After 10 issues, writer Marv Wolfman finally provides some answers. Not ALL of them, mind you; a magician never reveals his tricks. But much is clarified regarding Baron Winters, the origin of the Shadow Riders, and how Raven manages to find time to be an ordinary teenager. (Answer: she doesn’t).

That right there is the crux of this particular issue. Instead of layering on more and more confusion, Wolfman revisits Raven’s home life for a brief interlude, bringing to mind those days when Peter Parker struggled with the financial woes at home while fighting crime as Spider-Man. While not entirely necessary in a supernatural storyline, it’s nice that it’s addressed in some manner.

In the course of this series, Pop Mhan’s artwork has matured significantly. I don’t feel like I’m noticing so many questionable artistic choices, and instead I’m simply seeing the illustrations as they work with the words.

There is a development in this chapter that seems either A.) a waste of a token character; or B.) a plot point to be revisited later. As much as I would hate option A, option B would be even worse. I fear B is a predictable trope of the reluctant hero bailing in the interest of self-preservation, only to return at the 11^th hour to save the day.

Rating: 7/10