From the introduction: Thirty five years ago, a single man waged a war on crime. He gunned down mob bosses, petty thieves, insane cultists, assassins, and made his name synonymous with the fear of getting caught that criminals feel. He was The Shadow, and for the last 35 years, not a single peep has been heard from him. The scum have grown bold in that time, and in more recent years a number of deaths have occurred. With all the allies of The Shadow having grown old, someone has begun to hunt them down in a brutally sadistic manner. The reason, unknown. The means, ever changing. The pattern, unnoticed. Until now. The year is 1987, and after thirty years of silence, The Shadow is returning to do battle with a criminal mastermind from his past who is hunting down his allies to force him to show himself.