SHADOW, THE 567
and violently. Th e stories also often addressed current events, as in several issues that
dealt with racism.
Th e series was immensely popular, and soon Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. was
created. Both series ran simultaneously for several years. Th e characters Fury, Dum
Dum and Gabe continued on in the S.H.I.E.L.D. series. Fury has been re-imagined
again and again over the years, and remains a popular character. He fi gured into the
Civil War series as a man who no longer ran S.H.I.E.L.D. and whose stance on the
question of superhero registration was generally unclear. Fury was also brought back to
his World War II roots with the miniseries Fury: Peacemaker, created by Garth Ennis
and Darick Robertson. Here, Fury was a far more realistic soldier, as well as a far more
ruthless one. Th e new series showed his character fl aws, and yet gave him believability
as a man who had a drive to do “the right thing.” In the end, Fury still served as a long
lasting and popular character within the Marvel Comics stable.
Cord Scott
SHADOW, THE. “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Th e Shadow knows!”
Th ose chilling words were uttered by the mysterious vigilante known as Th e Shadow,
fi rst on radio and later through a series of adventures in pulp magazines, comic strips,
comic books, and motion pictures. Th e Shadow was an ominous avenger who helped
popularize the concept of a crimefi ghter operating under a secret identity. He terrifi ed
his adversaries with both his maniacal laughter and willingness to use deadly force. It
was not uncommon for him to act as judge, jury, and executioner as he gunned down
criminals with his two blazing .45s.
Th e Shadow debuted as the narrator of radio’s Detective Story Hour in 1930. Th e
program was sponsored by Street and Smith Publications in order to promote their
weekly Detective Story Magazine. Th e character, which was originally voiced by James
LaCurto, was intended to only introduce dramatizations of the magazine’s stories. How-
ever, listeners soon became fascinated by the mysterious storyteller with the sinister
voice and demanded to learn more of his exploits. To capitalize on Th e Shadow’s unan-
ticipated popularity and to protect their copyright interests, Street and Smith created
a new pulp magazine, Th e Shadow, a Detective Magazine. Journalist Walter Gibson, an
amateur magician who had ghostwritten for Houdini, was commissioned to develop
the character. Gibson’s fi rst novel-length story, Th e Living Shadow , was published in
- He wrote 282 of the 325 Shadow adventures that appeared in the magazine over
the next 18 years. Gibson, who wrote under the pseudonym Maxwell Grant, is credited
with establishing many of Th e Shadow’s most recognizable trademarks, gimmicks, and
supporting cast.
Th e Shadow was depicted as a thin man with a hawk-like nose and piercing black
eyes. He wore a long, black, crimson-lined coat, a broad-brimmed slouch hat, and
later sported a red scarf to conceal the lower portion of his face. In print, Th e Shadow
employed numerous identities in his war on crime, such as businessman Henry Arnaud,
elderly gentleman Isaac Twambley, and Fritz, an old janitor who worked at police
