WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Shadowman #1 by Cullen Bunn, Jon Davis-Hunt, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
The Valiant universe has just brought their darkest hero back into the spotlight with the latest Shadowman series. While Jack Boniface's crusade against the forces of evil rages on, one of his oldest acquaintances watches from around the corner, and when the Shadowman himself isn't sure where to go next, Baron Samedi is there to offer a helpful nudge in the right direction. At least, in the direction that most suits Samedi himself, as the King of Death is always looking out for number one.
When the series begins, Jack in brutally facing off against a gruesome demon which has been on a murderous rampage through the streets of New Orleans. The beast has already claimed several victims, and to ensure that no one else comes to harm, Shadowman puts it out of its misery. With its dying breath, the demon leaves Shadowman a cryptic message, one which Baron Samedi is more than happy to clarify as best he can. While the ancient entity may be putting Jack on the correct course, his motives are called into question from the very start, and understandably so.
Baron Samedi, the Voodoo loa of the dead, made his first appearance in the Valiant Universe in 1997's Shadowman #8 by Jamie Delano and Charlie Adlard. When Baron Samedi made his introduction, Michael LeRoi had taken Jack Boniface's place as Shadowman following the original hero's death. As a resident and frequently ruler of the Deadside, Samedi has more often than not played the role of the villain, or at the very least an aggressive nuisance. Whatever is most beneficial to Baron Samedi, regardless of whether or not it is good for the rest of either world, is always the god's foremost concern. Now, it seems that his interests have aligned with Shadowman's own, even if his guidance comes in a particularly foreboding form.
When Samedi catches up with Shadowman in New Orleans, he leads him to a tidy mansion throwing an extravagant party. Unfortunately, the hosts are using the opportunity to mask their own dark rituals, hopeful that they will be the first mortals to travel into the Deadside and return unscathed. This is something that Baron Samedi himself could easily handle, but for whatever reason he is unwilling to venture further than the courtyard, instead sending Jack to do the dirty work. Not only that, but Baron Samedi seems to have some idea of what is actually happening behind the shadows, though if he does, he isn't telling.
That Baron Samedi is being so friendly to a hero who he has long been at odds with is surprising to say the least. Then again, he has shown the capacity for fruitful partnerships if it means his own ends are met, even if those alliances are only temporary as far as Samedi is concerned. With any luck, there won't be any shakeups major enough to land Shadowman on the King of the Dead's bad side anytime soon. Considering just how vicious Samedi can be on top of whatever else he's about to come up against, Jack Boniface is going to need all the luck he can get.