“Drop your weapon, villain!  Or face the pitiless judgement of . . . THE SHADOW!”
“Fond of that name, I see?  Well, Senor Sombra . . . only a lucky few can refer to me as “Grendel.”

After his acquisition of a rare antiquity imbued with mystical power transports him back to 1930s New York, Hunter Rose, nee Grendel, deems it his new playground and seeks to unite the Depression-era criminal world under his banner.

The only thing standing in his way is the city’s anointed protector, The Shadow.  And, once these two unstoppable forces are set in motion, expect fireworks to result.

And, result they do!  In the second installment of Matt Wagner’s lush triptych, Grendel vs. The Shadow, these vastly contradictory characters meet in violent opposition in battles that leave them both licking their wounds and reevaluating their opponents.

Lamont Cranston has never missed a shot.  Grendel has never been disarmed before.  But, before this first meeting is over, each will find themselves tested by the other . . . both in and out of their masks.

It’s said that no bad guy ever sees himself as the villain in their own story, and it’s a testament to Matt Wagner’s writing skills that rather then selecting a hero and a villain in this piece, he allows each to be both.  Grendel finds himself entranced by this new challenge, and his flamboyance over it starts to seep into his already too public life.  Cranston is so set upon his challenge that he doesn’t see the chinks in his own armor, in the person of Margot Lane, beset with her own secrets.

And, it’s this compelling need in both of them that is leading to a showdown in the Shadow’s sanctum . . . in the final issue next.

“Peased to meet you, Mister Rose.  I understand your book is garnering quite a lot of attention.”
“Yes, well . . . you know what they say –’Either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.’ But . . . I do believe we’ve met before!”
“Really? I don’t recall—“
“Oh, yes . . . I never forget a face!  I’d say there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt!”

Verdict:  FIVE Fallen Mob Dynasties out of Five