I got this graphic novel way back in 2008, I remember as it was in the 'new releases' section of a comic book shop that no longer exists. I remember the owner was upset due to the landlord putting the rent up extortionately and so the shop was replaced by another faceless 'touristy crap' shop that exist everywhere in the city.
The book is beautifully presented on good quality stock paper.
Anywho, from the time I vaguely remember the graphic novel being beautiful; the art sketchily drawn and the story affecting but now it hits much harder due to where I am in my life. I have a young family now and have two young daughters and the possibility of something bad happening to them haunts me, as I'm sure it does to every parent and so once again, I delved back into the work of Cyril Pedrosa.
Three Shadows plays almost like a faerytale, a mother, father and young son like an idyll life in the woods when, one day, the boy sees three dark riders watching him from the distance. At first, they simply seem to ride off, and the threat is waved off but, upon their subsequent return, the family grow concerned about their presence and what it portents. Lise, the mother, is petrified and seeks guidance from a wise old woman whilst Louis, a strong man, does not want these figures near his son. And so, one foggy night father and son try to escape under the cover of darkness and the story descends into a thrilling game of survival. As the book reaches its powerful denouement, it delves into magical-realism, where the mission to save his son from the shadows is an existential crisis for the father.
Three Shadows is an exploration of how parents might react to knowing a dreadful truth about their child's impending death and the extent to which they will go to to protect them at all costs. As I said earlier, as a father this story hit harder this time round. There is a high probability that my daughters will live a full and happy life yet, at the back of my mind, there is a nagging thought that this could be the last day I get to enjoy my children. Don't get me wrong, the thought is only fleeting and I don't spend my days weighed down in existential gloom but the fear is real enough to assert its presence; the black dog is indeed over my shoulder.
Overall, Three Shadows is a powerful story and it's allegorical qualities are memorable as they concern the human condition and the knowledge we all have that everybody we know and live will die. However, its ending is one of hope in its poignancy. This graphic novel is well worth a read.