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written Ly
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Coun-l
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ProOtxY !i;;stant
I
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prsiJent
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Jim Valentino
lett.*eJ Ly
YrePresijent Er.|<
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SleE renson
ao.oe )rrtor
Pn E
Jim Derrpnakos UrtEiiE Cs&Etq Mia l,{a<}lanon
A.cr*s flJEg(
Lr..J on the r.oo.l trilogy
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April zoo6. Published by Image Comics, Inc.. Office of publication: r94z UniversiS .\\enue. Suite 3o5, Berkeley, California 947o4 and. Desperado Publishing, 5r South Peachtree Street, Suite 8, Norcross, CA 3oo71. Coplright ! zoo6 (including all prominent characters featured herein)- its logo and all Mark Chadbourn, All rights reseryed. BOOK OF character likenesses are trademarks of Mark Chadbourn, unless otheruise noted. Image Comics@ is a trademark of Image Comics, Inc. Desperado and its logos are '" and @ zoo6 by Desperado Publishing Company, Inc. AII rights reserued. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means (except for short excerpts for review purposes) uithout the erpress rrritten permissionoflmageComics, Inc.Allnames,characters,eventsandlocalesinthispublicationareentirel-vfictional.,$r resemhlanceto actual persons (living or dead), events or places, without satiric intent, is coincidental. PRINTED IN CAN.{D-\. BOOK OF SHADOWS. #1.
oo Tl.lEy KNOW THO5E FRAGILE CPEATUPES OF SKIN AND BLOOD
ff
mLL COttlE TO TI4EIT LIKE AN AWAKENING FNIIA LONG SLEEP FILLED WTH PL^SANT
AS EWR, THEY WANT THE
FlxEo
u{os
FOP |IIEIP
V stsrep? WAy ilHAT SAY acK To THE FIXED ^(,\ YOU?
EPOTI4EPS AND
STSTEPS
HAW yEr FOUND TtlElP
...4
ud{r... to AJIDETEA BACX.
WI.IERE'5 YOUR
gPootsftcK,
WITCI{Y ANNIE?
The-
Book, Barn
T DONT KNOTV
wHyyou sTtcK
tT
you KNorv... rcA{ETHIN6
ffircRTANT. you...
I
DOES HE THINK AN'T RECOGNIZE IT? IIY LIFE REEKS LIKE A FUNERAL IIOITE, T MSII COULD FLY AWAY FP€.il TT ALL.
I
aRASEBALL ELLIS IS RrcHT. WMT USE IS AWI|CH WTHOW A WORKING BPOOTISTICK IO 6ET HEP OUT OFTPOUBLE?
AND TI4ERE ARE SOIIE THINoS TI4AT MLL NEWP |MKE sENsA HilVNEP ttUCH
I
50 HER'= WE ARE A6AIN.
TI4INK ABOUT THEiIL
l^y t{oAtE FRoAt
HOw ARE YOU,
INICA,EL?
YOU KNOIV THE PATHETIC TI{ING ABOUT ALL'IAI3? T KNOII I SHOULDN'T BE I{AN6ING 'ROUND A GRAIEYARD AT NI6HT, I{AVIN6 A COI{IERSATION WIH AY
IN TI{E SAAITE WAY T KNOTV ALL A{Y DABBLING WITH THE CPAFT E JUST A SPONGE TO SOAK UP
r'lE 6R|EF. ^1AG|C...
my
hia6
hrqh. -
$oR.th€ skY-ls
anaramachlla o[ the qo6s.
BIII IWAsALWAYS SHOLIflNA INTO EIIFI')/
I
N
POOl,l, UMIL llAD TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH...
que€n o$ heaven, queen o9 h€LL, hoPnea hunt€n o$ th€ nlght,
'
Len6 youR pow€R
unto my sp€Llr an6 woPk my wLL DJ magrc Ht€.
T'D I{A!E LEARNED
AREF ttttAKES IOU STUP|D. SIfiULD I4AVE ARRIED ON hPPING AROUND IN W OrtN
T
PATHETEWN.
aUT, NO, I HAOTO KEEP MTTLING AWAY AT SI66ER
aaEs.
wtsHtNo NID t&PtNGt
WTHOUT KNOYIIING WMT IWAS REALLY ASKINo FOR.
.,S"rf;,qEE -:'x"STraqa€.if'* -;
:Tr' I
COULD rELL TT WASN'T
HER t{41{E
60lNG TO LEr 60. rr WAS EUPNED TIIERq ilAKING TE FEEL
AU^9YWTH
'n'
I5
THE /IIORR16A*
SISTER TOUCHED
YOU.,.C'1AN6,ED YOU. I CAN sEE TT. A
TTS
tNfEusfiv,
SHADOTV
IN
YOUR HETD.
M{ATA^{
I
DOING IN lHE GARDEN?
I
REALLY
l{A!E LOST
rr
...T1{AT
WOfiAN...II{AT.., DID TI{AT REALLY ruqPPEil2
F t*or.oF I t+w ooxe rHose I rusHpooms rr Lor surm{ERil
RUNNING, FOOLISH
SHE I{A5 NOTTCED yOU. AND NOIV THERE IS NO ruRNING AWAY
THE A4ORRIGAN M5 LEFT HER ltARK ON yOU. YOU CAN
U5. AND THAT '{FdRIS JUST THE BEGIN.
DONTruRN YOUR BACK ON HER, sHE WON'T
sllE woN,T ALLfi(
A{lcMEL...
rr!
WHY DID YOU LEAVE /vlE? WHAT
At1
I
6OING TO
I
IELL YOU, CANT FIX
TI.{EY
HotV,l{uCH LONGER ARE WE SUPPOSED TO MNG AROUND HERE?
ANYTHING THESE DAYS. THE WORLD I5 GOING TO HELL IN A I{ANDCAPT.
.
DAILY TELEGRAPI] THAT TT'5 NOT JUST THE ELECTREIry. CARS AND BUSSES...COAIPUTERS ,,.JU T sTOPP|NC WORKING FOR HOURS AT A Tl,tlE.
TI{ESE POTVER FAILURES..,THEY'RE GETNNG WORsE,
you
KNovy.2
THE GOVERNAIENT. YOU C,ANT IRU T THE& CAN YOU?
WMT DO
5N3 TI'3IERRORIsTs.
YOU THINK,
T DONT BELIEIE
DF.ARIE?
PEalyzygt* \ NOT BEEN READING THE PIPERS? OP, WATCI{ING
I\E
BEEN SlrflNG ROOIA WITH lHE DOOR LOCKED AND THE
IN
A4Y
...TELLIN6 AAYSELF T'ilA NEIER
GOING OI,II AGAIN.
I
IF YOU DONT iUIND iIlE SAYING,
I II'S
CAN sEE YOU DONT
WANT TO TALK AEIOUT TT,
50
WONT PRE55, WHEREABOIITs ARE YOU 6OING IHEN?
ALL
RELATI\E.
IliE
HAD WORSE
SO,$ETHING TO CHEER YOU UP? GET AWAY FRO,tl
ALL YOUR
OITT OF AlY HEAD FOR
THREE HOURS ON THE'NET BEFOP.E I COULD TRACK DotVN
WHEREfTWAS. ITHOUGHT THE BESI IHING I COULD DO WAS GO SEE IT.
THE sTONEs DATE BACK THOUSANDS oF yEARS, yOU KNotV. TO
lHE
NEOLITHIC A6E, ONE OF THE BEST PRE5ERVED CIRCLES IN THE WHOLE
ARE SUPFOSED TO
gE ytoilE,,, PETR|F|ED FOR DANCING ON THE SABBATH, HEART5 SIILL BEATING INSIDE THE
ROCK...mnppgg
,*,t
TI{E END OF TIiIIE.
I
FELT
If
A6AIN...TMT COLD MD COITETIUT
MNDTI1AT
IN TI4E 6ARDEN. THE HNT OF SOilETHNG UNA"ASANT
N6,HT
APF@ACIIIN6 FAST.
TI4E TPA|N SHUDDER5 FPOIT
THE
EUST OF
SUPEPHFATED
A]P, THE STINK OF SULPHUP COTIES IN A WAVE.
I14W WIN6S EEAT
THE AIP WTH
A SOUND LIKE THE PENDING OF SAILCLOIII, ON THE NIoHIWINDS IT SORq HLLED MTH ilAJEgil AND hIONOER ANDTHE WHISPER OF ANCIEM DAE.
I
WATCI4ED WtrH TI{E AWED
INNOCENCE OF
A ClltLD, ANO
IIY
OEN UP LIKE
FELT
frIIND
A LOTUS BLOSSO|L
TUE OLD
$OMN IS DAAD, AND
TI4E BOY, AND EyEPYONE ELSE IN
ilY ARRA6E. T fi THE ONLY ONE ANq DESMEEWPMHNaI I ANN HELP BW IHINK THEPE'S LEFT
NO JUSTICE IN TI4E IIORLD.
-\DONT WAIT HERE.
PUN! NOT NOTV,
P.E',.6E. NOTflot7. IIIIS DR. DOOLITILE
THING I5 GETTING OLD RETLLY QUICKLY.
-.il-ryofl SENSE TI{E,$?
IHETRE
COATING
TtlEN r COULO FEEL rr, CPACKLING LIKE WIER LINES, SETTING WTEETH ON EDGE.
TIiIN6S SWRIY\ED ArcUND THE WPECI<AaE LIKE DlsTuREED tNSECrq
5MN
AND FErcCDUS.
A
AAN PICKED
IE W A NLE
MAY.
T &AEBLEO INCOIIEPEMLY AEOUT
FLNN6
N#
9AST AIIDTI]E CP^ruPES
THAT COULD CHANaE 1I1APE.
YEAH? sOA{E AiONSTER? PrcffT,IHE RADIO SAID rI WAS A VAN ON
BLOODY
DRU6GIE. CTSIP
(
7*_:
\.<
FRAAILE CPFATUPE!
50 DELICATE. WMT WONDERS EXI9TENCE MS CREATED FOR
i{y }lAllE r5 cAUflN. YOU,$AY CALL AtE LORD AND
...IN
THE
stloeT Tt,E Tl.lAT REiIAINS
I-I
DON'T
UNDERSTAND WHATS HAPPEN.
T TI{INK
rilaoNaTo BE SICK.
I{AS TURNED. ]HE WORLD NOw,r,lC^Es AWAY FRO,$ THE
LIGHT, AND THE J TL$E OF FRAGILE
DON'T IIUPT IIE. SHOULDN'T BE
I
JOINED
A}I/ RANKS/
DONT
KNOTV
I4APPENING
-
THEN
THEY
I{A!E NOT TOLD
T
u,
WMT'S
70 AE!
:
THEN? I'Nt 6ONM DIE WTHOUT KNOUNG T'Ol E!EgYTHING'5 GONE
YOU
youR i^tsstoN? Ho,r,
OilPUS!
THEIR SKILLS AT ATANIPUI.ATING YOU FRAGILE CREAruRES ARE UNDl,l{lNlSHED.
I ANTICIPATED... QUEST/o.NING YOU.., ABOUT WHY THE GOLDEN ONES WOULD GIFI SO A,IIJCH TO A WEAX PAIHETIC FRAGILE
I
FRAGILE CREAIURE5 sL{UGHTERED WHINED AND WHL$PERED TO
WI{AT'S THE POINT? M{AT's THE POINT tN AMIHING?
rT,s JusT so...
GO ON, DO
IT.
I
DONT
CARE.
I
DON'| KNOW Hq( LONA PASSED. TIIERE WA, JUST THE PAI& AND THOSE THIN65 tll/C[4M6 AROUND FURTHER DO\IN TllE 51otr, LIKE sOfiIEONE MD KICKEO OWR AN ANT-HILL.
I ilWAYS HATED THAT , A)ZZLES. BOOKS A}ID IDWES M4EPE YOU I4AO TO CONNECT THE DOTS TO FIND OO WHAT REALLY MPPENED. JUSI GTVE IlE THE PU,N UINAPNISIIED TRUTH AIID BE DONE WITH IT.
AND IHEY'LL HAIE YOU ROASTING O/ER Tl{ElR FIRES BEFORE YOU CAN
sAy'FlLTl{/ 5|{APE-
NoiV yOU CAN sTAy STUPID HERE AND THOSE FOA4ORII IDLE TALK WHILE ^[AKE BAS-IARDS SMRPEN THEIR BLADES, OR YOU CAN WAIr UNIIL WE'RE FTVE E5 AWAY AND KEEP YOUR HEAD ON YOUR SI{OULDERs.
IF YOU DONT IELL AlE WHAT'S ONI I'LL BEAT YOU TO DEATH W[I}I
@ING
Z
- ALLPI6HL v
ANDBEFoRE
\
SNIPPI, YEs, YOU 79UOEl GET slllPPTrrE9r fI'S NOT ruCH OF A
lhrp V{E,-BuI Jf:s fiswcrop. .L_ THE oJ{LY oNE
xeep Voup
YOU'RE A FEI5TY LTNLE BLEEDER,
ON. r,,$ Tl{E
BOivE
ARENT
BO .IBED
BY DRA6ONS, TALKED TO DEATH BY BIRDS AND IER,\,iIN, NEIRLY TORIURED BY...W|{AIEIER
MTRVAY ACRO5S THE COUNIRY BY PICIURES
CANT 6ET
OI.,T OF
I
I KEEPAN EYE ON ALL lHE OLO SITE5,.. THE STANDING STONES, THE HEN€E5.,.FROAi CALLENISH TO A\EBUPY, ARBOR LotV
YOU Y IHERE'5 BEEN sAY A BONE INSPEcIOR
COULD
TI{AT.
..,
FOR FI\E-THOUSA}ID
I
FIMLLY @BELIY UP, THERE'LL BE ANOIHER
TI{AT'5 SUCH A COINCIDENCE. TI{AT PCruRE I CANT GET OI.JT OF,$Y I{EAD...
,..rT,s THE AIERRY
illAlDENS.
FIRST LESSON: THERE AREN'T
AM
cotNctDENcEs.
FOR,GEI LOGICAL AND RATIOML THOUGHT. IHAT TIA1E I{AS
$NU 4N TAKE TMT STUPID LOOK OFF IOUR FACE. GODS. BACK IN CELTIC TIIIE5 fHE 6OLOEN-5KINNEO ONES WEPE CALLED TI4E
IUAIIU OE OAMNN.'
"FOP CENTUPES US rcOP BASTARDS SUFFERED AT T'IEIR MNOS, UNflL FIMLLY
FOLEflT ONE U5T TEPPIBLE UTTLE.4
THEY
lHEY'RE FIGHTING THEIR
NEIER.ENDING WAR ON OUR TURF AGAIN, AND WE'RE ALL 6OING TO
BE CATJGHT IN
-
WE'LL SORT Tt{AT Ol'.rI TO^/iORROW. YOU GET A COUPLE OF HOURS st{r..tr-EvE.
TI4E BONE COLLECTOR'S A aPUIIP/ OLD BASTr'RO, BW IlE KNEW JUST THE |PICKS TO 6Ef Us PAS| THE FOtlDRll SWAR ilI NG ACPOSS TI4E UNDSAft.
TT il,rcHT MW BEEN fIlE LI6HT... OP THE PUCE..OP THE COO' FPESH DAWN AIP,8W IT PFALLY FEL| LIKE A NEfl DN.
THERE'S A POWER IN TI{E EARTH, AND IN U5, CALL IT AIAGIC..,IF YOU'RE AN IDIOT.
THE STONE CIRCLES
,,,ALL ]HE OLD 5ACRED PLACEs,..THEY'RE A FOCUS FOR TT, YOU JUST NEED
A/
[(t'. r\
1J
)--
-f;;r
I
DON'T KNOYI WMT IlE FELT SOtttEHtNO CHANGE INgIOE OF IIE.
Dlo, BW
I
WHEN T LOOKED
A6NN, THE
RISING SUN WAS JUST HffTINg ONE OF THE 5TONES. AND...
THE BLUE FIRE's
IAAPRESStlE,
ISN'T TT?
TI{E LIFE.BLOOD OF EXISTENCE. TT RUNS IN LINES ACROSS THE EARTH.
AN' rT'S tN U5, TOO.
US AND THE
WORLD. JOINED TOGETHER FOR ALL TIME,
-/
d--
THE BLUE FIRE TURNS 1HE5E ANCIENT srlEs rNTo GA]EWAyS. WALK THROUGH THERE AND YOU'LL END UP WHERE TI{E
TIP MA NOC, II{EY CALLED rI...
-
I'VE 60T TO 6ET THI5 THING OUT oF l,ty HaqD, BUT I'i^ NOT READY TO GO
TI]ERE.
RIGHT TO BE 5CARED. THE ANCIENT CEIIIC PEO%:E THOUGHT ]I{AT PI.ACE WAs THE LAND OF THE DEAD.
(D
ffiBqDltrro [g IIIarfr Qtattonru
thousands ofyears we have been haunted by stories of a world that exists alongside our own. You can get to it through mysterious FOR
doorways that lead under hills or beneath lakes, or via the fairy rings of toadstools that dot the quiet countryside, or the ancient stand-
ing stones. It's the place where King Arthur lies in a sleep like death alongside his knights waiting for the call that will return him to this world in its time of greatest need. lt's the home of the fairies who would steal newborns from their cradles and replace them with hideous changelings. It's where J. M. Barrie, Lewis Carroll, Charles
Dickens and many others visited in their dreams. And maybe it's where those little grey aliens plot their nightly abductions from our sleeping popula-
tion. ln the earliest times, the little people who lived in this place weren't little at all - they were the golden-skinned gods of Celtic mythology, known as the Tuatha de Danann, who could be kind and loving to humanity, but also mischievous, brutal and cruel. Over the centuries, as our beliefs changed, the gods diminished in our lives and became fairies,leprechauns,little people. But we were still afraid of them. No one ever called them by name for fear of offending. They were the Fair Folk or the Good People. Tales of the existence of these beings have continued right up to modern times. They exert such a strange, powerful grip on our unconscious, even in this so-called Age of Reason. We still knock on wood, or cross ourselves to deter their unflinching gaze. Why does the mysterious Otherworld and its strange, dangerous denizens still affect us so deeply? Not so long ago I published three novels under the collective title The Age of Misrule - World's End, Darkest Hour and Always Forever - which dealt with that very question. The story was deceptively simple. What would happen if the doorways between this world and the next suddenly opened and all the old gods and fabulous beasts came pouring through? How would our logical, rational society cope when faced with the existence of things that are not logical or rational? The books sold...and sold,through numerous printings,while being translated into many languages around the world. The Otherworld, it seems, still haunts us. And so to Book of Shadows. The comic you hold in your hands is effectively a prequel to The Age of Misrule, but if you haven't read the books, don't worry... it stands alone as a self-contained story. Book of Shadows is about why we need to believe in the Otherworld, why we love fantasy, however dark it may be. lt's a story about bringing magic back into a world that so desperately needs it. And it,s about why the artist Goya was right when he painted a work entitled:"The Sleep of Reason produces
Monsters"... Remember: do not wander from the path. Do not taste the food and drink. And carry cold iron at all
times... Mark Chadbourn England,2006
Ends.........
www.markchadbourn.net
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