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***Please note that I am using a standard thumbnail image for all the full size pictures on this page. This is purely being done to save myself sometime.***

I suppose the first question everyone will be asking is, "where are the other sixteen issues of The Grey Shadow comic?" The answer is they don’t exist at this present time. I chose the issue number to fit in with the consecutive numbering of the Guard series.

The Grey Shadow series came about as a result of me buying The Grey Phantom mini-figure from Firestar Toys. The mini-figure in turn, is I think based on The Grey Ghost character that appeared in one of the Batman cartoon adventures. From there I decided to introduce the character into the Guard’s world, but across the Atlantic in New Yorkton.

The title banner for this story has been causing me a lot of headaches. I’ve been trying to create a title banner in the mould of the Victorian scene that features in the Janus Stark British strip published back in the 1960’s and 70’s. It’s a very atmospheric and haunting title banner and I wanted to create something similar, but for a 1950's New York (called in this series, New Yorkton), skyscraper skyline. I knew that I wanted a gas lamp attached to a wall in the picture, as featured in the Stark title banner.

The skyline was originally built using dark grey lego, but the colour didn't seem to work against a grey background. I then tried black bricks, which was better, but I felt something else was missing. The image didn't have the atmospheric image I wanted. Looking for inspiration I looked at 1950's views of the city. Quite a few were taken at sea level looking towards New York. So I reshot the buildings with lego transparent blue tiles in the foreground to represent the sea. (I ended up having to stretch this image). But there was still something missing. The image didn't tell the reader where they were. The answer was to add an image of the Statue of Liberty. Luckily, Lego had already produced a mini-figure. The final image is certainly better than what I started with originally and I'm happy with the title banner as it stands. But I may well amend it again at a future date.

The villain of this story is The Claw and eagle eyed Lego fans will recognise him as the Tremor mini-figure and his machine.

Not much more to say about this story at present. I can’t wait to post part two of this story in April. I’ll have more to say about the completed story next month as there is a lot going on in part two. So until April, adieu.

P.S. No appearnce of The Guard this month, as Albert is on holiday. He hasn’t had a break since the series started, so now seemed a good time.