The Shadow (1st Series)

(Radio, 1964-1965)
™ and ©1964 Conde Naste Publications, Inc.

The first Shadow comic title was by far the most lighthearted. Published by Archie’s Radio Comics, this rendition of the classic pulp hero stuck mainly to flashy costumes and derring-do.

In this rendition, the Shadow was a member of C.H.I.E.F., the Command Headquarters, International Espionage Forces, a secret agent outfit in the mold of U.N.C.L.E. or S.H.I.E.L.D. His primary enemy was Shiwan Khan, a descendent of Genghis Khan who was determined to conquer the world. Having been defeated so many times in the past by the Shadow, Khan became almost entirely obsessed with crushing him instead—along with the Shadow’s “friend,” Lamont Cranston. In one episode, Khan even went so far as to arrange for a nuclear warhead to be dropped on Cranston’s townhouse. Despite his efforts, he never even succeeded in figuring out that his two enemies were one and the same.

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