapted they would need a modern polish to them to say the least even if they still took place when they were written. I don't just mean the 1930s and 1940s notions of race and sex, I mean the very vernacular and dialogue could use a touch up if they are to be taken seriously enough.
Awesome content. The Shadow (90s) is one of my fave films, very flawed, but immensely rewatchable. One of the reasons is that I actually enjoy the tonal shifts.
my dad was born in 1947 and my grandfather was born when Japan was just a place we knew nothing about. The former is a doctor and the latter was a Marine artillery director, they both know that the SHADOW KNOWS
You know, I've always said I'm not into comics or the like. And I'm really not; quite frankly, I've never bothered to immerse myself in it and learn what is drek and what is superb. But this, this interests me, probably because it looks damn well done and without many of the problems which absolutely seem to plague so many others.
This Razor vs Comics was so good it left MARKS ON MY BODY!
Makes you wonder what a Shadow movie would look these days. I've read some of his comics from Dynamite. Such potential for a live action comeback I think. 😎
Thank you for reintroducing me to my childhood obsession alongside the original Conan short stories, and of course Elric, which I got the third novel given to me by the local used bookstore/comic shop along with a stack of Conan comics and the shadow comics and figures from the movie for my birthday which he was my babysitter and got me into all kinds of cool stuff to hide from my mom, and share with my dad.
SUPERB. You're one of my favorite TH-cam critics/historians and it's plainly evident that you know your shit, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out you're into the Shadow. Keep it coming!
I's listened to a few of the old 1930's shadow radio shows since watching this. Having never imbibed before they are pretty fun, mute the sound on my games and immerse myself in some culture haha so cool.
"The weed of crime bears bitter fruit, crime does not pay, the shadow knows hehehehehe"
I can only imagine if someone saw The Shadow for the first time and say "what is this a Batman rip-off?" I might smack them on the backside of the head.
@Spencer Wilson 🤣
This was a really good video. I used to listen to recordings of the old radio show from the library.
Razorfist, I just want to say thanks for making your videos on the Shadow! You have introduced me to a truly badass vigilante! Thank You and GODSPEED!!!!!!!!!
Fantastic coverage of The Shadow, Razor! You definitely did the character justice in both this and the previous video. Now, when's that Elric of Melniboné video coming? Would love to see your thoughts on a character very near and dear to my heart.
Interesting video man, I never even knew there was this much lore around the shadow. You live and learn.
Ha! I can't believe you used Grand Magus' song "The Shadow Knows"! I kept singing that in my head throught the entire video.
You are the true overlord of the kingdom of TH-cam.
I just hope that Metal Mythos WASP makes it in your schedule for 2016.
Your enthusiasm for The Shadow got me off my ass to return to picking up where I left off on my Nostalgia Ventures reprints all those years ago. Up next on my Shadow queue: The Grove of Doom and The Masked Lady.
You should talk about more pulp era characters in the future if you can. If only more people knew about Doc Savage, The Spider, Operator 8, The Avenger, etc etc. These characters and more deserve to be remembered as much as the superheroes who they predated by anywhere from less than a decade to over twenty years.
Also have you ever read the Doc Savage novel "The Sinister Shadow?" It's part of the modern, "Wild Adventures of Doc Savage" novel series written by Will Murray. I have yet to but it definitely has my attention. Finally, another novel that might interest you is "The China Death Cloud Peril."
I know his reputation as the Shadow's arch nemesis is arguable, but i feel you could had gave more info about Shiwan Khan and his relevance as probably one of the most recurring villains in the Shadow's rogues gallery
It's tough for us out here in Russia to enjoy the magnificence of The Shadow. Me, I was introduced to the character as a kid via the 1994 movie, which I found much more intriguing and cool than the Batman movies. Up until I got myself a nice and lovely internet connection I used to wonder why was there no sequel. I still do wonder that, seeing as the movie was kickass and I have no bloody clue what the critics were smoking that day. Certainly was better than Batman Forever, I can tell you that for nothing. Sadly, the only Shadow things we (legally) can get out here are the 1994 movie (first in DVD, now available on a streaming service) and just TWO of the original pulps (and when I saw those, I got them in a heartbeat) put together under a kitschy-looking cover in a hardcover pocketbook. And, in a funny ouroboros sorta way, those two pulps (The Living Shadow and The Green Eyes) were made into an audiobook. Good thing my English is good enough to read the original pulps and some kind, batshit crazy, but kind soul has uploaded the pulps to the web so I could find them.
P.S. Hey, it's my footage from the SNES game out there. That's pretty cool, I guess.
Only quibble I'd have with this excellent summation of The Shadow's lengthy lineage is the claim that the serial is the best of its kind. I'd probably give the nod to 'The Crimson Ghost' or 'Drums of Fu Manchu', both of which move at an even brisker clip than 'The Shadow'. Plus you get Clayton Moore as the Crimson Ghost's henchman - yeah, the Lone Ranger is a bad guy. And speaking of 'Crime Insured', have you read the excellent 'Intimidation, Incorporated'? Sanctum released that one paired with the second novel to be titled 'Wizard of Crime' which ties everything together with a behind the scenes supercrook who was the financier of both Crime, insured and Intimidation, Inc. From Tollin's research into Street & Smith's archives, the decision to bring back Dr. Rodil Mocquino wasn't Gibson's but editor John Nanovic's, who had the ending rewritten on 'The Voodoo Master' so that Mocquino could pop up again. Gibson did start the trend with Diamond Bert and Isaac Coffran who's in two of the early novels. Coffran is noteworthy since he never pops up again - which means he may be the only villain who really did escape The Shadow.
In shooting a horror short film based on the shadow. I just wanted to thank you, your videos helped out a lot with my research.
Yeah, Bret Morrison was the best! I have a number of audio tapes of his " Shadow " performances. Great stories! And yes, the Walter Gibson books are the bomb. I loved the shit out of that 1st Shadow book - " The Living Shadow! " That part when the Shadow grew in size to be able to bend those steel bars apart in that cell holding his new agent captive was awesome!
That ending xD it'd be great to see more videos like this. I'm also curious about what you think of other characters like Solomon Kane. I really love learning about older characters like this that really without videos like this they'd never get any exposure let alone what they deserve. I'll probably be checking out the shadow now. It seems right up my alley, and I think it'll be fun to spot what aspects inspired more modern pop culture. Either way great video and I hope to see more. ^^ I'm going to go look up that song now xD
Wow I had no idea there was so much more to the shadow than the 90s movie, thanks for sharing this info razor I love ya dude! Definitely checking this out.
I'm just gonna go consume as much Shadow media I can, now.
The Punisher does have a purpose and eventually he killed the people who killed his family. He kept on plugging away and he got his revenge but by then he was too far gone into a deep psychosis that he long stopped caring what crook he killed.
For supervillain, don’t forget Doc Savage’s Johnny Sunlight. Apparently, Lester Dent had a third story with him in draft.
Oh, halleleujah. Never has anyone put so well into words just why I love the Shadow more than any other character. Thank you, thank you, Rageaholic!
Oh, goddammit, so now I just finished the video. This is perhaps the first time I ever finished a 30+ minute TH-cam video and wished it had gone on longer. Thank you so much once again!
Absolutely great, now I just need to sacrifice a goat or two to find all of this material.
The idea of the Shadow has always been awesome because it exemplifies the mysterious, unknown avenger that delivers justice on those who think they have gotten away with a crime. He is more of a force of nature than a man giving the "bad guys" the fear of the universe taking it's vengeance upon them rather than a mere person. The Shadow was in essence a monster working for the side of angels.
I remember me and my father used to take long road trips through the wastes of new mexico in the dead of night. Bill Johnston's voice was all the more chilling with those haunted plains as the backdrop.
I just got my copy of "Crime, Insured", and I can't wait to read it! I'm sure it will be one of my favorite comic book/pulp fiction stories ever, even though I haven't even read it yet - thanks so much for the tip!
(I'm sorry I don't have time to go through the entire video right now; I know it's either this one or your first The Shadow video where you mention "Crime, Insured". If it's the other one, I'll repost the comment there.)
Like many other men, there's things I dig about you and there's things I don't dig about you.... but dammit, man, you just opened my freaking eyes at how awesome The Shadow is. Just had one copy of "Charg, Monster" and I saw the film a few times and I thought it was cool, sure, but HOLY CRAP (trying to keep this printable, so add all of the F-Bombs you wish) YOU HAVE MADE ME SEE THE LIGHT (about the Shadow).
Kudos.
And "Silent Avenger". Most badass thing ever placed in a radio drama.
I love me some Darkman (yes, even the third movie), so by extension... or rather inspiration as a quasi source, The Shadow should be right up my alley.
Have you seen the TV pilot for Darkman where Peyton Westlake fucks up his own backstory in the intro?
Kevin Striker
Oh Jesus Christ, now I'm having flashbacks...
Edit: I rewatched the pilot and it's as insufferably horrible as I tried to force myself to forget.
The Shadow pinball machine in the 90's was awesome, too
I would love to collect all the old radio drama of the shadow and war of the worlds. I could listen to those all the time.
Gotta admit, having never heard of the Shadow before this, I gave the 1940 Serial a go, and I'm really loving it.
Eager to check out more of The Shadow
Why don't You write a Shadow story, Razor? I think THAT would be AWESOME!
I remember the Shadow action figures from the 90s being pretty badass.
Loved this video, more reading material for the pile.
I remember seeing that Shadow movie back in the 90s. Good stuff. I wish they made more, but that would cut into the mandatory Batman movies.
Thanks again! You did a fantastic job with these vids and covered everything worth covering on The Shadow!
Hey Razorfist, would like to someone make a The Shadow Animated series.
Buddy I've got you covered on that, just wait till 2027 when he goes into the public domain and you will see something that may even top batman the animated series!
Thanks for the video Razor. It's nice to get a little perspective on and introduction to pop culture this way.
Coloring books? The Shadow in coloring books? Man now there's a hilariously awesome image I can't fully process, like seeing the Doom Marine on a box of Fruity Pebbles XD.
Damn I kinda wish they'd bring a radio station even if it was just online playing these old serials and making newer stuff
Hey Razor, how does writing potboilers at lightning speed make Gibson a literary "treasure," even if they're totally pageturners? I bet even Gibson himself wouldn't buy that assessment.
My favorite Gibsonism is the scene where the Shadow appears at the foot of Cranston's bed (as you know, in the pulps Cranston and the Shadow are not the same person) and Cranston grabs his bedside pistol thinking he's in danger. The Shadow instructs Gibson to go on a long ocean voyage so the Shadow can take over his identity for awhile. What makes the scene my favorite Gibsonism is that the gun Lamont picks up is an automatic and when he puts it down it's a revolver. Now there's some Nobel-grade literature for you, Razor, a real testimony to your critical discernment.
That aside, thanks for these videos; I'm totally gonna save them and replay them in the future. Now let's get back to enjoying the Gibson oeuvre for what it is and never mind pretending it's literature.
Huh. Cool, thanks for doing this. I always wondered where 'The Shadow Knows' came from. I mean, I had a vague idea, but every time I would think of it I wouldn't be somewhere where I could do a quick search for it, and then forget to do it later.
I'm not a big fan of verbiage but this dude's got it down to an art, and make me chuckle along the way.
I thoroughly enjoyed this review!
I just found a youtube channel that has a playlist of hundreds of shadow radio drama's and I got through the silent avenger before I got to this video again... jesus
It saddens me that Dynamite seem to be the only outlet for modern Shadow media (Not that they do a bad job or anything). A Netflix Shadow series, or a genuine animated serial... now that would be delightful.
Not that they do a bad job? They make him out to be a psychopathic monster!
Been consuming all this shadow coverage. Love it. Would absolutely love to see fist's opinions on Gotham central
Thank you Rage, this is entertaining and very informative. Thank you
Nice! Glad to know I am not the only fan of The Shadow under the age of 80. It a lonely, moth ball scented existence at the typical convention searching for The Shadow swag.
Pardon me if I've already commented on this video, but it's one of my favorite videos on TH-cam. And I've watched it so many times. I am a huge fan of the Shadow, and for my money, razörfist is probably the best scholar on this subject that I have ever perused. Because of this video, I went back to revisit things I had already once experienced, as well as discovered brand-new for me shadow properties. Long live razörfist and Long Live The Shadow. Both of these guys know what evil lurks in the hearts of men!
The silver shroud in fallout 4 floods my mind as the deeper I get into this video. Thank you so much for sharing this character with me!!
Death has come for you, evil-doer, and I... AM IT'S SHROUD!
I've been lost until now T-T so...lost lol
Thank you for making me aware of that Shadow game. That looks absolutely awesome. I am adding the concept to my list of projects. I could easily see the existing game getting polished and upgraded, or a whole new game based off of it. I've had an idea for an open world 2D beat-em-up floating around in my head for ages, and it could work so well with The Shadow. Since his firearms are so iconic and simple, it would be great to throw in an interesting system that involves alternating between standard fisticuffs and shooting. Plenty of room for different upgrades and ammo for the Colts, and since it's a video game and The Shadow has all kinds of tricks up his sleeve anyway, I could even see stuff like incendiary shots, ricochet shots, maybe some kind of shot that would make an enemy hold still for a while.
Oh man, oh man, I want to get this off the ground so bad. I'm already thinking of what SNES samples to use to create the soundtrack. Oh, and there could be mini games or gimmicks even! I mean, The Shadow pulls off all kinds of interesting stuff, maybe there could be a sequence or two allowing the player to sneak into a battleground before the enemies arrive for the purpose of setting up traps and hiding weapons and stuff. Hmmm, I wonder if the Beats of Rage engine could be used to pull all of this off. Either way, I'd need to brush up on Shadow lore to get some ideas for memorable boss fights. I really, really like that one about the imposter Shadow, that would make the most sense when setting up a good final challenge in a game. We'd also need to bring in something like the Crime Insurance guy, set it up so that Shadow's allies need to be rescued to unlock stuff.
Some of the differences are also due to the limitations of the medium of radio.
They have to scale back his agents to just Skrevy the cabbie. And added Margo Lane to add a female voice (who was later added to the pulp), even tho the Shadow already has a female agent.
And so to scale things back they had to drop the idea that Lamont Cranston was an alias for The Shadow and a separate person. Add add the "cloud men's mind" stuff.
might i inquiret had to WHY NO PHANTOM?! Seriously i love his swashbuckling ass especially in that 90's film! do it!
I would just like to remind everyone that furnace coal is not only sold in one size; in fact it is sold in several different sizes.
33:23 even though I prefer Batman not killing or using guns I love the idea of the shadow passing one of he’s own guns to Batman. And it kinda make me wish he did keep it I don’t mind if he actually use it or keep it as a trophy.
Would be cool to hear your thoughts on Robert E. Howard some time. Assuming you haven't. This is my first vid of yours. Good stuff.
He did one on Howard's Solomon Kane! (Would love to see one on Conan)
I don't know if Terran Gell added the Dark Shadows theme song during the Red Blot excerpt but I had a little moment when it started.
For that: thank you from an avid Dark Shadows fan.
I used to listen to the old radio show cassettes! Fantastic
Great fucking video!!! Can't thank you enough!!! So much information on such an underrated character! I'm tattooing The Shadow on my leg today and I cannot wait to rewatch this will I do so!!! Thank you!
1:14 In the movie, it was a pair of AMT Hardballers (the .45 longslide from The Terminator). I own one AMT pistol, an Automag V in .50AE. Fearsome gun. The first time I fired it, the rear sight elevation screw head sheared in half. It was at night, and the flames from the ported barrel were blinding.