The tendency of a character like The Shadow can sometimes be wallowed in an old notion of past time values. Such can be said of the permutation of “Midnight In Moscow”. While pulling the stalwart rebel out of retirement at the bequest of his better half does speak to the notion of going in for the right reason, the general progression involving MI6 and a short of other agencies,, not to mention Stalin and his cronies, doesn’t end up balancing out to a lot of intrigue. The only character of any true weight is a would be flusie who knows exactly what she is doing between blackmail and knowing what the end game is. It is just a matter of staying ahead of the competition which in this case is The Shadow. Ultimately this is a foolhardy game despite her mischievousness. The ultimate reveal of the secret is interesting in a 1950s setting but not for the savvy audiences today. The colors of the panels are saturated and rich while also bending to the element of noir style but beyond that not as compelling as one would hope. The sides swiping of the Russian dialogue gives the style a punch but becomes more distracting than anything. “The Shadow: Midnight In Moscow” knows it strengths but comes out as merely adequate.

C

By Tim Wassberg